Samwise Sportscar & Endurance Newsletter
Thursday, April 23, 2026
Toyota Claims 50th WEC Victory in Milestone 100th Race at Imola
Toyota Racing claimed the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship season opener at Imola, the No. 8 TR010 Hybrid of Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley, and Ryo Hirakawa finishing 13.352 seconds ahead of the No. 51 Ferrari 499P. The win was Toyota's 50th in WEC history, achieved in the team's 100th WEC race, celebrated before a record Imola crowd of 92,175. Toyota's victory hinged on declining a late tyre change, allowing Hirakawa to overtake Alessandro Pier Guidi's Ferrari in the closing stages. The No. 7 Toyota of Kobayashi, Conway, and De Vries completed the podium, giving Toyota a 1–3 result in the season opener.
Sources: FIA WEC, RaceTrackMasters
Acura Breaks 17-Year IMSA Long Beach Drought with Sprint Victory
Renger van der Zande and Nick Yelloly delivered Acura Meyer Shank Racing its first IMSA win at Long Beach since 2009, the No. 93 Acura ARX-06 taking the 100-minute sprint by 0.818 seconds over the No. 31 Cadillac Whelen of Jack Aitken and Frederik Vesti. The victory came from pole position on the downtown California street circuit. The No. 6 Porsche Penske of Laurens Vanthoor and Kevin Estre completed the GTP podium in third. Laurin Heinrich charged from well back to sixth, while championship leaders Felipe Nasr and Julien Andlauer salvaged fourth in the No. 7 Porsche, preserving their points lead ahead of Laguna Seca.
Sources: IMSA, Motorsport.com
Team WRT Takes Dramatic LMGT3 Debut Victory at Imola by 0.265 Seconds
Anthony McIntosh, Parker Thompson, and Dan Harper claimed LMGT3 victory on their WEC debut at Imola, the No. 69 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 Evo taking the flag just 0.265 seconds ahead of the No. 33 TF Sport Corvette in one of the five closest WEC finishes ever recorded. The win came dramatically: the No. 10 Garage 59 McLaren of Thomas Fleming, Antares Au, and Marvin Kirchhöfer had led from pole and appeared certain to win before a mechanical failure struck with 38 minutes remaining. The WRT crew survived a final-lap push from the Corvette to seal a stunning debut result.
Sources: FIA WEC, Pit Debrief
Porsche Penske Retains IMSA GTP Championship Lead Despite Long Beach Defeat
Felipe Nasr and Julien Andlauer maintained the GTP championship lead for Porsche Penske Motorsport despite finishing fourth in the No. 7 Porsche 963 at Long Beach, with the No. 6 Penske entry of Laurens Vanthoor and Kevin Estre claiming third. The results kept Porsche atop both the driver and team standings, where Nasr and Andlauer lead Cadillac Whelen's Jack Aitken and Frederik Vesti by 80 points following three rounds. The No. 31 Cadillac, the only GTP entry to have stood on the podium in all three races to date, remains Porsche's closest team-championship rival. The series next visits WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, May 1–3.
Sources: Porsche Newsroom, IMSA
TNT Sports Secures Multi-Year FIA WEC US Broadcast Deal for truTV and HBO Max
TNT Sports has secured multi-year US broadcast rights to the FIA World Endurance Championship, bringing all eight 2026 WEC rounds to HBO Max for flag-to-flag streaming coverage and three premier events to truTV. The deal, announced April 17, 2026, places the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Rolex 6 Hours of São Paulo, and Lone Star Le Mans in Austin on free-to-air television in the United States. The arrangement began with the 6 Hours of Imola streaming on HBO Max on April 19, marking WEC's first significant US broadcast presence in years and extending the sport's reach to millions of American sports fans.
