Round four of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship takes place next Sunday (11 May) at the Laguna Seca Raceway in California.

The works team fields two Porsche 963s in the top GTP category. The JDC-Miller MotorSports customer team is sending another hybrid prototype from Weissach into the race. In the two GT classes, two Porsche 911 GT3 R will start the competition over 2:40 hours. It is the first IMSA event in 2025 with this race duration. On the same weekend, Porsche Penske Motorsport will also be competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) at Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium.

The preview

After victories at the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring, as well as most recently at the sprint race in the streets of Long Beach, Porsche leads all championship standings. The factory team has prepared for the upcoming IMSA round at Laguna Seca with test drives on the storied Californian track, among other things. Felipe Nasr and Nick Tandy will take turns at the wheel of the No. 7 Porsche 963. The duo from Brazil and Great Britain had won the first three races of the year. In the sister car, Australian Matt Campbell and Mathieu Jaminet from France are hoping for their first win of the season. The number 6 Porsche won in 2024 on the hilly, 3.601-kilometre circuit near the port city of Monterey.

"So far, we've had an incredibly good run in this year's IMSA series. We want to continue on this path," explains Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Porsche Motorsport. "The motivation within our team is at its absolute maximum. We were able to win on three completely different tracks over very different distances – something like that gives you confidence. I'm sure we'll get our chances next weekend as well. We want to make the most of this to repeat last year's victory at Laguna Seca."

"In our debut year in 2023, we finished second at Laguna Seca and first and third last season – the track and the Porsche 963 obviously fit together well," Urs Kuratle sums up. "Our race car is the most successful hybrid prototype since the introduction of the LMDh regulations. We want to defend this position and further extend our lead in all championship standings," reports the Vice President Factory Motorsport LMDh. "On the rollercoaster track in California, tyre strategy, driver performance and the team's pit stop performance play decisive roles. We've been absolutely top in all three disciplines recently. That makes me confident."

"We finished the race at Laguna Seca last year on the top step of the podium. That's exactly what we're aiming for again this year," says Jonathan Diuguid, Managing Director Porsche Penske Motorsport, explaining the claims. "Perfect processes have enabled us to achieve the top results so far this season. The team is on a very good run. We can hardly wait to put our two Porsche 963s back on track and put the competitors under a little more pressure."

In the top GTP class, in addition to the two Porsche 963s fielded by Porsche Penske Motorsport, another hybrid prototype from Weissach will enter the competition. The JDC-Miller MotorSports customer team is relying on the services of Gianmaria Bruni from Italy and Tijmen van der Helm from the Netherlands in the No. 85 car.

"Rexy" Porsche 911 GT3 R pauses, "Roxy" attacks

In the GTD Pro class, fans will miss the crowd favourite "Rexy" at Laguna Seca. The green Porsche 911 GT3 R in dinosaur design will remain in the garage after its victory at Sebring and its success at the GTD class at Long Beach. However, the AO Racing squad has a replacement ready: The pink nine-eleven, christened "Roxy", will be used for the first time this year in the fourth race of the season. Two former Porsche Juniors will take turns at the wheel: the Austrian Klaus Bachler and the reigning IMSA champion Laurin Heinrich from Germany.

In the GTD category, in which professionals and amateurs share a car, the customer squad Wright Motorsports will field an identical Porsche 911 GT3 R. Team owner Adam Adelson and his American compatriot Elliott Skeer will compete in the No. 120 car. The duo is aiming for a repeat of last year's podium finish.

The race

The 3.6-kilometre Laguna Seca Raceway has eleven corners, including the famous "Corkscrew" passage: the narrow, steeply sloping left-right combination often serves as the scene of spectacular overtaking manoeuvres. Porsche has recreated the special "corkscrew" section of the track on the in-house racetrack at the Leipzig site.

The traditional US circuit is located on a plateau just a few kilometers from the Pacific port city of Monterey. The track surface of the facility, which was built in 1957, offers a lot of grip thanks to a new asphalt last year. Persistent winds keep driving sand onto the road. This causes increased tire wear.

Drivers' comments before the race

Mathieu Jaminet (Porsche 963 #6): "I've already celebrated a number of successes at Laguna Seca, and I have fond memories of our overall victory last year in particular. So I'm looking forward to this year's race there. The start of the season went well for our team, but not quite ideal for us in car number 6: We were always a little short of victory. We finally want to be at the top of the podium. That's our big goal for the coming weekend."

Felipe Nasr (Porsche 963 #7): "Laguna Seca, with its unique environment, is a wonderful venue for car racing. The fans always create a great atmosphere. We are currently surfing on a wave of success. I'm very proud of our entire team. The irrepressible commitment and determination in the team makes me look forward to the coming weekend with confidence. We'll give it our all at Laguna Seca as well and want to extend our championship lead."

Gianmaria Bruni (Porsche 963 #85): "I'm really looking forward to returning to Laguna Seca. The track is something very special and is one of the icons in the IMSA series racing calendar. That's why I can't wait to ride there again. We have seen in previous years that the Porsche 963 is very competitive on the Californian circuit. Now we want to exploit this high potential as a team and turn it into a good result."

Klaus Bachler (Porsche 911 GT3 R #77): "A great course layout embedded in a beautiful landscape – Laguna Seca is one of the most beautiful races on the calendar for me. That's where I clinched my first pole position in the IMSA series in 2023. AO Racing also clinched its first class victory there last year with 'Rexy'. Now our green nine-eleven takes a short break and we get into its pink sister called 'Roxy'. We are well prepared and in good spirits. We are currently in second place in the championship. We want to keep moving forward."

Adam Adelson (Porsche 911 GT3 R #120): "Laguna Seca is one of the most traditional circuits on the calendar. Everyone feels this immediately when they enter the facility. Our first races of the season went quite well. We want to build on our experience and the lessons we have learned and achieve a top result. Last year we finished on the podium at Laguna Seca. Our team will provide us with a fast Porsche 911 GT3 R. Elliott and I will then have everything we need to make the leap into the top 3 again."

The Porsche race cars at the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca

GTP class (Porsche 963):
Porsche Penske Motorsport #6: Matt Campbell (AUS), Mathieu Jaminet (FRA)
Porsche Penske Motorsport #7: Felipe Nasr (BRA), Nick Tandy (GBR)
JDC-Miller MotorSports #85: Gianmaria Bruni (ITA), Tijmen van der Helm (NLD)

GTD-Pro class (Porsche 911 GT3 R):
AO Racing #77: Klaus Bachler (AUT), Laurin Heinrich (DEU)

GTD class (Porsche 911 GT3 R):
Wright Motorsports #120: Adam Adelson (USA), Elliott Skeer (USA)