Laurin Heinrich recalled the purpose of fuel-saving with BMW’s Max Hesse in their fight for the GTD Pro class win at the 12 Hours of Sebring.

The reigning GTD Pro drivers’ champion recounted his battle with Paul Miller Racing’s #48 BMW M4 GT3 EVO driver Max Hesse in the final stages of the second 2025 IMSA SportsCar Championship round.

Both of the 23-year-old German drivers utilised a fuel-saving driving approach in order to reach the checkered flag amidst their lead fight.

“Yeah, to be honest I had a bit of a different approach,” he said in the post-race press conference.

“… Both of us knew it would be a fuel race. Both of us were fuel-saving.

“I like fuel saving. I think it suits my driving style.

“… My approach was to not wait too long, maybe already take the first opportunity I get.

“Maybe catch him a bit off-guard or by surprise.

“Also, I mean, I made the experience last year in the last hour of the race, many things can go wrong by taking too much risk or others just defending or taking too hard.

“I didn’t want to spend too much time fighting because in the end it’s also a high risk.

“Yeah, I think it worked quite well to just take the first opportunity I got [to overtake]. I have to give it to him. I mean, he played safe.

“We are both young Germans.

“We are actually both part of the motorsports in Germany, so we are both supported by the ADAC in Germany.

“It was cool to actually fight with him for the first time on the track between each other.

“I hope we going to have some more fights in our career against each other.

Paul Miller Racing’s gamble falls short

Paul Miller Racing gambled with underfueling and running a lesser stint count when the 12 Hours of Sebring entered the final racing hour, with Heinrich having made his key move for the lead on Hesse 10 minutes prior.

This was in anticipation of a caution period where they could pit under such circumstances in addition to the fact they would retain track position.

With a lack of time to count on a definite caution, they pitted the #48 BMW for splash-and-dash with 50-minutes remaining – just five minutes before the race’s eighth and final caution deployed.

It was for Scott Andrews’ #80 Lone Star Mercedes-AMG GT3 who suffered a left-rear puncture, thus part of his tyre’s debris displaced on the back-straight.

Heinrich had both the #48 and #1 BMWs behind him in the final sprint to the finish.

With 23-minutes remaining, he set the fastest lap of the race in the GTD Pro category before Hesse, setting near-identical lap times, did the same.

Heinrich returned the favour with the Sebring GTD Pro lap record, 2:00.451, and increased the gap to 4.371 seconds at the finishing line.

READ MORE: ‘Rexy’ charges to GTD Pro 12H Sebring victory after closing sprint

The post Laurin Heinrich recalls fuel-saving fight with BMW to Sebring win appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Laurin Heinrich and AO Racing’s ‘Rexy’ Porsche 911 GT3.R charged to GTD Pro class victory at the 73rd running of the IMSA 12 Hours of Sebring.

‘Rexy’ the fan-favourite T-Rex and the #77 Porsche driver crew conquered the GTD Pro category at a hot and humid Sebring International Raceway in a spectacle.

Heinrich earned their way to victory following an intense sprint at the end, much assisted by the work of his co-drivers Klaus Bachler and Alessio Picariello.

The race start was hectic and gripping in both GTD Pro and GTD but one which began without much drama across the two fields.

Pole-sitter Albert Costa in the #81 Dragonspeed Ferrari 296 GT3 retained his lead on Heinrich in the #77 AO Racing ‘Rexy’ Porsche 911 GT3.R who swerved slightly to defend his second position.

The primary change was Neil Verhagen in the #1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 EVO who fell from P2 to P6 on the race start.

GTD pole-sitter and Ferrari works driver Alessandrio Pier Guidi established an early lead, unsurprisingly, in the #21 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 before suffering a brake failure into Turn 10.

He escaped further damage apart from the front-left brake unit which was replaced following an imminent pit stop.

A short yellow caution period for contact between Tobias Lutke (#18 Era Motorsport Oreca 07 LMP2) and Luis Perez Companc (#88 AF Corse Oreca 07 LMP2) passed and the lead battle resumed, although Verhagen climbed back into the fight.

The second caution period came from controversial circumstances after Ricky Taylor (#40 WTR Cadillac V-Series.R) seemingly tapped Charles Scardina’s #023 Triarsi Competizione into the wall at Turn 13.

Proceedings continued with 10-hours and 45-minutes remaining and it was the #77 Porsche of Picariello in the lead on Verhagen’s #1 BMW.

Verhagen takes GTD Pro lead from ‘Rexy’

Verhagen demonstrated eager spirit to take the lead as the pair went door-to-door in their gripping fight as ‘Rexy’ kept the top spot.

It was until the next restart, after the third caution, when Verhagen made a reactive move to the lead on the restart.

