Nick Tandy, driving the Porsche Penske Motorsport 963, clinched a dramatic victory by overtaking Cadillac’s Jack Aitken in the final twelve minutes of the 2-hour and 40-minute race. This win marked a significant milestone as it was Roger Penske’s 100th victory in sportscar racing.
The race was intense from the beginning, with Sebastien Bourdais setting a new track record during qualifying and leading the race at the start. Bourdais faced challenges, including a close call at the Corkscrew on the opening lap and a near-collision involving Pipo Derani’s car and Mike Skeen’s GTD Mercedes.
Early in the race, Philipp Eng’s BMW M Hybrid V8 held third place, followed by factory Porsche 963s and Wayne Taylor Racing’s Acura ARX-06s. The race saw several position changes due to traffic and strategic pit stops.
Derani’s early pit stop and subsequent two-tire change allowed him to hold an advantage briefly. The race’s only full-course caution came about 50 minutes in due to debris from Porsche #7, which nullified Bourdais’ lead. Following the caution, Jack Aitken took over from Derani, gaining a time advantage due to needing less fuel.
Nick Tandy took over from Mathieu Jaminet and resumed the lead but lost it briefly to Aitken after a lock-up. Renger van der Zande took over from Bourdais, falling to third as the car required a full energy load, while Jordan Taylor replaced Louis Deletraz in fourth. Van der Zande managed to overtake Tandy before half-distance, and Felipe Nasr, driving the repaired Porsche #7, climbed to fourth place by passing Jordan Taylor and Jesse Krohn’s BMW.
As the race approached its final hour, pit stop strategies played a crucial role. Aitken, opting for a shorter pit stop, pitted from the lead and rejoined ahead of van der Zande, who needed a longer stop.
Tandy stayed out longer and pitted last, rejoining in second place. In the last 30 minutes, Tandy closed in on Aitken, taking advantage of traffic. The decisive moment came with 12 minutes remaining when Aitken was delayed by GTD traffic at Turn 4, allowing Tandy to seize the lead and eventually win by almost six seconds.
Felipe Nasr secured third place by overtaking van der Zande, who struggled to maintain his earlier pace. Jordan Taylor also overtook van der Zande after an earlier clash, further demonstrating the competitive nature of the race. The BMW team faced setbacks, with Connor De Phillippi dropping to eighth from an initial fifth position due to a pit stop issue and teammate Nick Yelloly spinning out but recovering to seventh place.
In the GTD Pro class, Chevrolet initially led with a front-row lockout in qualifying. The first caution benefitted Pfaff Motorsports’ McLaren, driven by Marvin Kirchhofer and Oliver Jarvis, who took the lead from the Corvette team. Laurin Heinrich, driving the AO Racing Porsche 911, overtook the McLaren to win the GTD Pro category with a bold maneuver at Turn 6. Danny Formal led the GTD pro-am class early on, but a late incident allowed the Winward Racing Mercedes to take the class victory.
The race showcased a mix of strategic pit stops, driver skill in navigating traffic, and critical overtakes. The victory for Tandy and Penske’s milestone highlighted the event, with competitive drives from multiple teams in both the GTP and GTD categories. The challenging Laguna Seca circuit added to the drama, with its infamous Corkscrew and tight corners playing pivotal roles in the race’s outcome.