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International Motor Sports Association    Lamborghini Super Trofeo series

International Motor Sports Association 

super trofeo series

 

www.imsa.com

 

About the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA)

International Motor Sports Association, LLC (IMSA) was originally founded in 1969 and owns a long and rich history in sports car racing. Today, IMSA is the sanctioning body of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the premier sports car racing series in North America. IMSA also sanctions the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge and IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge, as well as four one-make series: Ferrari Challenge North America, Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich Tires, Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America and Porsche Carrera Cup North America. IMSA – a company within the NASCAR family – is the exclusive strategic partner in North America with the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) which operates the 24 Hours of Le Mans as a part of the FIA World Endurance Championship. The partnership enables selected IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship competitors to earn automatic entries into the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Vasser Sullivan Lexus Back on Top of GTD in Long Beach

Telitz, Pedersen Bring No. 12 Lexus RC F GT3 to Win


 

April 18, 2026

By Tony DiZinno

IMSA Wire Service

Results


 

LONG BEACH, Calif. – At a certain point, the dam was going to break for Vasser Sullivan Racing and its venerable Lexus RC F GT3 in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship after a two-year winless drought. The last place where the team won on an important milestone in its history was a good place to do it.

 

Vasser Sullivan has entered 22 IMSA races (including this one) since their last class win at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach in 2024, and their previous largest winless streak was 12 races.

 

So the perfect pairing to break the drought in Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) was the No. 12 Lexus RC F GT3 of Aaron Telitz and Benjamin Pedersen. They shared the winning entry for team co-owners Jimmy Vasser and James “Sulli” Sullivan, with Vasser also celebrating the 30-year anniversary this week of his own Long Beach Indy car race win in April 1996 that led to an eventual championship at season’s end.



“It's such a big win for this Vasser Sullivan Lexus Racing organization,” Telitz said. “We've had a bit of a drought… It's been a couple of years since the RC-F went back in victory lane, but couldn't be more proud to do it here at the Grand Prix of Long Beach.”


 

The No. 12 car started sixth, somewhat quietly biding its time as Pedersen started the car before turning it over to Telitz at the scheduled pit stop. The win came following a decisive move from Telitz on a restart against the early pace-setting No. 36 DXDT Racing Corvette Z06 GT3.R which started from the pole position. Robert Wickens started up front and led the opening stint of 25 laps in 35 minutes and built a gap of more than five seconds.

 

“That was a fairytale stint,” Wickens said. “The Corvette Z06 GT3.R was just so nice to drive around this track. Every lap is a dream. We were a little nervous for our driver change on if we would lose time or at least maintain status quo. So, the goal for me was to build a gap, just in case. Mason did an amazing job, and I am pretty sure I just found out we had the fifth-fastest in the pit lane. I'll take that all day."

 

But a caution for contact between two Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) cars shifted the order, and while Wickens’ teammate Mason Filippi appeared poised to benefit, the complexion changed significantly after the restart.

 

Filippi had the edge, but Telitz made a move starting from the left-handed Turn 6 and completing into the right-handed Turn 8 on the inside.

 

“The Lexus RC F GT3 fires off really well on restarts; it gets the tires going really quickly, so I felt any restart was my chance to pounce,” Telitz said. “The 36 Corvette has been really good all weekend, and I feel like they didn’t turn the tires on as quickly.”

 

Filippi’s hopes then nosedived shortly thereafter, losing the lead when they engaged with a BMW prototype. The ferocious and hard-charging GTD field dropped Filippi four spots from second to sixth through Turns 4 to 8, and Filippi also his left side mirror.  

 

“We got stuck driving behind some of the lapped traffic there and got into it a little bit with the GTP car at the fountain,” Filippi explained. “Then we got pushed into the wall pretty hard by another car. When that happened, we lost kind of all of the momentum. Since it was right after a restart, everyone kind of came through.”

 

The beneficiaries included Robby Foley in his No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 EVO, Albert Costa in the No. 34 Conquest Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO, Corey Lewis in the No. 66 Gradient Racing Ford Mustang GT3 and Andrea Caldarelli in the No. 46 Pfaff Motorsports Lamborghini Temerario GT3.

 

It’s worth noting the Telitz on Filippi pass wasn’t technically for the lead, as the sister No. 89 Lexus led the way in the hands of Jack Hawksworth. That car had parlayed an alternate strategy to try to vault itself in contention from the rear of the field following a ride-height violation discovered in post-qualifying technical inspection.

 

The team opted to switch drivers and start Hawksworth instead of Frankie Montecalvo, who promptly charged through the field. Once the No. 89 car pitted to ensure Montecalvo could finish and fulfill his driving requirements, it finished fifth. 

 

Telitz moved to the lead, leading home Foley by 5.055 seconds in the car he shared with Patrick Gallagher. Costa and Manny Franco finished third for Conquest, ahead of the No. 70 Inception Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO, the No. 89 Lexus and the No. 36 DXDT Corvette.

 

With the championship-leading No. 27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo finishing 10th, it leaves Eduardo “Dudu” Barrichello unofficially 54 points clear of Foley and Gallagher and 103 ahead of Telitz and Pedersen.

 

The WeatherTech Championship resumes at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on Sunday, May 3, with the Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) class joining the GTD and GTP fields. 

 

The Long Beach IMSA GTP Wait Is Over for Acura

Van der Zande’s Street Course Prowess Continues with Yelloly in No. 93 ARX-06


 

April 18, 2026

By John Oreovicz

IMSA Wire Service

Results


 

LONG BEACH, Calif. – It was a long time coming, but Acura and Honda Racing Corporation USA (HRC US) claimed their first overall victory on the streets of Long Beach during the modern era of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – and more importantly, for the first time since Acura became the title sponsor of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach in 2019.


 

Nick Yelloly sped to the Motul Pole Award on Friday, then teamed with Renger van der Zande Saturday to guide the No. 93 Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian Acura ARX-06 to the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) first-place trophy in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. They largely controlled the 100-minute sprint race to end several years of frustration for Acura and HRC, which both have headquarters in Southern California.


 

The Acura marque triumphed at Long Beach in the Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) class in 2008 under American Le Mans Series sanction and swept the LMP1 and LMP2 classes in 2009. But until Saturday, Acura had not taken overall victory at the legendary 1.968-mile, 11-turn track in IMSA’s Daytona Prototype international (2017-22) and GTP (2023-present) top classes.