As the race entered its third racing hour, Alexander Sims had to pit his #3 Corvette Z06 GT3.R for an unscheduled pit stop to change failing Tyre Pressure Management System sensors.

The #14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 of Jose Maria Lopez endured contact with Jesse Krohn’s #48 Paul Miller BMW which led to an extensive front-right suspension repair job for the Lexus, even if the contact was brief.

Miraculously, or rather through the lack of further dramas and utilising cautions, the #21 Ferrari climbed its way back into the GTD class lead with Pier Guidi turning swift pace at the wheel.

After four hours of running, the top-runners in the GTD Pro class consisted of Corvette, Paul Miller Racing and Ford Multimatic.

After a fifth caution, Daytona pole-sitter Mike Rockenfeller led a thrilling charge in his #64 Ford Mustang GT3 on the #1 BMW being driven by Connor De Philippi, followed by Max Hesse’s #48 BMW, the #4 Corvette of Nicky Catsburg and Heinrich.

Over the following hour, the lead battle evolved slightly so that Verhagen had 1.4 seconds on Picariello’s #77 Porsche which was marginally ahead ahead of Krohn’s #48 BMW.

Then, in the eighth racing hour, Christopher Mies headed a fight for P3 against Verhagen and Picariello.

Lilou Wadoux led heartbreak for the #21 Ferrari team when a mechanical issue halted their comeback effort.

BMW vs Porsche heading into Hour 10

The 12 Hours of Sebring entered the 10th hour with less fortunate news for Corvette, who were out of the running with issues on their #3 machine as Nico Varrone’s #4 fell out of lead contention due to a non-functioning scrutineering logger.

Last year’s British GT champion Dan Harper steadily turned on the pace so that he eventually fought past Dennis Olsen’s #65 Ford for the GTD Pro lead.

Since Harper took the lead, he quickly established a gap to three seconds on Olsen as #1 Snow kept him company in third place.

WIth 1-hour and 10-minutes remaining, Heinrich made his key move for the lead on Hesse as their fight intensified in the final hour.

Paul Miller Racing initially gambled with the prospect of another eighth imminent caution period by underfueling and running a slightly lesser stint-lap count in order to foresee the gamble.

Unfortunately, it never came around though they kept at the sharp end of the GTD Pro battle. The eighth caution did come as a result of Scott Andrew’s #80 Lone Star Mercedes-AMG and its puncture debris on the back-straight.

It came down to a 31-minute sprint to the finish with Heinrich ahead of Hesse, De Philippi, Costa, and Sebastien Priaulx’s #64 Ford.

With 23-minutes remaining, the tension was hot as Heinrich set a GTD Pro lap record, a 2:00.500.

In fact, Heinrich and Hesse were setting near identical lap times as just 1.2s separated them, before Hesse then set the fastest race lap of his #48 BMW.

Heinrich indirectly responded with his own lap record again, a 2:00.451 as ‘Rexy’ ran decently ahead of Hesse at a 1.3s margin.

Reigning champions win in GTD Pro and GTD

After 329 laps, the #77 Porsche crew sought victory and reaffirmed their mark as reigning GTD Pro champions.

At 4.371 seconds behind, the #48 BMW of Max Hesse and co-drivers Dan Harper and Jesse Krohn took second ahead of the other #1 BMW of Connor de Philippi – and his co-drivers Madison Snow and Neil Verhagen.

Alberto Costa took fourth for Dragonspeed’s #81 Ferrari crew and his teammates Giacomo Altoe and Davide Rigon.

Sebastien Priaulx rounded out the top-five in the #64 Ford with the help of co-drivers Mike Rockenfeller and Ben Barker.

Simultaneously into the final 31 minutes – in GTD – six different manufacturers held the top-six positions.

It became a task for Philip Ellis and the reigning GTD champions Winward Racing (#57 Mercedes-AMG) on whether they would be able take the lead from Jack Hawksworth’s #12 Lexus.

Hawksworth led the final restart ahead of Ellis, Daniel Serra’s #34 Conquest Racing Ferrari, Charlie Eastwood’s #36 DXDT Corvette, Tom Gamble’s #27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 and Frederick Schandorff’s #70 Inception Racing Ferrari.

Ellis eventually tried a move outside of Hawsworth for the lead, before again outside at T10 but Hawksworth held his ground before the pair touched nose-to-tail and shortly after overtaking the lapped #3 Corvette of Sims.

Winward Racing’s #57 Mercedes-AMG crew took victory with Ellis and his co-drivers Russell Ward and Indy Dontje after 327 laps.

