Samwise Sportscar & Endurance Newsletter
Friday, May 1, 2026
Genesis Magma Racing and Jack Aitken to Make WEC Hypercar Debuts at Spa
The full entry list for the TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, round two of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship on May 7–9, has been released, featuring 17 Hypercars and 18 LMGT3 entries. Genesis Magma Racing will make their competitive WEC debut after sitting out Imola, with André Lotterer, Pipo Derani and Mathys Jaubert in the #17 and Mathieu Jaminet, Paul-Loup Chatin and Dani Juncadella in the #18. Jack Aitken makes his full-time FIA WEC bow in the #38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA, while Louis Delétraz steps in for the recovering Alex Lynn in the sister entry as a seasonal replacement.
Sources: FIA WEC
DXDT Racing Forced Out of Laguna Seca After Transporter Fire Destroys Wickens' Car
DXDT Racing has been forced to withdraw its #36 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R from the StubHub Monterey SportsCar Championship at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca after a transporter fire on Interstate 5, approximately three hours south of the circuit, on Wednesday evening. The fire destroyed both the car and the specialized Bosch hand control system built specifically for paraplegic driver Robert Wickens, who has been competing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship since 2023. The team confirmed the damage was too extensive to continue with the weekend and will focus on preparing for Watkins Glen. Wickens was set to share the car with Mason Filippi.
Sources: Daily Sportscar
Porsche Penske Revives 1980 Apple Computer Rainbow Livery for Laguna Seca
Porsche Penske Motorsport will run both its factory Porsche 963 GTP cars in a throwback Apple Computer livery at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca this weekend, celebrating 75 years of Porsche Motorsport and 50 years since Apple's founding. The design recreates the iconic rainbow spectrum carried by a Dick Barbour Racing Porsche 935 K3 at Le Mans in 1980, incorporating the vintage Apple Computers logo. The #6 car will be shared by Kévin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor, while the points-leading #7 continues with Julien Andlauer and Felipe Nasr. Apple Vice President Oliver Schusser described the livery as celebrating a longstanding relationship dating back to 1980.
Sources: IMSA, Daily Sportscar
Porsche Win Streak and Cadillac's Podium-to-Win Bid Headline Laguna Seca GTP Battle
Porsche Penske Motorsport enters the StubHub Monterey SportsCar Championship having won the WeatherTech GTP class here in each of the last two seasons, setting up a compelling storyline at Laguna Seca's 2.238-mile circuit. Cadillac Whelen Racing represents the chief challenger, with the #31 V-Series.R driven by Jack Aitken and Frederik Vesti having posted three consecutive podiums to open 2026 without yet claiming a victory. Earl Bamber returns to the #31 after missing Long Beach due to WEC commitments at Imola. BMW M Team WRT also remains pointless in the wins column despite consistent top-five finishes. The race runs Sunday, May 3 at 4:10 p.m. ET on Peacock.
Sources: IMSA
Heritage Liveries Across Multiple Classes Celebrate Throwback Weekend at Laguna Seca
Multiple IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship teams are running heritage liveries at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca this weekend as part of the StubHub Monterey SportsCar Championship's full throwback theme. Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports revives the white-sided livery from its 2000 C5-R race car, which debuted that colour scheme in the series' inaugural year. Paul Miller Racing's #1 BMW M4 GT3 EVO carries red, light and dark blue stripes referencing Hans-Joachim Stuck's 1975 BMW 3.0 CSL at Monterey. AO Racing's #77 Porsche 911 GT3 R adopts a Jurassic-themed livery dubbed Sketchy. The throwback theme celebrates the breadth of sportscar racing heritage.
Sources: IMSA
ELMS Le Castellet Opens With Driver Shuffles as Wadoux Makes 2026 Season Debut
The European Le Mans Series second round, the 4 Hours of Le Castellet at Circuit Paul Ricard, opened Thursday with 47 cars entered across LMP2 and LMGT3. Several driver changes apply due to a clash with IMSA's Monterey round: Luca Ghiotto replaces Nick Yelloly in the #43 Inter Europol ORECA and Jonny Edgar steps in for Louis Délétraz in the #99 AO by TF entry. Ferrari factory driver Lilou Wadoux makes her 2026 season debut in the #50 Richard Mille AF Corse Ferrari 296 LMGT3 Evo, having missed Barcelona for GT World Challenge Europe. LMGT3 teams run Goodyear's Medium compound here for the first time in 2026.
Sources: Daily Sportscar
IMSA GTP Contender Laurin Heinrich Set for Le Mans Debut With CrowdStrike APR
Porsche factory driver Laurin Heinrich will make his 24 Hours of Le Mans debut this June, joining CrowdStrike Racing by APR in an LMP2 Pro/Am entry. The 24-year-old German, who co-won the 2026 Rolex 24 at Daytona with Felipe Nasr and Julien Andlauer and currently sits third in the IMSA GTP championship with 1,026 points, will share the #4 ORECA 07–Gibson with 2023 class winner George Kurtz. CrowdStrike APR earned automatic Le Mans entry through the Asian Le Mans Series championship. Heinrich confirmed the news from the Monterey paddock Thursday ahead of this weekend's StubHub Monterey SportsCar Championship.
Sources: Daily Sportscar
WEC Hypercar — Drivers
1. Buemi / Hirakawa / Hartley — 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 — Teams
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 — 1,061 pts
2. Heinrich / Vanthoor — 1,026 pts
3. Aitken / Vesti — 1,023 pts
4. Estre / Vanthoor — 977 pts
IMSA GTP — Teams
1. Porsche Penske #7 (Andlauer/Nasr) — 1,061 pts
2. Porsche Penske #6 (Estre/Vanthoor) — 977 pts
3. Cadillac Whelen #31 (Aitken/Vesti) — 1,023 pts
Curated by JD · samwise.agency