IMSA hypercars flow into Laguna Seca
The fourth round of the IMSA SportsCar Championship heads to the naturally flowing terrain of the Laguna Seca road course in Monterey, California, where at intruiging GTP hypercar season will continue to unfold.
One of America’s most iconic motor racing venues will encounter the new GTP class of the LMDh SportsCar for the first time, and the drivers and cars themselves will encounter a more naturally fluid road course for the first time this season.
The challenging 3.6 km road course with its plummeting Corkscrew, subsequent Hairpin, and 11 turns, will offer up a sensational weekend of racing for the Porsche, Acura, BMW, and Cadillac hypercars .
Porsche Penske picked up its maiden 963 LMDh win at the IMSA Long Beach Grand Prix.
Just like at the WEC Spa 6 Hour, the North American IMSA sister series will also be getting an extra Porsche 963 customer car, with JDC-Miller MotorSports having taken delivery of its #5 entry.
Not only does the GTP grid welcome a new LMDh into its ranks, but it also sees the welcome return of German veteran Mike Rockenfeller, who will be joined by Dutch young gun Tijmen van der Helm…at the 963 helm.
The most anticipated season in living memory of top-class SportsCar racing hasn’t disappointed so far, with Acura taking the Daytona 24, Cadillac saluting at Sebring in the face of some late-night 963 mayhem, and Porsche Penske breaking the LMDh duck at Long Beach.
JDC-Miller MotorSports will field a new Porsche 963 entry at Laguna Seca in the IMSA SportsCar Championship
That leaves the BMW M Hybrid V8 teams left on the outer, but there’s a realistic chance for that to change in California.
Heading into the epic Daytona opener, the BMW teams went in on the back foot in terms of both testing time and development time, but despite that, they took an opportunistic podium at Sebring with the #25, as well being in the hunt at Long Beach.
Connor De Phillippi also put down the fastest lap at the Long Beach GP in a P4 finish, and on any other day that would have been a podium, were it not for a doggedly skilled Porsche Aussie, Matt Campbell, defending P3 like his life depended on it.
Can the BMW LMDh teams make it four seperate manufacturer wins to start the new IMSA hypercar era?
Whilst BMW is a hopeful chance at Laguna Seca, it might be hard to look past the Wayne Taylor Racing Acura ARX-06 with Ricky Taylor and Filipe Albuquerque behind the wheel.
Taylor was on an absolute tear at Long Beach, passing the eventual Porsche 963 victor, Mathieu Jaminet, before he sensationally overcooked the corner and speared the Acura into the wall
Porsche won Long Beach on an innovative tyre strategy, but that won’t play at Laguna, and if the WTR Acura doesn’t salute, it’s anyone’s game.
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