At 3.265 seconds behind in P2 was Hawksworth and his #12 Lexus co-drivers Franke Montecalvo and Parker Thompson, followed by Gamble’s #27 Aston Martin and co-drivers Casper Stevenson and Zach Robichon.

See here for the unofficial race results and here for the unofficial race results ordered by class.

The post ‘Rexy’ charges to GTD Pro 12H Sebring victory after closing sprint appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Motorsport Week reviewed the 2024 IMSA SportsCar Championship season where Porsche machinery reigned high in the GTP and GTD Pro categories.

IMSA produced a season of action and drama throughout 72 hours of racing.

11 rounds encompassed a mixture of highs and lows throughout IMSA competition.

GTP, LMP2, and GTD Pro cars fought closely during their respective championship fights whilst Winward Racing dominated the GTD class.

Ultimately, Porsche Penske reigned high with its 963 LMDh as AO Racing’s #77 911 GT3.R came out on top in the GTD Pro competition.

Porsche machinery took the Drivers’, Teams’ and Manufacturers’ glory in both categories, plus the Endurance Cup GTP Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ titles thus amounting to eight championships from IMSA alone.

Let’s look back at the pivotal races of this season which proved noteworthy for action and the different championship fight narratives.

Porsche wins at Daytona but not at Sebring

IMSA opens the season with its two longest races, the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring.

Porsche Penske’s #7 963 earned its way to victory at the first hurdle, Daytona, but not quite so at an even more intense 72nd running of the Sebring event.

On the former, Porsche was adamant about reaping success with its LMDh car in the second year of the GTP era.

Pipo Derani claimed the first of two consecutive pole positions for the race and maintained his lead ahead of #7 driver Felipe Nasr.

Derani was designated to fourth after Sebastien Bourdais got the better of him on a post-caution restart before Nasr made his move on the red Cadillac.

The humidity proved challenging for drivers up and down the grid as some made costly mistakes, which triggered caution periods.

Both Cadillacs controlled the race at the front before the sun went down and lap times got quicker in cooler conditions.

Towards the final, most crucial hours of any endurance race, the #31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R found itself at the front favouring the returning warmer track temperatures.

In the final pit stop, it came down to the #7 needing less fuel than the #31 – which put it in the race lead – although both took on fresh tyres. Nasr controlled the pressure from Tom Blomqvist’s #31.

Porsche Penske took its first 24 Hours of Daytona victory in the GTP era, and Porsche’s 19th as a manufacturer.

On the other hand, Sebring was a different, more intense story where Porsche was not as capable in comparison to the Acuras and Cadillacs.

It came down to a fantastic late move by Louis Deletraz on Bourdais to win.

Bumper cars and a blockage in Detroit

Round five of the schedule brought IMSA back to the streets of Detroit in a double-event with IndyCar.

As much as the season produced thrilling spectacles, this was one event which was arguably the low point due to the circuit’s tight 90-degree corners, little room for wheel-to-wheel racing and regular contact during the 100-minute sprint with GTP and GTD Pro cars.

There were five caution periods, equating to the same as the 10-hour season finale over five months later.

The race start was untidy in GTD Pro with drivers changing lanes before the start line, and pole-sitter Antonio Garcia (#3 Corvette Z06 GT3.R) suffered an alternator failure at the end of the opening lap.

Nick Tandy (#6 Porsche Penske 963) established an early lead whilst teammate Dane Cameron (#7 Porsche) fell back.

The #6 driver was the first point of contact, literally, as he served a drive-through penalty after rear-ending Daniel Serra’s #35 Conquest Racing Ferrari 296 GT3.

WTRAndretti Acura, Chip Ganassi Cadillac, and Porsche Penske occupied the top-three positions.

Connor De Philippi (#25 BMW M Hybrid V8) put his RLL-run GTP car towards the sharp end of action before hitting the wall twice, after attempting to fend off Nasr.

Detroit’s narrow circuit tested drivers’ skills to race within the limits but the GTPs were clearly too large to race on such a tight configuration with GT traffic.

Richard Westbrook was pipped into a spin by Jack Aitken (#31) which caused his #85 JDC Miller MotorSports Porsche to block the circuit and the entire GTD Pro field.

On the upside, WTRAndretti’s #10 Acura ARX-06 duo of Filipe Albuquerque and Ricky Taylor ended their 668-day winless streak as AO Racing took their second win.

When LMP2 regained the spotlight at CTMP

GTP being removed from the bill for IMSA’s sole trip to Canada – specifically the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park – was understandably met with criticism.

The LMP2 class regained the spotlight as the top class in the seventh round and was under great pressure to deliver brilliant racing action as the sole prototype class.

What resulted was the third-closest gap between the top-two placed finishers and undoubtedly the best LMP2 race of the year.

