Monday, June 29, 2026
Samwise Sportscar & Endurance
Lionspeed Porsche Claims Historic Spa 24-Hour Victory from Pit Lane Start
The No. 80 Lionspeed GP Porsche 911 GT3 R of Bastian Buus, Ricardo Feller and Thomas Preining won the 2026 CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa on Sunday, completing a recovery from a pit-lane start caused by a Thursday engine change. The squad climbed through the field before Preining claimed the lead at Hour 16. A successful undercut strategy in the 19th hour sealed the win, with Lionspeed crossing the finish line 12.288 seconds clear. The result gave Porsche a ninth Spa victory and its first since 2020, while marking the first occasion any car has won the race having started from the pits.
Whelen Cadillac Dominates Watkins Glen Six Hours for Second Straight IMSA Victory
The No. 31 Whelen Action Express Cadillac V-Series.R of Jack Aitken, Earl Bamber and Frederik Vesti delivered a commanding performance at Sunday’s Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen at Watkins Glen International, leading 143 of 182 laps from pole to win for the second consecutive IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship round. Second place went to the No. 93 Acura Meyer Shank Racing ARX-06 of Nick Yelloly, Renger van der Zande and Kaku Ohta. The result extended Aitken’s GTP drivers’ championship lead to 203 points over Laurin Heinrich, with five rounds remaining in the season.
Multi-Car Caution Crash Eliminates GTP Contenders in Chaotic Watkins Glen Opening
A chain of collisions under the safety car roughly 40 minutes into Sunday’s IMSA Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen ended the race for several GTP contenders. After Wayne Taylor Racing’s Louis Deletraz struck on-track signage, the field bunched at the top of the Esses. The No. 60 Acura Meyer Shank ARX-06 of Colin Braun exited the pits ahead of the No. 23 Aston Martin Valkyrie of Roman De Angelis, who locked up and drove into the back of Braun. The No. 81 DragonSpeed Chevrolet Corvette of Henrik Hedman was caught in the contact and struck the inside wall, retiring immediately from the contest.
BMW, Ferrari and Corvette Share Spa 24-Hour Class Victories Behind Lionspeed Porsche
Four separate class winners were crowned at the 2026 CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa alongside the overall Lionspeed Porsche victory. The Gold Cup went to the No. 998 ROWE BMW of Ugo De Wilde, Tim Tramnitz and Jens Klingmann. The Silver Cup went to the No. 45 Rinaldi Racing Ferrari of David Perel, Rafael Duran, Dylan Medler and Alessandro Balzan after a late-race battle. The No. 74 Kessel Racing Ferrari of Dustin Blattner, Mathys Jaubert, Dennis Marschall and Ben Tuck dominated Bronze Cup. In Pro-Am, the No. 0 Johor Motorsports Racing Corvette of Prince Jefri Ibrahim and partners claimed class honours by three laps.
Hawksworth and Barnicoat End 836-Day GTD Pro Drought with Watkins Glen Lexus Victory
Jack Hawksworth and Ben Barnicoat ended an 836-day winless run for Vasser Sullivan Racing w/Dreyer and Reinbold at Sunday’s IMSA Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen, driving the No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3 to GTD Pro class victory at Watkins Glen International. Hawksworth set a new GTD Pro qualifying track record on Saturday before the pair controlled the class contest. Their previous GTD Pro win came at the 2024 Twelve Hours of Sebring. Second in class went to the No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 Evo of Neil Verhagen and Connor De Phillippi.
IMSA Confirms Next-Generation LMP2 Cars from Ligier and ORECA for 2029 Season Debut
IMSA has confirmed the next generation of Le Mans Prototype 2 race cars will debut in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship at the 2029 Rolex 24 at Daytona, one year after the cars first appear in ACO and Le Mans Endurance Management championships. Two chassis constructors have been approved: Ligier Automotive and ORECA. All cars will be powered by 420-kilowatt turbocharged V6 engines from Gibson Technology, producing approximately 563 horsepower. The current ORECA LMP2 07 chassis and Gibson V8 engine will remain eligible through the end of the 2028 season. IMSA President John Doonan cited the need to give current and prospective competitors clear direction to plan for future equipment investment.
47-Car Field Confirmed for ELMS Round 3 at Imola as LMP2 Title Fight Intensifies
The European Le Mans Series heads to the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari for Round 3 on July 5 with a 47-car field representing 139 drivers from 29 countries across LMP2, LMP2 Pro/Am, LMP3 and LMGT3 categories. The LMP2 championship is particularly tight, with United Autosports leading by three points over Inter Europol Competition. In LMGT3, the No. 57 Kessel Racing Ferrari heads the standings. Six manufacturers are represented in LMGT3: Ferrari, Aston Martin, Corvette, McLaren, Mercedes-AMG and Porsche. The Imola visit marks the seventh time the circuit has hosted the ELMS, with the round also counting towards the Michelin Le Mans Cup.
Manthey 1st Phorm Porsche Claims Second GTD Class Win of Season at Watkins Glen
The No. 912 Manthey 1st Phorm Porsche 911 GT3 R of Ryan Hardwick, Riccardo Pera and Richard Lietz won the GTD class at the IMSA Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen at Watkins Glen International on Sunday. The victory was the squad’s second WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD class win of the 2026 season. Manthey navigated a disrupted opening in which multiple cars were eliminated by a caution-period collision, then managed the class contest across the six hours to take the result. The win came on a weekend when Porsche machinery also secured overall victory at the concurrent 24 Hours of Spa in Belgium.
Championship Standings
- Toyota GR010 #7 — 75 pts
- BMW M Hybrid V8 #20 — 71 pts
- Toyota GR010 #8 — 56 pts
- Ferrari 499P #50 — 39 pts
- Alpine A424 #36 — 38 pts
- Aitken — 1,963 pts
- Heinrich — 1,760 pts
- Andlauer / Nasr — 1,606 pts
- Cadillac (Whelen AXR) — 1,997 pts
- Porsche (Proton) — 1,772 pts
- Acura (MSR) — 1,676 pts