Samwise Sportscar & Endurance Newsletter
Friday, July 24, 2026
Points-Leading Cadillac Takes BoP Hit for Road America
The No. 31 Cadillac V-Series.R of Whelen Engineering receives a 21-kilogram Balance of Performance penalty for Road America, rising to 1,053 kg. JDC-Miller’s Porsche picks up 4 kg while factory 2026 Porsches shed 7 kg. Porsche Penske remains heaviest at 1,066 kg; the Aston Martin Valkyrie stays lightest at 1,020 kg. BMW gains 1.2–1.6 percent additional power in GTP. In the GT classes, the Corvette Z06 adds 15 kg in GTD PRO, Lexus drops 3.7 percent Stage 1 power, and GTD Lamborghini and Aston Martin entries each shed 15 kg ahead of the Motul SportsCar Endurance Grand Prix on July 30.
Sources: Sportscar365 Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
The Manthey Way Is Already Working Stateside
Manthey Racing has proven its championship-winning Porsche formula transfers directly to North American endurance racing. The German GT specialist’s No. 911 Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) won its GTD PRO class debut at Sebring in May before the No. 912 captured the GTD class at Watkins Glen. Now targeting a third consecutive Michelin Endurance Cup class win at Road America on July 30–August 2, the outfit is flying its European-based crew to each event as part of what the team describes as a long-term IMSA commitment — not a short-term experiment.
IMSA LMP2 Teams Back Staggered 2029 New-Car Introduction
IMSA LMP2 teams have endorsed a plan to stage the next-generation prototype’s North American debut one year later than its European introduction, allowing the Oreca 07 an 11th IMSA season while teams prepare for the transition. The new car is set to begin competition in Europe and Asia in 2028, with the IMSA debut following in 2029 — a staggered rollout that eases budget pressures across a class already running on tight margins. United Autosports, Tower Motorsports, BHA, and PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports all expressed support. The Oreca 07, which entered IMSA WeatherTech competition in 2019, would continue as the sole LMP2 platform through the 2029 season.
Sources: Sportscar365 Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Five-Way GS Title Fight Entering Final Four Rounds
The Michelin Pilot Challenge GS class championship has entered its most critical stretch, with just 40 points separating the top three drivers and 190 covering the entire top five ahead of four remaining rounds. Nate Cicero and Robert Noaker lead in the No. 13 McCumbee McAleer Racing Ford Mustang GT4, narrowly ahead of Michael Cooper and Moisey Uretsky’s McLaren Artura GT4 and Austin Krainz and Stevan McAleer’s BMW M4 GT4 EVO. Turner Motorsport and Winward Racing sit fourth and fifth, both having recovered from mid-season setbacks. Road America on July 30 marks the next test for the tightly contested field.
Sources: Sportscar365 Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Gulf 12H Organizers Confirm GT Grand Finals Race at Istanbul
Driving Force Events has confirmed a “GT Grand Finals” at Istanbul Park on November 6–8, 2026, created to fill the calendar void left by the cancelled Gulf 12 Hours. The event carries FIA GT3 as its headline class and features a sprint format: three approximately one-hour races on Sunday, with no mandatory pit stops or tyre changes to keep entry costs accessible. The Hermann Tilke-designed Istanbul Park — a former Formula 1 and FIA GT venue — returns to international GT competition. The November 6–8 dates fall on the same weekend as the still-undecided WEC season finale, creating a potential scheduling conflict for multi-series teams.
Sources: Sportscar365 Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Porsche Driver Development Members Gather at Charlotte Workshop
Porsche Motorsport North America’s driver development program gathered participants in Charlotte this week for a two-day workshop spanning fitness, engineering, and simulator training. Junior Program and Mobil 1 Female Driver Program members — including Carrera Cup NA points leader Tyler Maxson, Sabré Cook, Callum Hedge, Anna Cecchi, and Therese Lahlouh — completed fitness assessments at PitFit Training, toured Team Penske headquarters in Mooresville, and logged laps in the Porsche 963 LMDh simulator. Three-time NASCAR Cup champion Joey Logano made a guest appearance. The workshop reflects Porsche’s structured pipeline approach to developing drivers capable of competing at the IMSA WeatherTech and WEC levels.
Sources: Sportscar365 Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
De Oliveira Expects Tougher Challenge at Return to Fuji
João Paulo de Oliveira ended Kondo Racing’s three-year winless streak at Fuji during the Golden Week round but expects a harder battle when SUPER GT returns to the Shizuoka circuit for Round 4. The Nissan GT-R NISMO GT500 he shares with Iori Kimura now carries a 54-kilogram success handicap, with a BoP update adding another 10 kg of minimum weight. Higher summer temperatures will compound the challenge compared to the spring race. Rival entries including the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo face weight, wing angle, and boost adjustments. De Oliveira is targeting top five, saying “a podium would be a great result.”