CTMP is a fast circuit with sweeping bends therefore perfect for LMP2 machines with GTD Pro competitors.

Both LMP2 championship protagonists were at the heart of the story, the #74 Riley Oreca 07 and the #52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports Oreca 07.

At first, pole-sitter PJ Hyett (#99 AO Racing Oreca) expanded his lead with confidence but was hampered by changing lanes at the start before the (start) line.

Nick Boulle (#52) kept his defence ahead of Gar Robinson (#74 Riley) and Steven Thomas’s #11 TDS Racing Orecas, before his co-driver Tom Dillmann took over the wheel.

Dillmann established a commanding lead up to six seconds, though Scott Huffaker (#11) closed the gap down to one second amidst GT traffic.

Felipe Fraga gained P2 after Huffaker had a brief off-track excursion. In the final eight-and-a-half-minute sprint to the end, Dillmann withstood tremendous pressure by Fraga, who was 0.658 away from the win at the checkered flag, to earn the team’s first victory in a thrilling show.

Despite the #74 Riley’s efforts, the #52 PR1 Mathiasen by Inter Europol entrant led the standings by a narrow 12 points and would go on to win the title.

Unforeseen victors deliver at the Brickyard

The return of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course to IMSA was met last year with a maladroit mixture of LMP2, LMP3 and GTDs making occasional contact owing to sub-par driving standards, whilst Porsche Penske nonetheless surged to glory in GTP – after the Turn 1 spin-around of Bourdais by Blomqvist.

So for the six-hour running this year, one was quite apprehensive for reckless carnage. Fortunately, the Battle on the Bricks delivered the contrary: A ton of rain and fantastic racing throughout.

Immediate heavy rain caused a hectic sequence where most of the field spun at least once due to the standing water, as the GT classes nursed their slick tyres as far as possible before switching to grooved wet tyres.

Once again, Nasr was at the front battling intensely with Bourdais after the rain had eased off, losing the lead to the Frenchman due to out-braking himself.

During the second hour, however, the quickest GTP car was Romain Grosjean in the #63 Lamborghini SC63 who fought against De Philippi’s #25 BMW.

The French-Swiss driver charged from fourth towards the lead in a poised yet steady manner, marking Lamborghini Iron Lynx’s first genuine showing of front-running GTP pace.

Unfortunately, it was not to be for the #63 Lamborghini after serving a drive-through from too many mechanics working on the car during the pit stop as Matteo Cairoli took over the wheel.

Their day went south during the fifth hour after contact with Ben Barker’s #55 Proton Ford Mustang GT3, inflicting suspension damage which put it behind the wall to retirement.

Amidst the fighting, BMW RLL ran mistake-free and claimed an unexpected, marvellous 1-2 finish as GTD Pro championship protagonists AO Racing carried out a breathtaking last-to-first charge.

More action, less caution at Petit Le Mans

The 2023 race hosted more cautions (12) than there were hours of racing at Road Atlanta (10). Fortunately, the 27th running of Petit Le Mans gave way for more racing and longer green flag running.

Apart from the Winward Racing team in GTD, other class championship titles were up for the taking at the season finale.

AO Racing began on pole and retained form throughout the start, closely ahead of the #23 Heart of Racing (HOR) Aston Martin Vantage GT3 EVO.

In dramatic circumstances, #77 Porsche driver Julien Andlauer found himself suffering recurring gear selection issues. It hampered the team’s form and enabled HOR to hold the upper hand.

‘Rexy’ fell back still on the lead lap and crucially in the virtual championship lead. Agonisingly for HOR, they were just one position away from taking the title. HOR consistently stayed out of trouble whilst AO Racing’s mechanics acted accordingly to solve their unprecedented woes.

GTP was a different story, as both Porsche Penskes and the #10 WTRAndretti Acura were key winning contenders.

The #7 Porsche was on course to secure the championship title, but a coveted win was at stake.

The fifth and final caution into the final hour saw a multi-car collision end the #10’s winning hopes. Though they ran in P2, they were keen to win until Ricky Taylor incurred unavoidable major left side-pod damage.

It was a tearful end for the #10 as Renger van der Zande took home Chip Ganassi’s hard-earned victory of the 2024 season ahead of their IMSA departure.

Nevertheless, Porsche ended the season with four GTP wins and two in GTD Pro.

READ MORE: Examining the 63rd 24 Hours of Daytona entry list

The post IMSA 2024 Season Review: A strong year for Porsche machinery appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Jordan Pepper claimed victory for the #19 Iron Lynx team at the IMSA SportsCar Championship’s 27th running of Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta.

A dramatic, action-packed season finale concluded the 2024 season in entertaining fashion in the GTD and GTD Pro classes.