 

It was reminiscent of the wait Honda endured from 1998 to 2003 in IndyCar racing as it tried to no avail to win in front of home fans on Japanese soil at Twin Ring Motegi. When Dan Wheldon finally broke through in 2004, it triggered a joyful celebration that longtime HRC and Acura associates still talk about.


 

With the No. 93 Acura carrying a new 76 Gas Station livery, van der Zande crossed the finish line 0.818 seconds ahead of the No. 31 Cadillac Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R shared this weekend by Jack Aitken and Frederik Vesti, in his Long Beach debut filling in for Earl Bamber. 


 

The Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963s took third and fourth places, with the No. 6 car of Kevin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor just ahead of the No. 7 team car of Felipe Nasr and Julien Andlauer that won the first two WeatherTech Championship races of the 2026 season.


 

Acura’s status as the title sponsor for the Grand Prix of Long Beach, and the “home race” win for van der Zande and Yelloly produced another outpouring of gratitude and excitement from the many Honda and Acura associates who attended the race.


 

“That’s the main topic from the day,” said van der Zande, who has now earned 21 race wins in top-level IMSA sports car competition, including six of the last 10 street races in the WeatherTech Championship. “Winning the Acura Grand Prix for Acura as an Acura driver, that makes it very, very special. 


 

“We were brought into this program, almost to win this one. There’s a lot of effort around Los Angeles to promote the Grand Prix, and this is home ground for Acura, so it’s fantastic to take the win we just did.”


 

Chuck Schifsky, National Motorsport Manager for Honda and Acura, was over the moon.

 

“A spectacular win for Acura!” he exclaimed. “Not only is it on our home ground, near HRC’s US headquarters in Santa Clarita, but the HRC group is responsible for the trackside engineering on the No. 93 car. It’s a huge win for that group. 


 

“We haven’t won since 2008 (and 2009) at Long Beach and haven’t won here in IMSA’s modern prototype era, so it’s great to be able to finally present ourselves with the trophy from the Acura Grand Prix.”


 

Yelloly led from the start, but lost the top spot to Aitken when he was balked by a Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) class competitor just 13 laps in. While some competitors made pit stops for driver changes as little as 10 minutes into the race, the No. 93 ran longest, with Yelloly handing over to van der Zande after 38 minutes.


 

Almost simultaneously, the third of the five full-course cautions that punctuated the race fell, and van der Zande emerged in the lead when racing resumed with 47 minutes remaining. From there, he was able to hold off Vesti despite concerns about conserving his rear tires. On the pit wall, Yelloly remained confident. 


 

“It was a nail-biting finish, but I knew the guy behind the wheel could do the job, so I wasn’t too worried,” Yelloly said.


 

The No. 31 Cadillac has started the season with three consecutive podiums after closing out 2025 with a pair of victories. 


 

“We had a really good day,” said Aitken. “There’s a few key things you need to do on a street track like this - you need to have a good start, don’t make mistakes, and I think the No. 31 team ticked all those boxes. It was a really good run so I can’t complain too much, but definitely hungry for that win this year.”


 

Nasr, Andlauer, and the No. 7 Porsche continue to lead the GTP standings, with an interesting twist: their closest competitor early in the 2026 season is Laurin Heinrich. 


 

Heinrich is the No. 7 car’s third driver for Motul Petit Le Mans after winning at the first two IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup rounds, the Rolex 24 At Daytona and Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. Heading into Long Beach, he was announced with an extended program in the No. 5 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963, running the remaining sprint races and the Michelin Endurance Cup race at Road America. 


 

Heinrich and Tijmen van der Helm finished sixth at Long Beach, for the JDC-Miller team’s best result since the 2025 Rolex 24, which was also a sixth-place run. This puts Heinrich 35 points behind Andlauer and Nasr. Aitken is a further three points back, followed by the No. 6 Porsche duo.


 

The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship remains in California for its next race, the Monterey SportsCar Championship, May 1-3 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

 

Acura Breaks Through for Long-Awaited IMSA Long Beach Win

Vasser Sullivan Lexus’ No. 12 RC F GT3 Captures the GTD Flag to End Its Drought


 

April 18, 2026

By Tony DiZinno

IMSA Wire Service

Unofficial Results


 

LONG BEACH, Calif. – Long-awaited win droughts ended under sunny Southern California skies in Saturday’s 100-minute Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, the third round of the 2026 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season.


 

Acura won overall and Grand Touring Prototype (GTP), ending its pursuit of its first win at Long Beach since the manufacturer took over race title sponsorship in 2019. And in Grand Touring Daytona (GTD), Lexus snapped a two-year win drought since its last victory at Long Beach in 2024. 


 

From the Motul Pole Award, the No. 93 Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian Acura ARX-06 of Nick Yelloly and Renger van der Zande captured the victory. That sentence made the race seem simpler than it was. 


 

The No. 93 car ran longer on the first stint to overcome a loss of track position from the lead, as Yelloly briefly lost the lead in traffic lapping a GT car to Jack Aitken in the No. 31 Cadillac Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R.


 

But after staying out long enough and then just being on the right side of a full-course caution flag, the No. 93 regained the lead once the cycle of pit stops was complete.


 

Van der Zande then needed to withstand a final stint charge from Aitken’s teammate Frederik Vesti, making his Long Beach debut up against the multi-time Long Beach race winner. Vesti quickly got within a few tenths of a second of van der Zande.


 

A final green flag flew with just over six and a half minutes remaining, and while Vesti remained within several tenths of a second, he was unable to make a move on van der Zande. 


 

The Dutchman won by 0.818 of a second over the Dane, en route to his second straight IMSA street race win (Detroit 2025), third Long Beach win in five years (2022, 2024) and sixth IMSA street race win in the last 10. 


 

“Perfect scenario for me Saturday in Long Beach; we had to work for it,” van der Zande said, surrounded by his family in victory lane. “Cadillac seemed very fast and I was barely holding on. The rear tires were completely gone. But we did it!


 

“I was in the zone and pulling away in traffic. Traffic for me in IMSA is where my experience counts. The Cadillac came so close. But man, that was great!” 


 

Behind the two up front, Porsche Penske Motorsport’s No. 6 Porsche 963 of Kevin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor finished third ahead of the sister No. 7 Porsche 963.  


 

In GTD, Vasser Sullivan Racing’s weekend pace with its two Lexus RC F GT3 cars paid off with a win to snap a two-year winless streak, and 30 years since team co-owner Jimmy Vasser won at Long Beach in 1996 en route to an eventual Indy car season championship. 


