Porsche Penske Motorsport had a challenging outing at the Six Hours of the Glen, but managed to retain its lead in both the IMSA drivers and manufacturers’ standings.
After a blistering start to the season with four wins from four races, Porsche Penske Motorsport forced IMSA to manually revise the Balance of Performance.
In Detroit, the factory 963s handled the changes well. For the Six Hours of The Glen, however, it was a different story, as the Porsche 963s were the heaviest cars on the grid and also the least powerful.
Rain and ten Full Course Yellows enlivened a six-hour race contested at the Watkins Glen International, a track much loved by drivers. It was also the third of five rounds in the 2025 IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup.
Forced to retire, the #7 pairing of Felipe Nasr and Nick Tandy relinquished first place in the championship to their teammates Mathieu Jaminet and Matt Campbell, who finished fourth.
‟That was a tough race,” summarized Urs Kuratle, Director Factory Motorsport LMDh. ‟We were strong in the early stages when conditions were tricky and even managed to take the lead.
“But once the weather became more like summer, our chances diminished, as we’d already anticipated from the performance data.
“The drivers were pushing the limits all day. Nick’s crash was the result of that intensity. That’s what happens at the limit. The sister car ran cleanly and delivered a pretty good result. Hopefully, we’ll bounce back stronger soon.”
Story of the Six Hours of the Glen
In qualifying, Jaminet put the #6 car in eighth, 1.765 seconds off pole position, with Nasr two places further back. But there was no question of giving up.
Porsche Penske Motorsport even managed to take the lead of the race twice. Making the most of a light drizzle during the opening minutes, Nasr gained nine places in just four laps and took the lead from lap 4 to lap 12.
Unfortunately, once the track dried out, it was impossible to hold onto it.
The #6 sister car also had its moment of glory by taking the lead from lap 79 to lap 84. By leading at the halfway point, the car also collected valuable points for the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup standings.
For a long time, both factory Porsche 963s knocked in vain on the door of the top five. But with 1 hour and 40 minutes to go, and pushing hard in a bid to achieve a strong result, Nick Tandy lost control of the #7 Porsche 963.
He hit the barrier while running sixth overall, just ahead of the sister car. Fortunately, the Briton escaped without any injury.
Thanks to a perfectly timed call just before the tenth and final caution period with nine minutes to go, and once more an outstanding work by Porsche Penske Motorsport in the pit lane, Jaminet and Campbell secured a precious and unexpected fourth-place finish.
Though it was the first time this season they failed to finish on the podium, they still pulled off a great result in the championship, snatching the points lead from teammates Nasr and Tandy.
In the manufacturers' standings, with three rounds to go for the GTP class contenders, Porsche remains in front.
Customer racing
After a collision with a GT car, the #5 Proton Competition Porsche 963 was forced to retire after just 67 laps.
It was a major disappointment for Neel Jani, Nico Pino and Nico Varrone, who were making their first IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship appearance since the 12 Hours of Sebring.
At JDC-Miller MotorSports, a ninth-place finish might seem like a good result.
Gianmaria Bruni and Tijmen van der Helm put in a solid performance that deserved a better outcome, but their race was compromised by a pit lane violation.
GTD Pro and GTD
In GTD Pro, the racing was tough - very tough - and the #77 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R was caught in a three-car incident during the final hour.
Despite some damage at the rear, the car remained a contender for the podium until the end, leading for 29 laps, the second-highest total in the GTD Pro class.
Finishing sixth (fifth after the disqualification of the #65 Ford Mustang), Laurin Heinrich and Klaus Bachler missed victory by just 4.5 seconds and a podium finish by only 2.0 seconds.
Although they lost the championship lead in GTD Pro, they remain firmly in the title fight.
Things were less fortunate for the #120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R in GTD, which was involved in a crash after 2 hours and 32 minutes of racing.
Tenacious as ever, the trio of Adam Adelson, Elliott Skeer, and Tom Sargent had to settle for 13th place.
While GTD Pro and GTD teams will meet again on July 13 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, their GTP counterparts will have to wait until August 3 for the eighth round of the season at Road America.