For GTD Pro, ‘Rexy’ narrowly grasped AO Racing’s first GTD Pro championship title having made the move from GTD for this year.

At the race start, Laurin Heinrich of the #77 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3.R – also known as ‘Rexy’ – retained their pole position spot.

Tommy Milner was briefly side-by-side in his #4 Corvette Z06 GT3.R, before residing behind Rexy.

His teammate Antonio Garcia was behind in the #3 Corvette in promising formation, though Heinrich quickly established a gap up to five seconds.

The first caution, declared due to a stranded GTD car in the gravel, enabled some teams to opt for driver changes after just 20-minutes since lights out.

Back to green and the tension continued, especially between Oliver Jarvis’ #9 Pfaff Motorsports McLaren 720S and Madison Snow’s #1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4.

The pair made contact at the bottom of the hill, causing Snow to skitter across the gravel trap in front of them.

During the caution period, only the #65 Ford Multimatic Mustang and the #62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 did not pit – which put them at the front.

More relevantly, Garcia got the better of Heinrich during the pit stop sequence, as Heinrich soon returned the favour for the net-lead.

Even though the front two did not pit, Heinrich caught them with his strong turn of race pace for Rexy.

Corvette suffers unlucky hit for the #4

Into the second racing hour, Julien Andlauer took over from Heinrich behind the wheel of the #77 Porsche.

Andlauer previously drove the #77 when Seb Priaulx departed earlier this season.

At 1-hour and 10-minutes into the race, misfortune struck for the #4 Corvette after Milner was hit into the wall at Turn 5 by Ben Keating, who momentarily recovered contact with another LMP2 rival.

The #4 suffered front- and rear-right suspension damage after hitting the wall.

It was not fully out of the running as it was transported back to the garage to repairs, but it was no longer in a competitive position.

After a second caution period, with less than 8-hours and 40-minutes remaining, disaster struck for the authoritative Rexy machine.

Andlauer nursed gear selection problems for several laps, with the swap to a new steering wheel not solving the issue.

He stopped at Turn 7 before he continued again, and so fell down the GT order as championship protagonists.

The #66 Gradient Racing Acura of Sheena Monk tapped with Jarvis’ #9 at T4, prompting a third caution.

She continued on her way seconds before the caution was declared, proving a timely chance for the #3 of Garcia to pit due to low brake pressure.

Whilst Corvette swapped out left-front brake calliper on the #3, the #77 was able to stay on the GTD Pro lead lap.

Further pain for Rexy amidst electronic issues

Into the third racing hour, however, Rexy’s issues re-emerged.

It became apparent that Andlauer was dealing with a steering connector issue.

He pitted again as AO Racing’s mechanics replaced the wheel connecting cable.

The #14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F of Ben Barnicoat took on the next spell of misfortune after a radiator issue.

Barnicoat parked at T7, was pulled behind the wall and the #14 retired.

Iron Lynx found their way into the lead fight with their #19 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2.

Various fuel strategies were at play with different cars having pitted at different times.

In the fight for third position, Ross Gunn and his #23 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage chased down Alexander Sims’ #3 Corvette.

This was at least before Sims dived into the pits.

Even still, the fight for P4 was hot as Bryan Sellers (#1 BMW) fended off Frederic Vervisch’s #65 Ford.

This running of Petit Le Mans would mark Sellers’ final race with his well-affiliated Paul Miller Racing outfit.

Risi Competizione back at the top over halfway point

Two titans – Lamborghini and Ferrari – were at the sharp end of GTD Pro competition.

Risi Competizione (#62 Ferrari) were fuelled by motivation to add to their maiden Daytona 24 Hours win in January.

Alessandro Pier Guidi (#62 Ferrari) commenced a good getaway after the fourth caution period.

Behind him was the #23 Aston Martin driven by Romain De Angelis.

Due to the #77’s woes, they would be unlikely to climb further up the field.

At this point, the championship odds were on the #23 Aston Martin in second position.

Specifically, second place and above was the key threshold for the #23 taking the title, otherwise it was in the #77’s favour.

Darkness falls upon Road Atlanta

Nicky Catsburg (#4 Corvette) made contact with Mario Farnbacher’s #027 Aston Martin which endured a 360-degree spin.

The #4 was given a drive-though for incident responsibility.

A surprisingly long run of green flag racing – with reference to last year’s 12 cautions – allowed competitors to settle.

All the while, the #77 still resided 11th in-class into the final two hours.

The odds were still in their favour to win the GTD Pro championship, with the Drivers’ Title going to Heinrich, by four points.

Ross Gunn (#23 Aston Martin) was 42 seconds behind Daniel Serra’s #62 Ferrari which held second place.

