Samwise Sportscar & Endurance Newsletter
Monday, April 27, 2026
Acura Confirms Factory GTP Program Will Pause After 2026 IMSA Season
Honda Racing Corporation USA confirmed its factory Acura ARX-06 GTP program in IMSA WeatherTech will pause after the 2026 season. The decision reflects a strategic shift toward IndyCar, with Acura branding planned for select Honda-powered entries including the 110th Indianapolis 500. The No. 60 Acura of Colin Braun and Tom Blomqvist, and No. 93 of Renger van der Zande and Nick Yelloly, will complete 2026 before the pause takes effect. Honda cited challenging global market conditions as a factor. Acura’s GTP program has accumulated 25 wins and 10 championships since 2018. IMSA’s GTP field for 2027 would consist of Aston Martin, BMW, Cadillac, and Porsche.
Sources: Performance Racing Industry, Sportscar365
McLaren Names Its 2027 WEC Hypercar the MCL-HY Ahead of May 4 Reveal
McLaren Racing named its forthcoming LMDh Hypercar the MCL-HY on April 24, continuing the team’s established Formula 1 naming convention. A full car and livery reveal is scheduled for May 4. The name pairs McLaren’s MCL prefix with HY for Hypercar, while a parallel track-only version developed with McLaren Automotive carries the designation MCL-HY GTR, evoking the McLaren F1 GTR that won Le Mans outright in 1995. The car uses a Dallara chassis and an ATM V6 twin-turbo powertrain. The team targets entry into the FIA World Endurance Championship from 2027, with a Le Mans debut to follow.
Sources: RACER, Daily Sportscar
Porsche Penske Leads IMSA GTP as Cadillac Seeks First Win at Laguna Seca
Felipe Nasr and Julien Andlauer lead the 2026 IMSA GTP standings after sweeping the opening endurance rounds at Daytona and Sebring in the No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963. Laurin Heinrich sits third with JDC-Miller Motorsports, 35 points behind. The No. 31 Cadillac Whelen of Jack Aitken has three consecutive podiums but no win, with Earl Bamber returning at Laguna Seca. The No. 6 Porsche of Kevin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor has won the previous two Monterey races and arrives as a strong contender. Van der Zande and Yelloly sit fifth after their Long Beach win in what appears to be Acura’s penultimate factory GTP campaign.
Sources: SPEED SPORT
IMSA Laguna Seca Entry List Confirmed: 34 Cars Including GTD Pro Return
The StubHub Monterey SportsCar Championship at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on May 1–3 carries 34 confirmed entries across GTP, GTD Pro, and GTD. GTD Pro returns after sitting out the sprint rounds, adding nine cars at the 2.238-mile circuit. The No. 6 Porsche Penske entry of Kevin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor seeks a third straight Monterey win, with three podiums from three 2026 races banked. Earl Bamber rejoins Jack Aitken in No. 31 Cadillac Whelen after missing Long Beach for WEC duties. Laurin Heinrich makes his second IMSA appearance in the No. 5 JDC-Miller Porsche 963. The weekend carries a 1970s throwback theme with classic-inspired liveries across the paddock.
Sources: Daily Sportscar, RACER
Wright Motorsports Wins Overall at COTA After JMF Motorsports Takes Penalty
Dave Musial Jr. and Ryan Yardley of Wright Motorsports claimed overall victory at the GT World Challenge America round at Circuit of the Americas on April 26, after a time penalty dropped the leading JMF Motorsports No. 34 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo of Michai Stephens and Mikael Grenier from first to second overall. Stephens and Grenier retained their Pro class win, their second of the season. Musial and Yardley drove a clean race in the No. 31 Porsche 911 GT3 R to take their first career COTA overall win. The result capped a weekend in which JMF also earned double pole positions before being penalised during the race.
Sources: Daily Sportscar, Sportscar365
Patterson and Shahin Win Silverstone 500 on Strategy to Open British GT Season
Garnet Patterson and Yasser Shahin won the 2026 British GT Championship opener, guiding their No. 3 McLaren 720S GT3 Evo from ninth on the grid to victory in the caution-affected Silverstone 500 on April 26. The duo exploited an alternate strategy and clean pit stops to advance while safety cars disrupted the lead group. Patterson held firm at a critical restart to secure the result at Northamptonshire. Century Motorsport’s Charles Clark and Jonathon Beeson finished second in the No. 44 BMW M4 GT3 Evo. The win was the first British GT victory for both Patterson and Shahin competing as a Pro-Am pairing in Optimum Motorsport’s season opener.
Sources: Daily Sportscar, British GT
WEC Hypercar — Drivers
1. Buemi / Hartley / Hirakawa — 25 pts
2. Giovinazzi / Pier Guidi / Calado — 18 pts
3. Conway / Kobayashi / de Vries — 15 pts
4. Alpine #35 crew — 12 pts
5. BMW M WRT #20 crew — 10 pts
6. Ferrari #50 crew — 8 pts
7. Magnussen / Marciello — 6 pts
8. Cadillac #38 crew — 4 pts
9. Tincknell / Gamble — 2 pts
10. Ferrari #83 crew — 1 pt
WEC Hypercar — Teams
1. Toyota Racing — 40 pts
2. Ferrari AF Corse — 18 pts
3. Alpine Endurance Team — 12 pts
4. BMW M Team WRT (#20) — 10 pts
5. Vista AF Corse — 8 pts
6. BMW M Motorsport (#15) — 6 pts
7. Cadillac Hertz JOTA — 4 pts
8. Aston Martin THOR — 2 pts
9. AF Corse — 1 pt
After Round 1 — 6 Hours of Imola
IMSA GTP — Drivers
1. Andlauer / Nasr (#7 Porsche Penske) — P1
2. Estre / Vanthoor (#6 Porsche Penske) — P2
3. Heinrich / van der Helm (#5 JDC-Miller) — P3
4. Aitken / Bamber (#31 Cadillac Whelen) — P4
5. van der Zande / Yelloly (#93 Acura MSR) — P5
6. Vanthoor / van der Linde (#24 BMW WRT) — P6
IMSA GTP — Teams
1. Porsche Penske Motorsport — P1
2. JDC-Miller MotorSports — P2
3. Cadillac Whelen — P3
4. Acura Meyer Shank Racing — P4
5. BMW M Team WRT — P5
After Round 3 — Grand Prix of Long Beach. Full points: imsa.com/weathertech/standings/
Curated by JD · samwise.agency