 

The team’s No. 12 entry of Aaron Telitz and Benjamin Pedersen broke through for the win, as Telitz made a pass of Mason Filippi’s No. 36 DXDT Racing Corvette Z06 GT3.R with 40 minutes remaining following a restart. 


 

Filippi took over the No. 36 car from Robert Wickens, who was making his series return and called his first stint a “fairytale.” He led the bulk of his stint from the pole before pitting and making a successful and quick driver change, leading by several seconds. 


 

But the ferocious and hard-charging GTD field quickly got to Filippi, who lost time against a BMW prototype entry shortly after losing the lead. Filippi lost four more positions through Turns 4 to 8, dropping to sixth, and also lost his left side mirror in the process.  


 

The podium battle behind the No. 12 Lexus saw Turner Motorsport leap to second with its No. 96 BMW M4 GT3 EVO of Robby Foley and Patrick Gallagher, a pair of Ferrari 296 GT3 EVOs from Conquest Racing and Inception Racing, and the aforementioned No. 36 DXDT Corvette.


 

Perhaps the hardest luck entry was the other Vasser Sullivan Lexus, the No. 89 car qualified by Frankie Montecalvo and started by Jack Hawksworth. Following a ground clearance violation that relegated the fastest qualifying car Friday to the rear of the GTD field, the team opted to switch drivers and start Hawksworth, who promptly charged through the field. The No. 89 car made it to the lead, but hadn’t pitted yet, and needed to do so with under 40 minutes remaining to ensure Montecalvo could finish and fulfill his driving requirements. That car finished sixth. 


 

The WeatherTech Championship resumes at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on Sunday, May 3. 


 

 

Unofficial Results, Points & Post-Race Nuggets | WeatherTech Championship

Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach

Long Beach Street Course - Saturday, April 18, 2026

Unofficial race results available at results.imsa.com.


 

Unofficial points available at pitnotes.org/points.

GTP


 

No. 93 Acura Meyer Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian

  • 21st IMSA class win
  • Last win was in June 2025 at Watkins Glen in GTP with car #60
  • Sixth IMSA class win in GTP
  • First IMSA class win at Long Beach
  • Previous best finish at Long Beach was fourth (1 times) last in 2022 in DPi with car #60
  • First IMSA class win in 2026
  • Fourth win for Acura at Long Beach (2008 LMP1, 2009 LMP1, LMP2)
  • First win for Acura at Long Beach since 2009 in LMP1 and LMP2
  • Ninth win for the Acura/HPD series of prototypes at Long Beach
  • Last win for the ARX series at Long Beach was the HPD ARX-03a in 2013 in P1
  • Acura has won three of the past four IMSA street course races
  • Five of Meyer Shank Racing's past seven wins have been won from pole


 

Renger van der Zande

  • 40y 2m 2d from Dodewaard, Netherlands
  • 23rd IMSA class win in 127th start
  • Last win was at 2025 Detroit Street in GTP, 7 starts between
  • Third win at Long Beach in ninth start
  • Last win at Long Beach was in 2024 in GTP, 1 track starts between
  • First win in 2026 season in third start
  • Previous best finish in 2026 was fifth (1 times) last at Daytona in GTP
  • Renger van der Zande has won six of the past 10 IMSA street course races overall


 

Nick Yelloly

  • 35y 4m 15d from Solihull, England, United Kingdom
  • Third IMSA class win in 33rd start
  • Last win was at 2025 Detroit Street in GTP, 6 starts between
  • First win at Long Beach in fourth start
  • Previous best finish at Long Beach was second in 2023 in GTP
  • First win in 2026 season in third start
  • Previous best finish in 2026 was fifth (1 times) last at Daytona in GTP


 

GTD


 

No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Racing

  • 16th IMSA class win
  • Last win was in April 2024 at Long Beach in GTD with car No. 89
  • Breaks team winless streak of 21 races, their longest ever
  • 11th IMSA class win in GTD
  • Third IMSA class win at Long Beach
  • First IMSA class win in 2026
  • 3rd Long Beach win for the Lexus RC F GT3 (2023 GTD PRO, 2024 GTD)
  • Lexus also powered the 2006 DP/Overall winner at Long Beach


 

Aaron Telitz

  • 34y 4m 5d from Birchwood, WI
  • Sixth IMSA class win in 69th start
  • Last win was at 2023 Watkins Glen in GTD, 24 starts between
  • First win at Long Beach in fifth start
  • Previous best finish at Long Beach was third in 2025 in GTD
  • First win in 2026 season in third start
  • Previous best finish in 2026 was ninth (1 times) last at Daytona in GTD


 

Benjamin Pedersen

  • 26y 11m 7d from Copenhagen, Denmark
  • First IMSA class win in 10th start
  • Previous best finish was third (1 times) last at 2025 Daytona in LMP2
  • First win at Long Beach in first start
  • First win in 2026 season in third start
  • Previous best finish in 2026 was ninth (1 times) last at Daytona in GTD

 

Acura Attempts an Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Win from Pole 

Yelloly Delivers No. 93 ARX-06 the Top Spot; Wittmann, BMW in Second


 

April 17, 2026

By John Oreovicz

IMSA Wire Service

Provisional Starting Grid


 

LONG BEACH, Calif. – Ahead of Saturday’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, Acura topped the close competition on display throughout a busy day of IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship action.


 

Nick Yelloly put Acura in the best possible position to earn the manufacturer’s first win in the flagship Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class in its ‘home’ race. Yelloly lapped the 1.968-mile Long Beach street course in 1 minute, 11.626 seconds (98.913 mph) in the No. 93 Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian Acura ARX-06 to claim the Motul Pole Award for Saturday’s 100-minute contest, the first sprint race of the 2026 WeatherTech Championship season.


 

An Acura ARX-06 set the GTP track record and started from pole position at Long Beach in 2023, the first year for the revived GTP class. But Acura, which has U.S. headquarters in nearby Torrance, hasn’t claimed victory in the top sports car class of the popular Southern California festival that it has supported as title sponsor since 2019. Acura has won at Long Beach before, but it’s been since 2009 in the American Le Mans Series.


 

Yelloly was the first driver to break the 1:12 barrier in Friday’s 15-minute qualifying session, and he was consistently able to string together fast laps culminating in his pole-winning effort. But it was a close-run thing, because Marco Wittmann got within 0.030 seconds with his last lap of 1:11.656 (98.872 mph) in the No. 25 BMW M Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8. 