Sources: Sportscar365 Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
WEC Hypercar — Drivers
After Round 4 of 8 — São Paulo, July 12
1. M. Conway / K. Kobayashi / N. de Vries (Toyota Racing) — 75 pts
1. R. Frijns / R. Rast (BMW M Team WRT) — 75 pts
3. S. van der Linde (BMW M Team WRT) — 65 pts
4. A. Pier Guidi / J. Calado / A. Giovinazzi (Ferrari AF Corse) — 57 pts
5. S. Buemi / B. Hartley / R. Hirakawa (Toyota Racing) — 56 pts
6. K. Magnussen / R. Marciello (BMW M Team WRT) — 50 pts
7. D. Vanthoor (BMW M Team WRT) — 44 pts
8. W. Stevens / N. Nato / L. Deletraz (Cadillac JOTA) — 42 pts
9. Ye Yifei / R. Kubica / P. Hanson (AF Corse) — 31 pts
10. H. Tincknell / T. Gamble (Aston Martin THOR) — 30 pts
11. A. F. da Costa / C. Milesi / F. Habsburg (Alpine Endurance) — 29 pts
11. A. Fuoco / M. Molina / N. Nielsen (Ferrari AF Corse) — 29 pts
13. E. Bamber / S. Bourdais (Cadillac JOTA) — 16 pts
13. R. Gunn (Aston Martin THOR) — 16 pts
15. J. Aitken (Cadillac JOTA) — 12 pts
16. P. di Resta / S. Vandoorne / N. Cassidy (Peugeot) — 6 pts
17. A. Lotterer / P. Derani / M. Jaubert (Genesis Magma) — 4 pts
17. F. Makowiecki / J. Gounon / V. Martins (Alpine Endurance) — 4 pts
19. L. Duval / M. Jakobsen / T. Pourchaire (Peugeot) — 3 pts
20. A. Riberas / M. Sorensen / R. De Angelis (Aston Martin THOR) — 2 pts
WEC Hypercar — Teams
After Round 4 of 8 — São Paulo, July 12
1. Toyota Racing (No. 7) — 75 pts
2. BMW M Team WRT (No. 15) — 75 pts
3. Ferrari AF Corse (No. 50) — 57 pts
4. Toyota Racing (No. 8) — 56 pts
5. BMW M Team WRT (No. 20) — 50 pts
6. Cadillac Hertz JOTA — 42 pts
7. AF Corse — 31 pts
8. Aston Martin THOR — 30 pts
9. Alpine Endurance Team (No. 36) — 29 pts
10. Ferrari AF Corse (No. 51) — 29 pts
11. Cadillac Hertz JOTA (No. 38) — 16 pts
12. Peugeot TotalEnergies (No. 93) — 6 pts
13. Genesis Magma Racing — 4 pts
14. Alpine Endurance Team (No. 35) — 4 pts
15. Peugeot TotalEnergies (No. 94) — 3 pts
16. Aston Martin THOR (No. 27) — 2 pts
IMSA GTP — Drivers
After Round 6 of 10 — Watkins Glen, July 3
1. J. Aitken (Cadillac Whelen) — 2,145 pts
2. L. Heinrich (Porsche Penske) — 1,942 pts
3. R. van der Zande (Acura Meyer Shank) — 1,900 pts
3. N. Yelloly (Acura Meyer Shank) — 1,900 pts
4. F. Nasr (Porsche Penske) — 1,887 pts
4. J. Andlauer (Porsche Penske) — 1,887 pts
5. E. Bamber (Cadillac Whelen) — 1,797 pts
6. K. Estre (Porsche Penske) — 1,774 pts
6. L. Vanthoor (Porsche Penske) — 1,774 pts
7. T. van der Helm (JDC-Miller) — 1,705 pts
8. S. van der Linde (BMW M Team WRT) — 1,690 pts
8. D. Vanthoor (BMW M Team WRT) — 1,690 pts
9. T. Blomqvist (Acura Meyer Shank) — 1,633 pts
9. C. Braun (Acura Meyer Shank) — 1,633 pts
10. M. Wittmann (BMW M Team WRT) — 1,623 pts
10. P. Eng (BMW M Team WRT) — 1,623 pts
11. J. Taylor (Wayne Taylor Racing) — 1,595 pts
11. L. Deletraz (Wayne Taylor Racing) — 1,595 pts
12. F. Albuquerque (Wayne Taylor Racing) — 1,499 pts
12. R. Taylor (Wayne Taylor Racing) — 1,499 pts
13. R. De Angelis (Aston Martin THOR) — 1,425 pts
13. R. Gunn (Aston Martin THOR) — 1,425 pts
14. F. Vesti (Cadillac Whelen) — 1,408 pts
15. K. Frederick (JDC-Miller) — 844 pts
16. M. Campbell (Porsche Penske) — 654 pts
17. K. Ohta (Acura Meyer Shank) — 643 pts
18. R. Frijns (BMW M Team WRT) — 606 pts
19. A. Palou (Acura Meyer Shank) — 567 pts
20. S. Dixon (Acura Meyer Shank) — 560 pts
21. C. Herta (Wayne Taylor Racing) — 548 pts
22. N. Pino (JDC-Miller) — 518 pts
23. K. Magnussen (BMW M Team WRT) — 482 pts
24. A. Riberas (Aston Martin THOR) — 472 pts
25. W. Stevens (Wayne Taylor Racing) — 455 pts
26. C. Zilisch (Cadillac Whelen) — 340 pts
27. R. Rast (BMW M Team WRT) — 323 pts
28. R. Marciello (BMW M Team WRT) — 252 pts
29. A.J. Allmendinger (Acura Meyer Shank) — 248 pts
30. M. Sorensen (Aston Martin THOR) — 231 pts
IMSA GTP — Teams
After Round 6 of 10 — Watkins Glen, July 3
1. No. 31 Cadillac Whelen — 2,145 pts
2. No. 93 Acura Meyer Shank — 1,900 pts
3. No. 7 Porsche Penske — 1,887 pts
4. No. 6 Porsche Penske — 1,774 pts
5. No. 5 JDC-Miller — 1,705 pts
6. No. 24 BMW M Team WRT — 1,690 pts
7. No. 60 Acura Meyer Shank — 1,633 pts
8. No. 25 BMW M Team WRT — 1,623 pts
9. No. 40 Wayne Taylor Racing — 1,595 pts
10. No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing — 1,499 pts
11. No. 23 Aston Martin THOR — 1,425 pts
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.