Samwise Sportscar & Endurance Newsletter
Tuesday, April 14, 2026
Ferrari Locks Out WEC Prologue 1-2-3 at Imola
Antonio Fuoco set the day’s benchmark of 1m31.177s in the #50 Ferrari 499P during the afternoon session of the WEC Prologue at Imola on Tuesday, giving the defending Hypercar champions a commanding early statement ahead of Sunday’s season-opening 6 Hours of Imola. Robert Kubica followed second in the satellite #83 AF Corse 499P, with Antonio Giovinazzi third to complete an all-Ferrari podium. Robin Frijns gave BMW its best showing in fourth, half a second adrift. Toyota’s revised TR010 had a quiet day with Sebastien Buemi leading the Japanese manufacturer’s charge in 11th. Three red flags punctuated the nine-hour test.
Sorensen Walks Away After Heavy Valkyrie Shunt at Tamburello
Marco Sorensen spun and struck the barriers at Tamburello in the #009 Aston Martin THOR Valkyrie during the morning Prologue session, triggering the first of three red flags on the day. The Dane climbed out of the car unassisted and was cleared at the medical centre, but the V12-powered Aston Martin LMH sustained damage severe enough to require a complete chassis change. The #009 did not take part in the afternoon session as a result. It marks a difficult start for Aston Martin THOR Team, one of two Valkyrie entries attempting to challenge Ferrari’s Hypercar dominance in 2026. Tom Gamble finished 10th in the sister #007 car.
Genesis Makes WEC Debut at Imola, Targeting Reliability Over Results
Genesis Magma Racing rolled out its GMR-001 LMDh for the first time in official WEC competition at Tuesday’s Prologue test in Imola, completing a remarkable journey from concept to race entry in under three years. Team principal Cyril Abiteboul struck a deliberately measured tone, saying the team expects a difficult start and is focused on completing laps and building race operations rather than chasing times. The Oreca-built LMDh features a twin-turbo V8 and completed roughly 25,000 kilometres of testing ahead of its debut. Nathanael Derani and Andre Lotterer share the #17 car; Mathieu Jaminet and Daniel Juncadella pilot the #19. The season opener is Sunday.
IMSA Long Beach: Porsche Penske Chases Unprecedented Hat-Trick
The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach opens April 17-19 on the street circuit in Southern California, featuring 11 GTP and 17 GTD entries for one of IMSA’s shortest races at just 100 minutes. Porsche Penske Motorsport’s #7 Porsche 963 arrives as the dominant force of 2026, having swept both the Daytona 24 Hours and Sebring 12 Hours in the opening rounds. Felipe Nasr seeks a third consecutive season-opening victory with Julien Andlauer as co-driver at Long Beach. The GTP field is trimmed to two-driver lineups for the sprint race, with Laurin Heinrich shifting to the #5 JDC-Miller Porsche to make room.
Robert Wickens Makes Emotional Return to IMSA at Long Beach
Robert Wickens will compete in the GTD class at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach this weekend, marking the Canadian driver’s return to IMSA competition at one of the series’ most celebrated street circuits. Wickens joins DXDT Racing in the #36 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R alongside Mason Filippi, the first of five IMSA sprint-round appearances in 2026. The Long Beach entry follows Wickens’ remarkable recovery from serious injuries sustained in the 2018 IndyCar crash at Pocono that left him a paraplegic. Now using a hand-control driving system, Wickens has competed consistently in adaptive motorsport and select IMSA appearances since returning to competitive driving.
Porsche Penske Sweeps IMSA Opening Two Rounds; Nasr Defies Orders at Sebring
Felipe Nasr drove one of the most memorable finishes of recent IMSA history at the Sebring 12 Hours in March, ignoring a team order to hold position and passing Kevin Estre’s #6 Porsche with 64 minutes remaining to claim victory for the #7 Porsche Penske Motorsport entry. Co-drivers Julien Andlauer and Laurin Heinrich shared the win with Nasr, who also triumphed at Daytona to give Porsche Penske a commanding start to 2026. The #7 Porsche 963 leads the GTP championship by 100 points over the #31 Whelen Cadillac. Nasr is now a four-time winner at Sebring, while Porsche recorded its 20th overall Sebring victory.
2026 Shapes Up as Defining Year for Hypercar Sportscar Racing
The 2026 World Endurance Championship opens with a 35-car field at Imola featuring 17 Hypercars from 14 manufacturers, the largest and most diverse grid in the series’ modern era. For the first time, brands such as Genesis, Lexus, and Mercedes-AMG line up alongside established players Toyota, Ferrari, Porsche, and BMW. Ford and McLaren are confirmed to join the Hypercar class in 2027, further expanding the field. In IMSA, the parallel GTP class tells a similar story of manufacturer competition and growing investment. The convergence of these two global series around a shared Hypercar/LMDh technical framework has made 2026 a landmark year for endurance racing’s future shape.
WEC Prologue Top 10 (Hypercar, Imola)
1. Antonio Fuoco — #50 Ferrari 499P — 1m31.177s
2. Robert Kubica — #83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P
3. Antonio Giovinazzi — #50 Ferrari 499P
4. Robin Frijns — #20 BMW M Hybrid V8
5. Norman Nato — Cadillac Hertz JOTA
6. Rene Rast — BMW M Team WRT
7. Charles Milesi — Alpine Endurance Team
8. Earl Bamber — Cadillac Hertz JOTA
9. Victor Martins — Alpine Endurance Team
10. Tom Gamble — Aston Martin THOR
6 Hours of Imola — Sunday, April 19
IMSA GTP Championship (After Sebring)
1. Nasr / Andlauer / Heinrich — #7 Porsche — 755 pts
2. #31 Whelen Cadillac — 655 pts (est.)
3. #6 Porsche Penske — 3rd
Manufacturers: 1. Porsche — 760 pts
Next: Acura GP Long Beach — April 18, 2026