 

Louis Deletraz also improved on his final lap in the No. 40 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac V-Series.R to 1:11.833 (98.628 mph) to move up to third as four manufacturers (Acura, BMW, Cadillac, and Porsche) were represented in the top five. 


 

“We haven’t had the poles and the results that we needed so far this year, so to start on pole position here at our home Grand Prix is the most important thing and I’m just super proud,” said Yelloly, whose co-driver in the No. 93 Acura is Renger van der Zande. “We knew we had a good car in free practice, so I knew it was just a matter of executing the best I could. Had a couple good laps in the end, so that was nice.”


 

Acura has now claimed two Long Beach poles with the hybrid-powered ARX-06, two more with the previous generation ARX-05 that competed in the Daytona Prototype international (DPi) class, and one apiece for the earlier ARX-01a and ARX-01b. All were powered by engines designed and produced by Honda Racing Corporation USA, located in Santa Clarita, California.


 

This was Yelloly’s third pole in IMSA competition; he recorded his last at the 2025 WeatherTech Championship race at Road America and the other came on the Detroit street circuit.


 

The 35-year-old Englishman revealed he particularly enjoys driving on street courses, and van der Zande particularly talked Yelloly’s street course pace up in a pre-race media session.


 

“I’ve always been a fan of flirting with the walls and getting away with it, and today was great,” he said. “That’s been consistent in my career in everything I’ve done. I was able to push, and inch closer to the wall each lap. The Michelin tires held up well, especially for a softer compound, and I was just able to have fun.”


 

A spread of just 0.938 seconds covered the GTP field in qualifying, and it was even closer in practice, with a 0.645-second spread in the 60-minute morning session and 0.754 seconds during 90 minutes of afternoon running.


 

The joy for Acura and Meyer Shank was slightly tempered by Colin Braun’s Turn 8 incident in the afternoon session. The No. 60 Acura ARX-06 sustained enough damage in the left-front impact to require a chassis change and the entry will start from 11th place.

 

The WeatherTech Championship cars will remain idle until the start of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 18. The race will be broadcast live on NBC and streamed on Peacock; international viewers can stream via IMSA.TV or the official IMSA YouTube channel. 

 

Wickens Returns to IMSA, Ascends to GTD Pole in Long Beach

Post-Qualifying Tech Inspection Moves Canadian to the Front of the Field


 

April 17, 2026

By Tony DiZinno

IMSA Wire Service

Provisional Starting Grid


 

LONG BEACH, Calif. – Robert Wickens will have the best possible vantage point for his return to IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship competition on Saturday in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach (4 p.m. ET, NBC).


 

The co-driver of the No. 36 DXDT Racing Corvette Z06 GT3.R, now adorned in a new blue and gold Wealthspire livery, initially qualified second in the car he shares with Mason Filippi. However, a ride-height infraction revealed in post-qualifying technical inspection moved the No. 89 car to the rear of the Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) grid and Wickens’ Corvette to the head of the class grid.


 

It is Wickens’ first career pole in WeatherTech Championship competition, coming in his seventh series start and first since the Michelin GT Challenge at VIRginia International Raceway last August. He raced in a specially equipped Bosch hand control Corvette starting last year and does so again this year in the series’ five sprint races.


 

In each of the last five GTD races at Long Beach, the winning entry has started within the top three. The winner has come from pole in 2021, 2022 and 2024. Only in 2017 has the GTD winner come from outside the top three, and that was from 13th.


 

"A bit of a redemption from last year, even making it through FP2 and having a clean weekend this year compared to last,” Wickens said after the 15-minute session concluded, but before technical inspection had occurred. “DXDT Racing and Corvette Racing are doing an amazing job. The car is so nice to drive. 


 

“Hopefully with a little more experience, I can get a little more from the car and from the hand control system from Bosch. Going into this weekend, if you told me I’d be on the front row, I would have taken it.”


 

Early session leader Danny Formal rolls off second in the No. 45 Wayne Taylor Racing Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo2 he shares with Trent Hindman.  The No. 27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo, which won the first two poles of the year by Zacharie Robichon in Daytona and Eduardo “Dudu” Barrichello in Sebring, respectively, will start third Saturday with Barrichello sharing his car with Spencer Pumpelly.


 

Two-time defending GTD champions Winward Racing, with Russell Ward and Philip Ellis in the No. 57 Mercedes-AMG GT3, and Turner Motorsport with Patrick Gallagher and Robby Foley in the No. 96 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, complete the top five.


 

Some other notables in qualifying:


 

  • The Pfaff Motorsports’ No. 46 Lamborghini Temerario GT3 qualified eighth in the hands of series debutant Zachary Vanier, which he’ll share with Andrea Caldarelli.
  • Defending Long Beach GTD winner AO Racing’s No. 177 Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) needed a recovery effort from its crew following a red flag-causing incident in Practice 2, which meant the car lost its fastest qualifying lap. Mikkel Pedersen put the No. 177 car in ninth and he’ll share with Harry King.
  • Matt Bell (No. 13 13 Autosport Corvette Z06 GT3.R) topped the first practice, but co-driver Orey Fidani will start from P16 on the grid after an incident in qualifying.


 

Saturday’s race goes green at 4 p.m. ET on NBC, also streaming on Peacock, IMSA’s Official YouTube channel and IMSA.TV.

 

 

Qualifying Results | WeatherTech Championship

Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach

Long Beach Street Course - Friday, April 17, 2026

Qualifying Results


 

Practice 2 Results

Practice 1 Results


 

Additional results are available at results.imsa.com.

 

 

Practice Results | WeatherTech Championship

Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach

Long Beach Street Course - Friday, April 17, 2026

Practice 2 Results

Practice 1 Results

Practice Results | WeatherTech Championship

Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach

Long Beach Street Course - Friday, April 17, 2026

Practice 1 Results


 

Additional results are available at results.imsa.com.
 
 

Entry List Notebook – StubHub Monterey SportsCar Championship

Field of 34 Cars Set for IMSA’s Second California Race in Three Weeks


 

April 22, 2026

By Tony DiZinno

IMSA Wire Service

Entry List (Click Here)

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship continues its two-race California swing with the annual trip to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca as part of an IMSA-themed “throwback” weekend in Monterey. This year’s two-hour, 40-minute race for Grand Touring Prototype (GTP), Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) and Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) features 34 cars entered for the StubHub Monterey SportsCar Championship.