It was a tall order for Heart of Racing, but not impossible.

During the final hour, the tension resumed after Corey Lewis dramatically crashed in the #55 Proton GTD-entered Ford Mustang.

Fortunately, he was attentive after his impact; the same could not be said for his Mustang.

Maiden GTD Pro victory for Iron Lynx, Rexy reigns title glory

By the end of 413 laps, Jordan Pepper won the race in the GTD Pro category for Iron Lynx, with Mirko Bortolotti and Franck Perrera.

Second place was 2.3 seconds back in the form of Risi Competizione.

Their #62 Ferrari crew consisted of Daniel Serra and his co-drivers Alessandro Pier Guidi and Davide Rigon.

Unfortunately for Heart of Racing, they lost out on title glory by 1.8 seconds and 4 points.

Heinrich became the drivers’ champion whilst AO Racing won the effort as a team.

In spite of that, Ross Gunn and his co-drivers Romain De Angelis and Alex Riberas earned the final podium spot.

Their sibling #027 entrant finished fourth with Marco Sorensen at the wheel.

Fifth was claimed by Alexander Sims and his #3 Corvette team.

In GTD, Albert Costa Balboa muscled his way with a late move into the lead for Conquest Racing.

He kept himself ahead of the #78 Forte Racing Lamborghini (Loris Spinelli) to win in GTD.

Vasser Sullivan took third in the hands of Aaron Telitz.

Down in ninth place, Winward Racing concluded their dominant 2024 campaign en route to their GTD championship title.

Stay tuned for an in-depth GTD category race report on Sunday, on Motorsport Week

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Laurin Heinrich claimed pole position for ‘Rexy’ in the GTD Pro category for the IMSA SportsCar Championship’s 27th running of Petit Le Mans.

The final qualifying session of the year proved to be tense and exciting with perfect, dry conditions at Road Atlanta.

Whilst not the race yet, qualifying proved useful in terms of attaining points and attempting to start near rivals in the combined GT field.

The GTD Pro title fight is led by AO Racing’s Rexy #77 Porsche 911 GT3.R on Heart of Racing’s #23 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo.

A combined 32-car GT3 grid of Pro and non-professional entries took to the 15-minute session, with the #023 and #13 electing not to participate.

This was to save their tyre allocation for the gruelling 11th and final IMSA race of 2024.

With nine minutes remaining, a brief red flag was called for bodywork in the middle of Turn 10.

Daniel Serra made contact to chip off the left-side of the #12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3.

The #62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3 driver and #12’s Parker Thompson lost their fastest two lap times as a penalty.

With the left-front bodywork gone on the #12, it was unlikely to set a fastest lap time in its GTD category.

Nevertheless, both drivers would have to set three flying laps so that they would have at least one valid time by the end of qualifying.

The session resumed with 6-minutes and 50-seconds remaining.

‘Rexy’ on GTD Pro pole after Indy denial

AO Racing finally claimed their first GTD Pro pole position after their post-qualifying Indianapolis disqualification.

Heinrich set a 1:17.881 lap time in the green-liveried #77 Porsche.

Tommy Milner’s #4 Corvette Z06 GT3.R was narrowly behind by 0.052 seconds after his 1:17.933 lap time.

The #23 Aston Martin took third in the hands of Ross Gunn.

Thusly, the #77 Porsche only needs to finish the race in the top-six to win the GTD Pro title.

Gunn’s lap time was a 1:18.041 ahead of Antonio Garcia in fifth place for the #3 Corvette (1:18.085).

Behind Garcia was the undisputed GTD class pole-sitter Scott Andrews, in the #80 Lone Star Racing Mercedes-AMG.

His fastest lap time was a 1:18.281, with the next GTD car four positions back.

Robby Foley took second in GTD for the #96 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 after he set a 1:18.539.

Four places further back was the #57 Mercedes-AMG which completed a 1:18.751 by Phillip Ellis.

They will need to finish tomorrow’s race in 14th or higher to conclude their dominant title-winning GTD campaign.

Better yet still, Winward Racing have yet to win Petit Le Mans.

Behind Ellis was Mike Skeen’s #32 Team Korthoff/Preston Mercedes-AMG and his 1:18.897 lap time.

Danny Formal rounded out the top-five in the GTD category after his 1:19.063 in the #45 WTRAndretti Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2.

The race will commence at 12.10pm local time or 5.10pm BST to crown the victors of GTD and GTD Pro at Road Atlanta.

SEE MORE: The provisional classification of results from qualifying ahead of the 27th Petit Le Mans

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AO Racing will continue their dual LMP2 and GTD Pro IMSA SportsCar Championship campaign with ‘Spike the Dragon’ and ‘Rexy the Dinosaur’.

