The two Porsche 963s fielded by Porsche Penske Motorsport finished the 100-minute city race in Detroit in third and fourth place. In the thrilling fifth race of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season, Matt Campbell from Australia and Frenchman Mathieu Jaminet finished on the podium at the wheel of the number 6 Porsche 963.

At the start of the fifth round of the season on the Detroit Street Course, the teams and drivers found changed conditions. After high temperatures the day before, the thermometer showed only 16 degrees Celsius. The two Porsche 963s fielded by Porsche Penske Motorsport initially coped well with these conditions. After the start, Nick Tandy heaved the No. 7 car forward from seventh to fourth position. On lap four, the Briton even took third place. Championship leaders Felipe Nasr and Nick Tandy finished fourth. The duo from Brazil and Great Britain had won the first three races of the year and finished the last round at Laguna Seca in second place. In the GTD-Pro class, the AO Racing customer team defended its top spot in the championship with the Porsche 911 GT3 R.

At the first pit stop after around 40 minutes, the Porsche Penske Motorsport team once again showed its best side: both 963s were dispatched faster than the cars of the competition. At the halfway point of the race, the No. 7 car was in the lead, while the sister car was fighting for a podium finish in fourth place. However, 15 minutes before the chequered flag fell, everything turned out differently once again: Nasr initially lost two positions in a heated battle for the lead and finally had to let the number 6 car go in the duel for third place.

"After a strong start, we were able to take the lead and lead the race for long stretches," Urs Kuratle sums up. The Head of Factory Motorsport LMDh adds: "In the end, we were no longer able to keep up the high pace. We are satisfied with third and fourth place. Don't forget: There are now 17 IMSA races in a row since 2023 in which at least one Porsche 963 has been on the podium. That makes us proud. My thanks go to the entire team, from mechanics to engineers and strategists to the drivers: great performance by everyone!"

Lead in the championship extended

"It was a fantastic car race on the streets of Detroit," says Jonathan Diuguid, Executive Director Porsche Penske Motorsport. Our strategy was good, as were the pit stops. Unfortunately, the tyres didn't build up quite as much grip in the end. So we couldn't keep the lead until the end. It was still a good day, because we were even able to extend our lead in the championship a bit. At the beginning of next week, we'll head towards Le Mans, where the important test day is already on the agenda next weekend."

In the manufacturers' standings, Porsche, as the leader, has a lead of 147 points over its closest rival. Nasr/Tandy and Campbell/Jaminet occupy the first two places in the drivers' championship. Porsche Penske Motorsport leads the team standings in the IMSA series.

The customer team JDC-Miller MotorSports did not have an optimal race day in Detroit. The yellow Porsche 963 with the starting number 85 achieved eleventh place with drivers Gianmaria Bruni from Italy and Tijmen van der Helm from the Netherlands.

GTD-Pro class: "Roxy" Porsche 911 GT3 R in fifth place after tough duels

AO Racing's 911 GT3 R, known as the "Roxy", suffered numerous injuries in the intense city race in Detroit. Again and again, the two former Porsche Juniors Klaus Bachler from Austria and Laurin Heinrich from Germany were involved in tough duels. The No. 77 car crossed the finish line in fifth place in the class and thus defended first place in the championship.

Round six of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship takes place on 21 June at Watkins Glen in the US state of New York. Before that, Porsche Penske Motorsport will compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans (14/15 June) with three Porsche 963s.

Drivers' comments after the race

Mathieu Jaminet (Porsche 963 #6): "It was a crazy race. Our goal was a podium finish – and we achieved it. After the start, it didn't look too good at first, but we never gave up. The balance of our Porsche 963 was quite changeable today. Sometimes everything was good, in other phases it became difficult. With third place in the championship, we have slightly reduced the gap to our sister car and at the same time even extended the gap to our nearest pursuers."

Felipe Nasr (Porsche 963 #7): Nick had a great start and was able to move up a few positions. Afterwards, we once again came to the top through optimal strategy and perfect teamwork. About half an hour before the end there was a yellow phase. From this point on, we didn't have the pace we had before because the front tyres simply couldn't get into the optimal operating window. In the end, we finished fourth – that's not a bad result in terms of the championship."

Tijmen van der Helm (Porsche 963 #85): "Over the entire weekend, we couldn't quite keep up with the pace of the two Porsche Penske Motorsport works 963s. In the race, however, the gap was slightly smaller than before. Unfortunately, a penalty for exceeding the speed limit in the pit lane threw us back a long way. You just can't make up for those lost 25 seconds. And even if you do, overtaking is really difficult on this track."

Laurin Heinrich (Porsche 911 GT3 R #77): "It was clear to us that we wouldn't have the fastest car in our class this weekend. Therefore, it was important for us to make ends meet as cleanly as possible and without incident. That worked for long stretches. However, it got really tough again in the final rounds. There was a small traffic jam in turn three, I was hit at the rear and spun. Nevertheless, I'm satisfied with fifth place. This result was good and important in terms of the championship."

Results race

GTP class:
1. Van der Zande/Yelloly (NLD/GBR), Acura #93, 84 laps
2. R. Taylor/Albuquerque (USA/POR), Cadillac #10, + 0.947 seconds
3. Campbell/Jaminet (AUS/FRA), Porsche 963 #6, + 3.436 seconds
4. Nasr/Tandy (BRA/GBR), Porsche 963 #7, + 4.117 seconds
11. Bruni/Van der Helm (ITA/NLD), Porsche 963 #85, - 1 lap

GTD-Pro class:
1. Rockenfeller/Priaulx (DEU/GBR), Ford #64, 81 laps
2. Garcia/Sims (ESP/GBR), Corvette #3, + 1.623 seconds
3. Caldarelli/Mapelli (ITA/ITA), Lamborghini #9, + 1.938 seconds
5. Bachler/Heinrich (AUT/DEU), Porsche 911 GT3 R #77, + 23.945 seconds

All results and championship standings under https://results.imsa.com.