 

The GTD PRO class is back for the first time since the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, with its nine full-season entries. There’s the same 11 GTP entries as at Long Beach and the 14 full-season GTD entries after the class temporarily grew by three at Long Beach. 


 

Earl Bamber (No. 31 Cadillac Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R, GTP) and Tom Gamble (No. 27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo, GTD) return after missing Long Beach.


 

Meanwhile there are two new driver changes in GTD. Scott Andrews fills in for Valentin Hasse-Clot in the No. 19 van der Steur Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo while Lorenzo Patrese is listed in the No. 34 Conquest Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO alongside Albert Costa. 


 

Additional fast facts for the weekend are below: 


 

Fast Facts

StubHub Monterey SportsCar Championship

WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca – Monterey, California

May 1-3, 2026


 

Race Day/Time: Sunday, May 3 – 4:10 p.m. ET (1:10 p.m. PT and local time)

Peacock Streaming Coverage: LIVE – Flag-to-flag beginning at 4 p.m. (IMSA TV Live and IMSA YouTube outside the U.S.)

NBCSN Live TV Race Coverage: 4-7 p.m. 

Live Qualifying Stream: Saturday, May 2 – 6:10 p.m. ET (Peacock in the U.S., IMSA TV Live and IMSA YouTube outside the U.S.)

IMSA Radio: Selected sessions with race coverage at 4 p.m. on Sunday on XM 206, Web/App 996

Circuit Type: 2.238-mile, 11-turn road course

Race Length: Two hours, 40 minutes

Classes Competing: Grand Touring Prototype (GTP), GT Daytona Pro (GTD PRO), GT Daytona (GTD)


 

Track Social Media: 


 

Event Hashtags: #IMSA, #WeatherTechRaceway, #LagunaSeca


 

WeatherTech Championship Track Records

GTP: Sebastien Bourdais, Cadillac V-Series.R, 1:12.445 / 111.212 mph, May 2024

GTD PRO: Nicky Catsburg, Corvette Z06 GT3.R, 1:19.727 / 101.054 mph, May 2024

GTD: Kenton Koch, Mercedes-AMG GT3, 1:20.810 / 99.700 mph, May 2025

 

2025 StubHub Monterey SportsCar Championship Winners

GTP: Matt Campbell/Mathieu Jaminet, No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963

GTD PRO: Laurin Heinrich/Klaus Bachler, No. 77 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)

GTD: Russell Ward/Philip Ellis, No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3


 

2025 StubHub Monterey SportsCar Championship Motul Pole Award Winners

GTP: Dries Vanthoor, No. 24 BMW M Team RLL BMW M Hybrid V8

GTD PRO: Giacomo Altoè, No. 81 DragonSpeed Ferrari 296 GT3

GTD: Kenton Koch, No. 32 Korthoff Competition Motors Mercedes-AMG GT3


 

Storylines

  • Triple Repeat Attempts: Porsche Penske Motorsport (GTP), AO Racing (GTD PRO) and Winward Racing (GTD) have won at Monterey each of the last two years. If any or all of them can triple up, it’d make for an impressive statistic to cap off the California swing. 
  • California Sweeps? In Long Beach, Acura (GTP) and Lexus (GTD) won the first of the two California races. Acura last won in Monterey in 2022 in Daytona Prototype international (DPi), while it’s been since 2005 in a Riley chassis DP since Lexus won. 
  • GTD PRO Back on Track: Paul Miller Racing BMW and Manthey Porsche – the latter only participating in this season’s endurance events – have won the opening two rounds in GTD PRO, as the class resumes for its first sprint race of the year. It’ll be interesting to see who leads the way in this class in Monterey.
  • Who’s Breaking Through? Cadillac Whelen and BMW M Team WRT have podiums but no wins in GTP in 2026. The same is true for AO Racing and Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports in GTD PRO. And in GTD, Heart of Racing Team, Conquest Racing, Turner Motorsport and Wright Motorsports have all visited the podium without winning yet. Will one of these teams capture its first win of the season in Monterey?  
  • CrowdStrike Endurance, Teamwork and Speed Award: The No. 99 AO Racing ORECA LMP2 07 (WeatherTech Championship) and No. 12 RAFA Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2 (Michelin Pilot Challenge) were awarded the CrowdStrike Endurance, Teamwork and Speed Award for their performance at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring weekend. AO’s LMP2 entry will be presented with the award at its next round, the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen, while RAFA’s GS entry will be presented with the award in Monterey pre-race ceremonies. 


 

Who’s Hot?

  • Cadillac Whelen: While they haven’t won yet, the No. 31 Cadillac V-Series.R has three podiums in as many GTP races to start 2026 – the only car in any of IMSA’s four classes to boast that stat.
  • No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsport: The No. 6 car, which has won the last two Monterey races, has opened with finishes of fourth, second and third to start 2026. It won its first and only race of 2025 in Monterey last year. 


 

Who’s Good Here?

  • Nick Tandy: One of five three-time Monterey winners in the field, Tandy’s first North American win came at the track in an NGT Porsche in American Le Mans Series GTC in 2013 with additional triumphs in 2021 with Corvette in Grand Touring Le Mans (GTLM) and overall and GTP with Porsche Penske in 2024. Paired with two-time defending Monterey winners AO Racing, could Tandy add to his Laguna Seca lore? 
  • Renger van der Zande: Another driver who scored his first North American win at Monterey in 2014 in the Prototype Challenge (PC) class, van der Zande put himself on the map three years later with a daring pass for the overall win at the Corkscrew in 2017.
  • The Taylor Brothers: Ricky has three wins and Jordan one, while both have four poles at the track. 
  • Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports: Corvette seems close to a Monterey win after a pole achieved in 2024 and a third place in 2025. The team has a series-leading eight wins at the track, although none yet in GTD PRO since that class’ introduction in 2022.


