IMSA News: No. 7 Penske Porsche wins at Watkins Glen 6 Hour

Felipe Nasr, Dane Cameron and the No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963 survived a wet and unpredictable Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen on Sunday, winning the race at Watkins Glen International.

The six-hour race on the 3.4-mile, 11-turn permanent road course was halted by a red flag for nearly 40 minutes following heavy rain that left the circuit undriveable. Green-flag racing resumed with just 16 minutes remaining, and Nasr made quick work of it. He passed leader Louis Deletraz in the No. 40 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Acura ARX-06 heading into Turn 1 on the restart and went on to win by 0.749 seconds over Renger van der Zande in the No. 01 Cadillac Racing Cadillac V-Series.R.

The win is the second of the season for Nasr, Cameron and the No. 7 Porsche, following their victory in the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona. They are the first team to become a repeat winner this season in the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class, with the first five races of the season each won by a different car. Cameron earned his 17th career IMSA top-tier series win and Nasr his 10th. It’s also win No. 38 for Team Penske.

Rain visited the track on several occasions during the race, the heaviest with just more than 100 minutes to go, forcing a full-course caution that led to the red-flag stoppage with 81 minutes left. The race clock continued ticking during the stoppage, with the cars returning to the track with 41 minutes remaining and the final green flag waving 25 minutes later.

Dane Cameron (Porsche 963 #7): “It’s wonderful to win at Watkins Glen and to have the sister car on the podium as well. This victory is a huge step for us in terms of our championship ambitions. Ten years ago, I celebrated a class win at Watkins Glen – now I’ve finally clinched overall victory. What a fantastic feeling.”

“What a nail-biting race in Watkins Glen,” grinned Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Porsche Motorsport. “This is our third victory of the season, we’ve climbed the podium at every race so far and have extended our lead in the championship – things couldn’t be better! A huge compliment to our Porsche Penske Motorsport works team and to the drivers, who put in a stellar performance under the trickiest conditions. Many thanks as well to all the employees back in Weissach and our strong partners, who give us excellent support in this project.”

“Our strategists, drivers and the pit crew did an awesome job in a truly crazy race,” states Urs Kuratle, Director Factory Motorsport LMDh. “We demonstrated that we’re adept at handling extremely difficult situations. After our performance in Le Mans, this is great for everyone. Our customer team JDC-Miller MotorSports put in an extremely strong drive today. Unfortunately, they received a major penalty. Still, congratulations to the team on its first-class work.”

“It’s a banner day for our whole team and it’s wonderful to see the Porsche 963 in victory lane,” explains Jonathan Diuguid, Managing Director Porsche Penske Motorsport. “Our cars were incredibly fast in the race. The team did a great job under changeable conditions. I’m particularly pleased that our number 7 advanced to the top of the overall leaderboard thanks to this victory. We now have a longer break until the next race at Road America. It’s nice to head into this break with a victorious feeling.”

Other class winners in the race were the No. 88 Richard Mille AF Corse ORECA LMP2 07 with co-drivers Luis Perez Companc, Nicklas Nielsen and Lilou Wadoux Ducellier in Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2), the No. 23 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo with co-drivers Ross Gunn and Alex Riberas in GT Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) and the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 with co-drivers Russell Ward, Philip Ellis and Indy Dontje in GT Daytona (GTD).

Wright Motorsport’s Porsche 911 GT3 R stripped of podium spot
In the GTD class, Wright Motorsport’s Porsche 911 GT3 R crossed the finish line in second place after six hours – only for the team with drivers Adam Adelson, Eliott Skeer and Jan Heylen to lose its podium place shortly afterwards. The crew of the No. 120 car had violated the regulations regarding the minimum driving time. Wright Motorsport’s 911 was relegated to 21st place, with the identical cars from MDK Motorsports and Andretti Motorsports taking the flag in ninth and eleventh positions. In the GTD Pro class, AO Racing’s 911 GT3 R dubbed “Rexy” finished sixth. As a result, Sebastian Priaulx and the former Porsche Junior Laurin Heinrich defended their championship lead.

The WeatherTech Championship returns to action with the LMP2, GTD PRO and GTD classes racing in the Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park on Sunday, July 13.

Podium finish for disappointed Corvette team

Antonio Garcia and Alexander Sims scored the season’s second podium finish for the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with a third-place result at the Six Hours of The Glen on Sunday.

The No. 3 Corvette from Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports ran up front in GTD PRO, fell down the order following an early-race brake change and then challenged for the win late in a topsy-turvy enduro at Watkins Glen International that was severely impacted by rain. It was the first podium finish for the Garcia/Sims duo, following a similar finish for the No. 4 Corvette at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

Race Results