Samwise Sportscar & Endurance Newsletter
Tuesday, June 30, 2026
Lionspeed GP Claims Spa 24 Hours After Remarkable Pit Lane Comeback
Lionspeed GP secured victory in the 2026 CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa despite having to start from the pit lane after an unscheduled Thursday engine change on its No. 80 Porsche 911 GT3 R. Thomas Preining, Ricardo Feller and Bastian Buus steadily worked through the 500-plus car field, taking the lead around 8:30 am Sunday morning. The trio finished 12.3 seconds clear of the No. 48 Mercedes-AMG of Lucas Auer, Luca Stolz and Maro Engel, completing 541 laps. It was a maiden Spa 24h victory for all three drivers and for Lionspeed GP. Porsche claimed its ninth overall triumph at the Belgian classic.
Sources: Motorsport.com Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Cadillac Whelen Dominates IMSA Six Hours of Watkins Glen from Pole
The No. 31 Cadillac Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R won the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen from the pole position, leading 143 of 182 laps at Watkins Glen International. Jack Aitken, who set a GTP track record in qualifying at 1 minute, 31.284 seconds, was joined by Earl Bamber and Frederik Vesti. The team moved ahead of the No. 93 Acura Meyer Shank Racing entry by pitting just before the second-to-last full-course caution of the race. The No. 93 Acura of Renger van der Zande, Nick Yelloly and Kaku Ohta finished second, with the No. 5 JDC-Miller Porsche 963 of Laurin Heinrich third.
Aitken and Action Express Build 203-Point GTP Championship Lead
Jack Aitken extended his lead in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTP Drivers title race to 203 points over Laurin Heinrich following the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen. The Cadillac Whelen No. 31 team simultaneously stretched its advantage in the Teams championship to 245 points over the No. 93 Meyer Shank Racing Acura. The No. 31 entry recorded its eighth consecutive GTP podium, a GTP-era record, with the streak dating to last year’s Battle on the Bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The team has claimed four wins in that eight-podium run.
Sources: DailySportscar.com Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Hawksworth and Barnicoat End GTD Pro Drought with Lexus Victory at Watkins Glen
Jack Hawksworth and Ben Barnicoat claimed GTD Pro honors in the Vasser Sullivan No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3 at Watkins Glen International, ending a winless streak of more than two years. Hawksworth led the entire opening stint before falling to third after a pit stop, while Barnicoat took over with a well-timed call right before a full-course caution, cycling the car to second. Hawksworth returned and took the lead with 54 minutes remaining, driving an impressive final stint to the checkered flag. The win was the 19th for the Lexus RC F GT3 in IMSA competition and the 17th for Vasser Sullivan.
Manthey 1st Phorm Porsche Claims Second IMSA GTD Win of the Season
The Manthey 1st Phorm No. 912 Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) earned its second IMSA GTD class victory of the 2026 season at the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen at Watkins Glen International. Ryan Hardwick, Riccardo Pera and Richard Lietz combined for the class win, which also made Watkins Glen a Porsche double at IMSA across the GTD and GTD Pro classes, with the Manthey squad and the No. 14 Lexus taking their respective class honours. The four IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship classes were all in action together at Watkins Glen for the first time since Sebring in mid-March.
Sources: NBC Sports Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
AO Racing Scores LMP2 Class Victory at Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen
AO Racing secured the LMP2 class victory at the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen at Watkins Glen International in the No. 99 entry. Dane Cameron, PJ Hyett and Jonny Edgar combined for the class win at the picturesque 11-turn, 3.4-mile road course. The result came as all four IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship classes returned to the same race for the first time since the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in March. Watkins Glen also formed the third of four IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup events on the 2026 calendar, with points scored across all four endurance-distance races for the Michelin Endurance Cup title.
Sources: NBC Sports Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Mercedes-AMG and Ferrari Complete Spa 24 Hours Podium in Dramatic Finish
The No. 48 Mercedes-AMG Team MANN-FILTER entry of Lucas Auer, Luca Stolz and Maro Engel finished second at the 2026 CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa, 12.3 seconds behind the winning Lionspeed Porsche after repeatedly challenging for the lead throughout the night. The No. 51 AF Corse Ferrari of Alessio Rovera, Tommaso Mosca and Nicklas Nielsen recovered from a puncture, multiple penalties and subsequent contact to take third place. Eight cars finished on the lead lap at the conclusion of the 24-hour race, which was the fourth-greatest lap total from the past ten editions of the event.
Sources: Motorsport.com Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Porsche Takes GT World Challenge Manufacturers’ Lead After Ninth Spa Triumph
Porsche has overtaken the competition to lead the GT World Challenge Europe manufacturers’ standings following its ninth overall victory at the 24 Hours of Spa. Lionspeed GP’s triumph with the No. 80 Porsche 911 GT3 R allowed the German manufacturer to overhaul a nine-point deficit and move to the top of the manufacturers’ table by the same margin. The victory was Thomas Preining’s second success in the Intercontinental GT Challenge, having previously won at Bathurst. The Lionspeed crew completed 541 laps of the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, the fourth-highest lap total from the past ten editions of the Belgian endurance classic.
Sources: Sportscar365 Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
WEC Hypercar — Drivers
1. Kobayashi / Conway / de Vries (Toyota #7) — 75 pts
2. Rast / Frijns (BMW #20) — 71 pts
3. van der Linde (BMW #20) — 61 pts
4. Hartley / Hirakawa / Buemi (Toyota #8) — 56 pts
5. Pier Guidi / Giovinazzi / Calado (Ferrari #51) — 39 pts
6. da Costa / Milesi / Habsburg (Alpine #35) — 28 pts
7. Delétraz / Nato / Stevens (Cadillac #12) — 26 pts
8. Magnussen / Marciello (BMW #15) — 25 pts
9. Fuoco / Molina / Nielsen (Ferrari #50) — 23 pts
10. Tincknell / Gamble (AM #007) — 22 pts
WEC Hypercar — Teams
1. Toyota — 132 pts
2. BMW — 96 pts
3. Ferrari — 62 pts
4. Alpine — 38 pts
5. Cadillac — 32 pts
6. Aston Martin — 26 pts
7. Peugeot — 15 pts
8. Genesis — 6 pts
IMSA GTP — Drivers
1. Jack Aitken (Cadillac #31) — leads by 203 pts
2. Laurin Heinrich (Porsche #5) — −203 pts
IMSA GTP — Teams
1. Cadillac Whelen #31 — leads by 245 pts
2. Meyer Shank Racing #93 — −245 pts
Curated by JD · samwise.agency