 

Previous StubHub Monterey SportsCar Championship Winners in 2026 Field (17)

  • Antonio Garcia (3): DP – 2012; GT – 2013; GTLM – 2014 
  • Tommy Milner (3): GT – 2005, 2012; GTLM – 2021 
  • Nick Tandy (3): GTC – 2013; GTLM – 2021, GTP – 2024 
  • Ricky Taylor (3): DPi – 2020, 2021, 2022
  • Renger van der Zande (3): PC – 2014; P – 2017; GTP – 2023 
  • Filipe Albuquerque (2): DPi – 2021, 2022
  • Philip Ellis (2): GTD – 2024, 2025
  • Laurin Heinrich (2): GTD PRO – 2024, 2025
  • Russell Ward (2): GTD – 2024, 2025
  • Laurens Vanthoor (2): GTLM – 2020, GTD – 2021 
  • Earl Bamber (1): GTLM – 2020 
  • Colin Braun (1): PC – 2012 
  • Connor De Phillippi (1): GTLM – 2018 
  • Louis Deletraz (1): LMP2 – 2022
  • Corey Lewis (1): GTD – 2019 
  • Alexander Sims (1): GTLM – 2018 
  • Jordan Taylor (1): DP – 2013 


 

Previous StubHub Monterey SportsCar Championship Pole Winners in 2026 Field (12)

  • Jordan Taylor (4): P – 2015, 2018; GTLM – 2020, 2021 
  • Ricky Taylor (4): DP – 2011; P – 2017; DPi – 2019, 2022
  • Filipe Albuquerque (1): DPi – 2021
  • Giacomo Altoè (1): GTD PRO – 2025 
  • Colin Braun (1): PC – 2013 
  • Nicky Catsburg (1): GTD PRO – 2024 
  • Danny Formal (1): GTD – 2024 
  • Antonio Garcia (1): GTLM – 2014
  • Trent Hindman (1): GTD – 2021 
  • Corey Lewis (1): GTD – 2019 
  • Dries Vanthoor (1): GTP – 2025
  • Russell Ward (1): GTD – 2022


 

Previous StubHub Monterey SportsCar Championship Winning Teams in 2026 Field (11)

  • Corvette Racing (8): GTS – 2004; GT1 – 2005, 2007, 2008; GT – 2012, 2013; GTLM – 2014, 2021 
  • Team Penske (7): P2 – 2005, 2006, 2007; DPi – 2019, 2020; GTP – 2024, 2025 
  • Wayne Taylor Racing (4): DP – 2006, 2013; DPi – 2021, 2022
  • Acura Meyer Shank Racing (3): P – 2016; GTD – 2018, 2020
  • Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (3): GTLM – 2015, 2017, 2018
  • AO Racing (2): GTD PRO – 2024, 2025 
  • Pfaff Motorsports (2): GTD – 2021; GTD PRO – 2022
  • Winward Racing (2): GTD – 2024, 2025 
  • Paul Miller Racing (1): GTD – 2019
  • Turner Motorsport (1): GTD – 2014 
  • Wright Motorsports (1): GTD – 2022 


 

Previous StubHub Monterey SportsCar Championship Winning Manufacturers in 2026 Field (11)

  • Porsche – 32
  • Chevrolet – 12
  • Acura – 9
  • BMW – 9
  • Ferrari – 6 
  • Ford – 3 
  • Mercedes-AMG – 3
  • Aston Martin – 2
  • Cadillac – 1 
  • Lamborghini – 1 
  • Lexus – 1 
 

 

Three Takeaways: Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach

Wickens, Heinrich Impress Beyond the Podium; GTD Points Get Shaken Up

 

April 20, 2026

By David Phillips

IMSA Wire Service

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Thanks to the efforts of Renger van der Zande, Nick Yelloly and their teammates, the No. 93 Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian well and truly put the Acura in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. The No. 93 car claimed the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) win, putting smiles on the faces of all the Acura and Honda Racing Corporation folks from nearby Santa Clarita and Torrance. 


 

Meanwhile, Aaron Telitz, Benjamin Pedersen and their teammates at Vasser Sullivan Racing made Saturday a great day for Lexus, Toyota and Gazoo Racing with its Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) victory in the No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3. The win for Lexus came at a venue where Toyota has historical lineage and used to sponsor the race.


 

Aiming for the Front I


 

Although nothing beats winning, a couple of other drivers and teams departed the track on Saturday evening with heads held high, none moreso than Robert Wickens, Mason Filippi and DXDT Racing. 

Despite this being his first time back at the hand-controls of the DXDT Racing Corvette Z06 GT3.R since August’s Michelin GT Challenge at VIRginia International Raceway, Wickens planted the No. 36 ‘Vette on the pole, his first pole position since joining the GTD ranks at this very event a year ago. The Canadian proceeded to back-up his performance by showing a clean pair of heels to the GTD field in the opening stint of the race, leading by as much as four seconds before executing a flawless driver swap with Filippi on Lap 28 in their one and only pit stop of the race.


 

“To be honest, that was a fairy tale stint,” Wickens said. “The Corvette Z06 GT3.R was just so nice to drive around the track. Every lap was a dream. It was a good stint and a little fortunate with Danny Formal having a mechanical problem and then I don’t know what happened . . . but suddenly we had quite a decent amount of space behind.”


 

Delighted as he was by winning the pole and gapping the field in his stint at the wheel, the partially paralyzed Wickens was equally pleased by the team’s cracker-jack pit stop, which saw DXDT’s Josh Gibbs assist him exiting the car and Filippi take his place without a hitch. 


 

“We were a little nervous for our driver change if we would lose time or at least maintain the status quo,” Wickens explained. “So the goal was for me to build a gap just in case. Mason did an amazing job and I found out we had the fifth fastest time in the pit lane. I’ll take that all day.”


 

Although the DXDT Corvette eventually emerged from the pit stop shuffle in second spot, Filippi was destined to get tangled-up with a GTP car on a restart. After an ensuing brush with the wall, he was “freight-trained” down the order by a handful of opportunistic GTD competitors. Unable to make up ground the remainder of the race, Filippi ultimately brought the DXDT entry home an unrepresentative sixth place.


 

Aiming for the Front II

Another combination taking aim for the front is Laurin Heinrich, Tijmen van der Helm, JDC-Miller MotorSports and their No. 5 Mustang Sampling Porsche 963. After teaming with Felipe Nasr and Julien Andlauer to pilot the No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963 to overall wins in the Rolex 24 At Daytona and the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, Heinrich joined JDC-Miller for most of the rest of the season. He wasted little time in making his presence known, hustling the Mustang Sampling Porsche to the very top of the time sheets in Friday’s opening practice session.


 

After van der Helm qualified the JDC-Miller entry in 10th spot, the team rolled the dice on an early full course caution, losing one spot by pitting for a driver change, but having Heinrich in the car for the remainder of the race in the bargain. The German duly worked his way up to P7 before gaining another spot following an intense scrap with Philipp Eng in the No. 25 BMW M Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8 and going on to finish in sixth spot. Posting the fastest lap of the race (1:12.918) underlined his strong debut performance.