The current GTD Pro championship leaders will return next year with their #77 Porsche 911 GT3.R and the #99 Oreca 07 LMP2 entrant.

Rexy competed in the GTD category in 2023 and upgraded to the GTD Pro category for this year.

In addition, ‘Spike’ became a new character in their IMSA 2024 campaign.

Team principal Gunnar Jeannette said: “It’s a little bit surreal to think that the 2024 season is almost over and that we head into Petit Le Mans leading the GTD Pro Championship.

“The team has had a lot of growth this year, and it’s been a massive effort from everyone involved to get to where we are. 

“We are looking forward to building on all of that work and rolling out at Daytona in 2025 with two cars that are capable of winning their class.”

“The fans have really embraced Spike, Rexy, and Roxy this year for which we are extremely grateful.

“It’s so much fun to see families and young children get so enthusiastic about both the cars and characters. 

“We can’t wait to build more on that support nationwide across the IMSA calendar.”

AO Racing clinched their third GTD Pro victory from the back row at the Battle on the Bricks.

The final round of the season will be the 27th annual running of Petit Le Mans, which is a 10-hour endurance race at Road Atlanta.

Laurin Heinrich, Michael Christensen and Julien Andlauer will fend off their 99-point lead on the #23 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage.

READ MORE: Battle on the Bricks: Winners and Losers from IMSA’s Indy outing

The post AO Racing continues ‘Spike’ and ‘Rexy’ with dual IMSA 2025 effort appeared first on Motorsport Week.

AO Racing’s ‘Rexy’ #77 Porsche 911 GT3.R has lost their GTD Pro pole position after incurring a ride height infringement.

Laurin Heinrich initially earned his first pole position ahead of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s Battle on the Bricks.

The GTD Pro championship leaders, comprised of co-drivers Heinrich and Michael Christensen, will start at the back of the 35-car GT field.

Nicky Catsburg of the #4 Corvette Z06 GT3.R has inherited pole position as a result, with his 1:23.209 lap time.

In a statement on X formerly known as Twitter, they said:

“We are sorry to report that unfortunately after a monumental effort to secure pole position, we have been moved to the back of grid for a ride height infringement following post-qualifying technical inspection.

“This is a part of racing that we understand can happen from time to time.

“While we are disappointed, we are know our dinosaur is fast and we are ready to fight to the front.”

Furthermore, the #12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F (GTD) will also start towards the back due to the same offence.

The penultimate round of 2024 will commence tomorrow at 11.40am local time/4.40pm BST for a six-hour event at Indianapolis.

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Laurin Heinrich claimed his first pole position for ‘Rexy’ in the GTD Pro category for the IMSA SportsCar Championship’s Battle on the Bricks.

The green AO Racing Porsche 911 came out on top of the GT field in qualifying for the penultimate round on the 2024 campaign.

A GT field of 35 entries comprised of 13 GTD Pro cars and 23 GTD competitors.

Time was of the essence as drivers extracted their quickest possible lap times from their GT3 machinery.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s Road Course runs at a short 2.439-mile lap with 14 corners, partially incorporating Turns 1 and 2 of the historic Speedway itself.

Firstly, Manny Franco tapped the rear of Dirk Mueller’s #65 Ford Multimatic Motorsport Mustang at Turn 12.

The #34 Conquest Racing Ferrari 296 driver was awarded a drive-through penalty for incident responsibility.

As for the #65 Ford driver, he had another off-track moment when he outbraked himself into Turn 7.

Twenty-four cars covered one second, making the session a closely-matched effort between all of the drivers.

Fan-favourite ‘Rexy’ on pole

By 0.059 seconds, Heinrich claimed pole position on his first qualifying outing this year in the #77 Porsche 911 with a lap time of 1:23.150.

Nicky Catsburg (#4 Corvette Z06 GT3.R) will start in second place with his time of 1:23.209 and Mike Rockenfeller put the #64 Ford Multimatic in third.

He recently claimed the first podium finish for the new Mustang at the VIRginia International Raceway.

Fourth place was taken by Neil Verhagen’s #1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 with a 1:23.261 lap time, ahead of #3 Corvette driver Alexander Sims’ 1:23.298.

Alex Riberas earned sixth place for the #23 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage after his 1:23.344 time.

Daniel Serra took seventh place after he drove a 1:23.399 time in his #62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 which won the 24 Hours of Daytona season-opener.

Roman De Angelis’ finished P8 in the #027 Heart of Racing Aston Martin with his 1:23.506 time.

Almost all GTD Pro cars out-qualified the GTD cars with the exception of five entrants.

Mikael Grenier takes GTD pole honours

The most recent GTD race winner, the #32 Team Korthoff/Preston Motorsports Mercedes-AMG, emerged quickest in their category.