Sources: TNT Sports / WBD Pressroom, RACER
Ford Mustang GT3 Evo Unveiled for 2026 with Aero and Suspension Overhaul
Ford Racing has unveiled the Mustang GT3 Evo package for 2026, introducing revised aerodynamics, updated suspension geometry, and new Brembo brake hardware across the fleet fielded by Proton Competition in the FIA WEC and GT World Challenge. The Evo package is designed to improve predictability at the limit for Bronze and Silver-rated drivers, targeting broader accessibility without sacrificing outright pace. Two Mustang GT3 Evos compete in the WEC LMGT3 class: the No. 77 of Sebastien Priaulx, Ben Tuck, and Eric Powell, and the No. 88 of Logan Sargeant, Stefano Gattuso, and Giammarco Levorato. Both made their WEC debuts at the 6 Hours of Imola.
Sources: Ford Authority, Sportscar365
Alex Lynn Sidelined for WEC Imola and Spa Rounds After Neck Surgery
Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA has confirmed that Alex Lynn will miss the opening two rounds of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship following a planned procedure to address a longstanding neck issue. Lynn underwent surgery ahead of the season to ensure he is in the best shape for the remaining rounds, with the team indicating no performance impact had been noted during an extended period of management. Earl Bamber and Sébastien Bourdais will drive the No. 38 Cadillac V-Series.R at both Imola and Spa-Francorchamps. Norman Nato and Will Stevens return for the No. 12 entry, with the full lineup expected to be restored from the third round onward.
Sources: DailySportscar, Pit Debrief
IMSA Laguna Seca Preview: Cadillac No. 31 Targets Fourth Consecutive Podium
The StubHub Monterey SportsCar Championship at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, scheduled for May 1–3, features 11 GTP entries and gives Cadillac Whelen's No. 31 a chance to extend its streak of three consecutive podium finishes to open 2026. Scott Andrews will make his third IMSA start of the season as one of several fill-in drivers for the Laguna Seca weekend. The No. 6 Porsche Penske, winner of the previous two Laguna Seca IMSA rounds, has opened 2026 with finishes of fourth, second, and third, making it a strong contender in California. The weekend also features a 1970s throwback theme at the iconic Monterey circuit.
Sources: IMSA, Sportscar365
WEC Hypercar — Drivers
1. Buemi / Hartley / Hirakawa — 25 pts
2. Pier Guidi / Giovinazzi / Calado — 19 pts
3. Kobayashi / Conway / De Vries — 15 pts
4. Da Costa / Milesi / Habsburg — 12 pts
5. Rast / Frijns — 10 pts
6. Fuoco / Molina / Nielsen — 8 pts
7. Magnussen / Marciello — 6 pts
8. Bamber / Bourdais — 4 pts
9. Tincknell / Gamble — 2 pts
10. Hanson / Kubica / Ye — 1 pt
WEC Hypercar — Manufacturers
1. Toyota — 40 pts
2. Ferrari — 27 pts
3. BMW — 16 pts
4. Alpine — 13 pts
5. Cadillac — 4 pts
6. Aston Martin — 2 pts
7. Peugeot — 0 pts
8. Genesis — 0 pts
IMSA GTP — Drivers
1. Andlauer / Nasr — 755 pts
1. Heinrich (varied co-drivers) — 755 pts
2. Aitken / Bamber / Vesti — 675 pts
3. Campbell / Estre / Vanthoor — 654 pts
4. R. Frijns / S. van der Linde / D. Vanthoor — 606 pts
5. Palou / van der Zande / Yelloly — 567 pts
6. Blomqvist / Braun / Dixon — 560 pts
7. Deletraz / Herta / Taylor — 548 pts
8. Frederick / Pino / van der Helm — 518 pts
IMSA GTP — Teams
1. No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport — 755 pts
2. No. 31 Cadillac Whelen — 675 pts
3. No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsport — 654 pts
4. No. 24 BMW M Team WRT — 606 pts
5. No. 93 Acura Meyer Shank Racing — 567 pts
6. No. 60 Acura Meyer Shank Racing — 560 pts
7. No. 40 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac — 548 pts
8. No. 5 JDC-Miller MotorSports — 518 pts
Curated by JD · samwise.agency