 

“It was a pretty solid race,” Heinrich said. “We came from the back and with the nature of the race being so short you only have one (scheduled) pit stop so you have limited options. We tried to make something work and in the end I think we did a good job. If somebody had told us before the race that we would finish sixth we would have taken it.


 

“Personally for me, my first weekend with JDC-Miller MotorSports . . . this is not the end.  We are just getting started.  I think we had good pace for going ahead to the next race.  Overall, I’m quite happy with the weekend.  Obviously in hindsight there are things you would do quite differently, but I think we made the most of our opportunities and now we can look forward to Monterey. Our goal is to be at the front and, over the weekend we have shown the possibility and capability of being there.”

    

GTD Shake-Up


 

Porsche Penske Motorsport still holds solid leads in the GTP manufacturer, team and driver’s standings leaving Long Beach. But GTD flipped considerably in its shortest race of the year.


 

The points-leading No. 27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo saw a potential podium run foiled by a pit road speeding penalty.


 

The big winners, not only on the racetrack, but also in the standings were Vasser Sullivan, Telitz and Pedersen along with Patrick Gallagher and Robby Foley who finished second in the No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 EVO.


 

While Eduardo “Dudu” Barrichello and Heart of Racing remain atop the driver and team standings with 930 points, Gallagher, Foley and Turner have narrowed the gap to 54 points behind (876) with Telitz, Pedersen and Vasser Sullivan in third at 827 points.

 

 

Official Points

Official IMEC Points



DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Five teams opened the 2026 IMSA season pursuing their third straight championships of either the full season IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship title or specialized excellence in the five IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup races. 


 

Two of them, Porsche Penske Motorsport and Paul Miller Racing, are off to banner starts. Winward Racing and AO Racing have shown title-winning potential, while TDS Racing has some ground to make up.


 

Porsche Penske Triple Play, Again?


 

For Team Penske, winning championships since 2012 has been an annual feature. Across its sports car, IndyCar, NASCAR or Supercars programs, Team Penske has won at least one title for 14 straight years.


 

In IMSA, they now have a chance to add a three-peat in the top class, to do with the same manufacturer, Porsche, what they did nearly 20 years ago in the American Le Mans Series. 


 

In 2006, 2007 and 2008 in the ALMS’ Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) class, a Penske Porsche RS Spyder won the title three straight years. Lucas Luhr and Sascha Maassen delivered the first title in 2006 in the No. 6 car, with Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas going back-to-back in 2007 and 2008 in the No. 7 car.


 

Porsche Penske Motorsport won the 2024 and 2025 Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) titles with Felipe Nasr and Dane Cameron in the No. 7 Porsche 963 in 2024, then Matt Campbell and Mathieu Jaminet in the No. 6 Porsche 963 last year. 


 

Nasr and new full-season co-driver Julien Andlauer are off to a near-perfect start in 2026 with endurance driver Laurin Heinrich, as the No. 7 car has won both the Rolex 24 At Daytona and Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring for a second straight year. Nasr, Andlauer and Heinrich leave Sebring with an 80-point lead over the No. 31 Cadillac Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R of Jack Aitken, Earl Bamber and Frederik Vesti.


 

Penske also went back-to-back in Daytona Prototype international (DPi) with Cameron and Juan Pablo Montoya (No. 6 Acura ARX-05 in 2019) and Helio Castroneves and Ricky Taylor (No. 7 Acura ARX-05 in 2020). Since that program ended after 2020, there was no three-peat attempt.


 

Paul Miller Racing’s Michelin Endurance Cup Roll Continues

Paul Miller Racing’s first two years in GTD PRO have brought Michelin Endurance Cup crowns –  albeit with two different lineups, BMW car specifications and car numbers. The Bryan Sellers/Madison Snow/Neil Verhagen trio won in the No. 1 BMW M4 GT3 in 2024 with Max Hesse and Dan Harper breaking through in the sister No. 48 BMW M4 GT3 EVO in 2025.


 

The single No. 1 entry of Verhagen, Hesse and Connor De Phillippi – joined by Harper in Daytona – won the season-opening Rolex 24 and added a fifth place at Sebring. 


 

This entry is leading both the Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) full season (tied with Michelin Endurance Cup-only competitors Manthey, but up 30 points over the next full-season entry from Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports) and Michelin Endurance Cup standings by six. 


 

Winward’s GTD Run Dented at Sebring

In just five seasons, Winward Racing has risen to become the benchmark program in Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) with its No. 57 Mercedes-AMG GT3 and the full-season pairing of Russell Ward and Philip Ellis, joined in Michelin Endurance Cup rounds by Indy Dontje.


 

Their pursuit of their third straight GTD full-season crown started perfectly at the Rolex 24 with a win there, but Ward got caught up in an incident not of his making at Sebring. 


 

That leaves the No. 57 car 146 points back of championship leaders Heart of Racing Team and its No. 27 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo, driven by Eduardo “Dudu” Barrichello, Tom Gamble and Zacharie Robichon. Gamble lost 30 points as a result of losing the lead on the final lap at Sebring, so it’ll be interesting to see if that single position change matters later this year.


 

AO Could Add Michelin Endurance Cup Crown to Its Full Season Titles


 

AO Racing’s race results for its No. 99 ORECA LMP2 07 in Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) and No. 77 Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) in GTD PRO through two rounds leave them sixth and fourth in their respective class standings. Those results are something of a misnomer, because the No. 99 car has led most of the first two races in LMP2, but been sidetracked by adverse luck late in races.


 

The No. 99 car led a race-high 298 of 686 laps at the Rolex 24, and a race-high 192 of 338 laps at Sebring, for a total of 490 of 1,024 laps out front. Those laps out front mean the No. 99 car ranks best in LMP2 Michelin Endurance Cup points – up by four over the No. 8 Tower Motorsports and No. 04 CrowdStrike Racing by APR entries. 


 

AO entered the year with a rare chance to win a full season title in three straight years across two different classes, or potentially, win both class titles in the same season. 


 

In just its second season on the grid and first in GTD PRO, AO Racing captured the 2024 crown with Heinrich in the No. 77 Porsche, either green “Rexy” or pink “Roxy” the dinosaur depending on the race. AO then won LMP2 title in 2025 with Cameron and PJ Hyett sharing “Spike,” the purple dragon liveried No. 99 ORECA which was gold at the Rolex 24. 


