Samwise Sportscar & Endurance Newsletter
Tuesday, May 5, 2026
McLaren Unveils MCL-HY Hypercar and Completes First Shakedown at Varano
McLaren unveiled the MCL-HY Hypercar on Monday and dispatched it to Varano de Melegari in Italy for its first shakedown one day later, kicking off its pre-season programme barely 24 hours after the car’s public debut. The LMDh machine wears a test livery inspired by the 1967 McLaren M6A Can-Am car in Papaya Orange. Built around a Dallara monocoque with a twin-turbocharged in-house V6 hybrid producing 520 kilowatts, it targets a 2027 WEC debut. Works driver Mikkel Jensen leads testing, with McLaren Driver Development members Grégoire Saucy and Richard Verschoor alongside United Autosports veteran Ben Hanley completing the programme.
Sources: FIA WEC, Motorsport.com
JDC-Miller Takes First GTP Win as Heinrich Executes Last-Lap Pass at Laguna Seca
Laurin Heinrich delivered a dramatic last-lap overtake at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca to hand JDC-Miller MotorSports its first GTP victory. Driving the No. 5 Porsche 963 alongside Tijmen van der Helm, Heinrich charged from third to first in the final minutes, diving inside Earl Bamber’s Action Express Cadillac at Turn 5 with fourteen minutes remaining. The winning margin was 0.758 seconds. The win ends a five-year IMSA victory drought for JDC-Miller and marks the first Porsche 963 triumph by a non-Penske customer team. Heinrich, 24, now leads the GTP drivers championship by 21 points over Cadillac Whelen’s Jack Aitken, taking possession of the lead for the first time in 2026.
Sources: Motorsport.com, Daily Sportscar
Porsche’s Kuratle Warns Acura Exit Could Signal Wider Manufacturer Trend
Porsche LMDh factory director Urs Kuratle warned that Acura’s decision to pause its IMSA GTP factory programme after 2026 could signal a wider manufacturer exodus. Honda Racing Corporation USA president David Salters confirmed Evo update packages, which can consume 25 percent of an annual programme budget, were a central factor in the exit. Kuratle told Motorsport.com that losing Acura is bad for everybody and expressed concern about a trend of manufacturers leaving. Both executives endorsed eliminating Evo changes as the most cost-effective path forward. Salters said HRC is not sharing further detail beyond the pause, but cited a potential re-entry point around the 2030 technical regulation reset.
Sources: Motorsport.com, Motorsport.com
Ford Mustang GT3 Evo Records First Win at Laguna Seca via Fuel Strategy
Ford Racing scored the first win for the evolved specification Mustang GT3 at Laguna Seca, with Frédéric Vervisch and Christopher Mies taking the No. 65 entry to GTD PRO victory through fuel strategy. The car suffered an early tyre puncture, dropping to the tail, but an extended final stint allowed Vervisch to inherit the lead as rivals pitted with fifteen minutes remaining. The Belgian crossed the line 1.277 seconds clear of a Chevrolet Corvette Z06. The win validates the Evo specification package introduced for 2026. Vervisch noted the team had never previously considered Laguna Seca a strong circuit for the Mustang platform, making the result all the more significant.
Sources: Motorsport.com
Wayne Taylor Racing Claims GTD Class Win at Laguna Seca with Overcut Strategy
Wayne Taylor Racing secured the IMSA GTD class victory at Laguna Seca with Danny Formal and Trent Hindman in the No. 45 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2. Hindman executed a decisive overcut on the final stop cycle, emerging ahead of the Heart of Racing Aston Martin when both exited together, and controlling the gap to the flag. The Aston Martin of Eduardo Barrichello and Tom Gamble finished second, with the Inception Racing Ferrari of Brendan Iribe and Frederik Schandorff completing the podium. An early engine failure ended Conquest Racing Ferrari’s challenge. The result continues Wayne Taylor Racing’s run of consistent results across the opening rounds of the 2026 IMSA season.
Sources: IMSA
Heinrich Leads IMSA GTP Championship by 21 Points Following Laguna Seca Breakthrough
Heinrich now leads the 2026 IMSA GTP drivers standings by 21 points over Cadillac Whelen Racing’s Jack Aitken, following his Laguna Seca victory. Aitken has posted three consecutive podiums without yet recording a win this season. JDC-Miller teammate Tijmen van der Helm also enters the points table following Sunday’s result. Porsche Penske Motorsport remains the dominant team across the championship with multiple entries in the top five. The next round is the Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic on May 29–30, a 100-minute sprint featuring GTP and GTD PRO over a temporary street circuit. The event carries fewer points than the endurance rounds but could meaningfully shift the standings before summer.
Sources: Motorsport.com
AO Racing Debuts Sketchy Dinosaur Livery on No. 77 Porsche at Laguna Seca
AO Racing’s No. 77 Porsche 911 GT3 R arrived at Laguna Seca wearing the most-discussed livery of the 2026 IMSA season: a design featuring original cartoon dinosaurs known as Sketchy. The concept emerged from a collaboration between the team and artist Bryce Brockman, who proposed the cartoon theme as a deliberate departure from typical sponsor-branded designs. Each dinosaur was developed with crew input, incorporating traits specific to the team. Driver Nick Tandy said the response from fans and fellow competitors has been overwhelmingly positive, calling Sketchy one of the most memorable liveries of his career. The design has circulated widely on social media since its Daytona debut.
Sources: Motorsport.com
Brands Hatch Extends GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup Deal Through 2028
SRO Motorsports has signed a multi-year extension with MotorSport Vision to keep Brands Hatch on the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup calendar through at least 2028. The Kent circuit has hosted the Sprint Cup every year since 2014, except for the COVID-affected 2020 season, and its Grand Prix layout ranks among the paddock’s most popular. SRO founder and CEO Stéphane Ratel called Brands Hatch a cornerstone of the Sprint Cup calendar and credited MotorSport Vision for consistently delivering a first-class venue. The announcement coincides with the series second Sprint Cup round of 2026 at the circuit this weekend. The circuit first hosted GT racing in 1996.
Sources: Daily Sportscar
WEC Hypercar — Drivers
1. S. Buemi / B. Hartley / R. Hirakawa — 25 pts
2. A. Pier Guidi / J. Calado / A. Giovinazzi — 19 pts
3. M. Conway / K. Kobayashi / N. de Vries — 15 pts
4. A. Felix da Costa / C. Milesi / F. Habsburg — 12 pts
5. R. Frijns / R. Rast — 10 pts
6. A. Fuoco / M. Molina / N. Nielsen — 8 pts
7. K. Magnussen / R. Marciello — 6 pts
8. E. Bamber / S. Bourdais — 4 pts
9. H. Tincknell / T. Gamble — 2 pts
10. Y. Yifei / R. Kubica / P. Hanson — 1 pts
WEC Hypercar — Teams
1. Toyota Racing — 40 pts
2. Ferrari AF Corse — 27 pts
3. BMW M Team WRT — 16 pts
4. Alpine Endurance Team — 12 pts
5. Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA — 4 pts
6. Aston Martin THOR Team — 2 pts
7. AF Corse — 1 pts
After Round 1 — 6 Hours of Imola
IMSA GTP — Drivers
1. L. Heinrich / T. van der Helm (JDC-Miller) — Championship leader
2. J. Aitken (Cadillac Whelen) — −21 pts
Full IMSA GTP standings unavailable at time of publication
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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