Grenier set a 1:23.537 lap time and was 0.262 seconds ahead of Giammarco Levorato’s #55 Proton Ford which took P2.

After four GTD Pro cars, the next GTD entrant was the #12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F of Parker Thompson.

His lap time of 1:23.939 set himself ahead of P3 in-class, Patrick Gallagher of the #96 Turner Motorsport BMW.

Mueller will start behind the pair, as the championship-leading #57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG followed.

Russell Ward’s lap time of 1:24.114 finalised the top-five of the GTD category.

As usual, the combined GT field will start in their mixed order for the Battle on the Bricks.

Lights out will commence tomorrow at 11.40am local time/4.40pm BST for the six-hour race.

SEE MORE: The ammended provisional classification of qualifying results for the 10th IMSA 2024 round

Editor’s Note:

AO Racing has lost their pole position due to a ride height infringement.

Nicky Catsburg (#3 Corvette) has inherited the GTD Pro pole.

The post Laurin Heinrich puts ‘Rexy’ Porsche on GTD Pro pole for IMSA Indy appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Julien Andlauer has been confirmed as Seb Priaulx’s replacement in the #77 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3.R entrant in the ongoing 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season.

After Priaulx departed the team whilst leading the GTD Pro standings, Andlauer will take over his seat and co-drive the #77 Porsche with Laurin Heinrich.

The next round on the schedule is at Road America, where the #77 will compete against nine other GTD Pro cars, in the midst of a 47-car multi-class field.

Famed for running the eye-catching green ‘Rexy the Dinosaur’ appearance on their Porsche, they will run ‘Roxy’ for the Sportscar Weekend at Road America – its pink-liveried equivalent.

“I’m super excited to be back in IMSA, and to join the AO Racing Team which has been very successful so far,” said Andlauer.

“I’m really looking forward to jumping in the car and giving the maximum to give my best effort for the team to have a good chance for the championship.

“I don’t know Road America yet, but it looks to be an amazing track, and I hope it can suit our beautiful Roxy.

“I will fight well and look forward to being there and working with the entire team.”

Team principal Gunnar Jeannette added: “We are excited to welcome Julien to AO Racing for Road America.

“We’ve raced against him in many championships across the globe and can’t wait to see what he can do with Roxy at our home race.”

The current Porsche driver, and former junior for the Weissach-based manufacturer, has already competed in the 2024 IMSA season.

At the 24 Hours of Daytona season-opener, Andlauer drove the #92 Kellymoss with Riley Porsche 911 GT3.R GTD entry before piloting the #5 Proton Porsche 963 GTP entrant at the next race, the 12 Hours of Sebring.

For much of his career, he has driven Porsche GTE machinery in the FIA World Endurance Championship with the Proton Racing outfit and continues the relationship behind the wheel of their #99 Proton Porsche 963 WEC Hypercar.

Andlauer will now join AO Racing’s pursuit towards their maiden IMSA title from 4 August, for a 2-hour and 40-minute sprint race.

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Seb Priaulx and AO Racing have confirmed their split ahead of next week’s IMSA Sportscar Weekend at Road America, citing “growing commitments with Multimatic Motorsports” for the British driver as the key reason.

GTD Pro standings leader, Priaulx, will part ways having driven with AO Racing and their fan-favourite ‘Rexy’ Porsche 911 GT3.R since the beginning of the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season.

During his time, the recent four of his six IMSA podium finishes were taken during the ongoing 2024 season, including two Rexy’s first consecutive victories at Laguna Seca and Detroit.

A replacement has not yet been named to join works driver Laurin Heinrich at the seventh round, at Road America, on 4 August.

“All of us at AO Racing wish Seb the best and are thankful for the time Multimatic let him spend with us,” said Team Principal Gunnar Jeannette.

“He has been a huge part of our team as we brought Rexy to life, and we are proud to have our early successes with him on the effort.

“We are working with Porsche to find a suitable driver to partner with Laurin [Heinrich] for the remainder of the season.”

The press release cites “increasing obligations and schedule conflicts” which necessitated a premature departure for Priaulx midway during the IMSA 2024 campaign.

Priaulx, alike his father Andy, have an established relationship with Multimatic Motorsports who currently run two Ford Mustang GT3 entries in the GTD Pro category, as well as having developed and produced the Porsche 963 LMDh chassis.

Besides IMSA, the 23-year-old has competed in various international GT racing outings since the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship in Dempsey-Proton Racing’s GTE Am Porsche 911 RSR.

Heinrich will continue to fight for the GTD Pro title with AO Racing on 1955 points, following a third-placed finish for the team at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

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