 

TDS Racing Adjusting to New-Look LMP2 Lineup


 

TDS Racing rallied to win the LMP2 championship in the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup with Steven Thomas, Mikkel Jensen and Hunter McElrea in their No. 11 ORECA LMP2 07 in 2024 and 2025 with wins at both of the last two races, both years. They’ll need a similar rally in 2026 with its new-look lineup, as they’re 11 points back of the leaders through two races.


 

TDS features the lineup of Tobi Lutke, Charles Milesi, David Heinemeier Hansson and Mathias Beche aboard its No. 11 ORECA. They’ve finished 12th and seventh thus far, without any top three segment finish in the Michelin Endurance Cup. 


 

In the Michelin Endurance Cup, Riley achieved two different three-peats in seven years, with three straight GTD titles from 2017 to 2019 and three in Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) from 2021 to 2023. Action Express Racing set the standard for Michelin Endurance Cup crowns with six straight across either of its Nos. 5 or 31 cars from 2014 to 2019. 
 

 

Stability, Longevity Have Defined Corvette’s Garcia, Milner at Sebring 

Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Leaves Sebring with P3, P4 Results


 

March 30, 2026

By John Oreovicz

IMSA Wire Service

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – With the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring now complete, it’s worth looking at the list of drivers boasting the race’s most consecutive starts. One common denominator clearly emerges: Corvette Racing.


 

Jan Magnussen sits at the top with 21 consecutive starts at the most historic track in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, 16 of them with the Corvette program. Next up with 20 are Johnny O’Connell and Oliver Gavin, two more drivers with strong Corvette association. Gavin was in the commentary booth for NBC Sports’ broadcast of this year’s race after spending time on-site early in race week. 


 

This year, Antonio Garcia joined Sebring’s “20 Consecutive Starts” club (18 in a Corvette), with his Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports colleague Tommy Milner right in his wheel tracks. Milner’s first Sebring appearance came in 2006, five years before he joined forces with Corvette, and he would have matched Magnussen’s mark had he not missed the 2022 Mobil 1 Twelve Hours - instead notching a second-place finish for Corvette Racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship’s 1,000-mile race during the same Sebring “SuperSebring Weekend.” This year, therefore, merely marked Milner’s 20th Sebring 12 Hours overall, with 16 consecutive – still an impressive record. 


 

Garcia earned four class wins Sebring (2009 in his Corvette Racing debut, ’15, ’17, and ’22), while Milner added triumphs in 2013 and ’16. Sebring is one of only three tracks on the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship schedule where Corvette Racing has competed in every one of its 27 years, with 14 class wins the most it has achieved at any venue.


 

How has Corvette Racing amassed such a record of longevity and excellence? 

“It starts with making the right choices for drivers,” said Doug Fehan, the longtime program manager for General Motors and Corvette from 1999-2020. 


 

Fehan was on hand at Sebring this year as an ambassador for Mobil 1, which presented a patriotic red, white, and blue livery on the Nos. 3 and 4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvettes competing in the Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) class. Mobil 1 (via an ExxonMobil brand) has served as the title sponsor of the Sebring 12 Hours since 1995, and Sebring recently announced a contract extension. 


 

“If you pick the right drivers the first time, there’s no need for change,” Fehan added.


 

Garcia and Milner are ample proof of that. Garcia boasts no fewer than six class championships and 31 race wins in American sports car competition, the most recent coming in GTD PRO just last year with his current co-driver Alexander Sims. Milner’s record includes 21 victories and a pair of championships, including the 2016 IMSA Grand Touring Le Mans (GTLM) title.

And while both are in their 40s, neither shows any sign of slowing down. Milner, Nicky Catsburg, and Nico Varrone in the No. 4 headed Garcia, Sims, and Marvin Kirchhoefer in the No. 3 in a 3-4 finish for Corvette at Sebring, with Milner and the No. 4 holding down third place in the GTD PRO standings early in the 2026 campaign. 


 

Garcia, 45, was teamed full time with Magnussen from 2012-19 before being paired more recently with Jordan Taylor (2020-23) and Sims (2024-present). He’s won championships with all three, and expressed surprise when told he was on pace to tie Magnussen’s consecutive Sebring start record next year. 


 

“I did probably 12 or 13 Sebring races with him, and I think I won three with Jan,” Garcia reflected. “I learned a lot from him. Next year we’ll be tied, and hopefully I can make it one more than him!


 

“Twenty is just a number, but it’s definitely a good number,” he continued. “I’m glad that out of those 20 I was able to win a few – and lose quite a few others! But overall, I always have fun at Sebring. Every time coming to this race is special. It’s been a while since my first one, but I still learn something every year.”


 

With attention focused on Garcia’s consecutive Sebring start streak, Milner’s 20-start milestone received comparatively little fanfare.


 

“It’s crazy, I’d never really considered that I’ve spent half my life here racing cars at Sebring,” said Milner, who only hit the 40-year-old mark in January. “But obviously, that makes me happy. I’ve always said I drive race cars to avoid a real job, so I’m very fortunate to be in this position still racing at the top level of sports car racing here in IMSA with Corvette.


 

“Not that I’m at the end of my career - certainly at the latter little bit of it - I have a greater appreciation for these milestone moments to reflect on my career a little bit,” he added. “I hope to make some more good memories, obviously, but just cool to be a part of IMSA and sports car racing for as long as I have, and to see it grow like it has recently, is good to see. The car counts are up and the enthusiasm from the fans is incredible.”


 

With rare exception like at Sebring, Corvette Racing’s entries were always associated with a yellow livery. The car underneath the paint or wrap has advanced through four generations of production Corvette (from C5 to C8), but the driver lineup has undergone little turnover. 


 

Garcia is in his 18th year with Corvette Racing, Milner’s 16 years match Magnussen’s tally, while Oliver Gavin tops them all with 19 (2002-20). Ron Fellows (1999-2007) and Johnny O’Connell (2001-10) were also key program anchors for Corvette.


 

“That tells you about the continuity of this team,” observed Garcia. “I think about loyalty and how much we grew up together – not only as drivers, but by whatever we could put in to make the team stronger – it definitely made a difference. It wasn’t only me; Tommy has been with us almost the same amount of time. 


 

“I’m sure we brought to the team a lot of experience. With new guys that came in or with others before us, I just think we kept going and made Corvette Racing bigger and bigger and better and better.”


 

Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports has a bit of a break before its next race, with GTD PRO off until WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, May 1-3. That said, Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs are expected to be in action from customer teams 13 Autosport, DXDT Racing and DragonSpeed in GTD at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, April 17-18.

 

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