Samwise Sportscar & Endurance Newsletter
Sunday, May 3, 2026
Cadillac Locks Out GTP Front Row at Laguna Seca Qualifying
Louis Deletraz delivered a commanding performance in GTP qualifying at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on Saturday, setting a 1m13.221s lap in the No. 40 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac V-Series.R to claim pole position for Sunday's StubHub Monterey SportsCar Championship. Deletraz, fastest in both Friday practice sessions, gave WTR its first pole since the team reunited with Cadillac. Jack Aitken was second in the No. 31 Cadillac Whelen V-Series.R with a 1m13.501s, sealing an all-Cadillac GTP front row. Championship leaders Porsche Penske Motorsport qualified eighth and ninth, weighed down by a 1,084 kg BoP minimum that leaves the Porsche 963 28 kg heavier than the lightest GTP competitor.
Sources: RACER, Daily Sportscar
Alex Zanardi, IndyCar Champion and Paralympic Legend, Dies Aged 59
Alex Zanardi, the Italian racing driver and four-time Paralympic gold medallist, died peacefully on Friday 1 May surrounded by family. He was 59. Zanardi had suffered severe cranial injuries in a 2020 handbike accident in Tuscany. Before that, the Bologna-born driver had overcome the loss of both legs in a 2001 CART crash at the Lausitzring to return to racing and earn global acclaim. He won back-to-back IndyCar championships in 1997 and 1998 and became a BMW ambassador and World Touring Car Championship regular after his recovery. He won four Paralympic gold medals in London and Rio. The FIA remembered him as an enduring symbol of courage and determination.
Sources: Daily Sportscar, Motorsport.com
Porsche Grapples with Heavyweight 963 as BoP Weight Penalty Bites at Laguna Seca
Porsche Penske Motorsport's championship-leading 963 LMDh qualified eighth and ninth at Laguna Seca, with drivers citing the 1,084 kg BoP minimum as the cause. The Porsche is 28 kg heavier than the Acura ARX-06 and 54 kg heavier than the Aston Martin Valkyrie. After dominating the first three rounds, the team faces its sternest on-track challenge at the Californian circuit, where medium-speed corners expose the weight penalty more sharply than Long Beach's tight streets did. Julien Andlauer and Felipe Nasr both acknowledged difficulties ahead of Sunday's race. Porsche leads GTP with Andlauer and Nasr with 1,061 points, but the all-Cadillac front row signals a tightening title fight.
Sources: Motorsport.com
Wide-Open GTD Title Fight Has Multiple Teams Raising Ambitions at Laguna Seca
Three rounds into the 2026 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the GTD class is as competitive as it has been in recent years. Six teams sit within 166 points of the lead with seven races remaining. Winward Racing's Mercedes-AMG won Daytona but has been inconsistent since, while Heart of Racing's Eduardo Barrichello led the No. 27 Aston Martin early before a Long Beach penalty cut the gap. Aaron Telitz at Vasser Sullivan Racing and 13 Autosport's Matt Bell have raised their ambitions after strong outings at Sebring. The Laguna Seca throwback weekend is the first open opportunity for any contender to build a meaningful cushion before the summer sprint rounds begin.
Sources: RACER
Genesis Magma Racing Targets Race Pace Step at WEC Spa After Encouraging Imola Bow
Genesis Magma Racing heads to the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps on 7–9 May buoyed by an encouraging WEC debut at Imola. The No. 17 GMR-001 of Pipo Derani, Mathys Jaubert and André Lotterer finished 15th in class, completing the full distance. The No. 19 crew recovered from an early technical issue to also cross the line. Principal Florent Moulin confirmed the squad gathered substantial data and worked with ORECA on setup revisions for Spa's faster layout. Long straights and high-speed sweeps will test the GMR-001 in ways that Imola did not. The team targets a step forward in race pace at Round 2 of the FIA World Endurance Championship.
Sources: Genesis Newsroom
Nine Manufacturers, Seventeen Hypercars Confirmed for WEC Spa-Francorchamps Round 2
The TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps on 9 May features seventeen Hypercars across nine manufacturers for Round 2 of the 2026 FIA WEC. Toyota arrives as points leader after Imola, with Ferrari's revised 499P as its closest rival. Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA runs Louis Délétraz in the No. 12 in place of injured Alex Lynn, joining Will Stevens and Norman Nato. BMW, Alpine and Cadillac deployed Joker evo updates over the winter and will seek greater consistency. Aston Martin's Valkyrie targets using Spa's long straights to advantage. Qualifying and Hyperpole on 8 May determine the grid; the six-hour race starts at 14:00 on 9 May.
Sources: FIA WEC
WEC Hypercar — Drivers
1. Hartley / Hirakawa / Buemi — 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 (BMW) — 10 pts
6. Fuoco / Molina / Nielsen — 8 pts
7. Magnussen / Marciello (BMW) — 6 pts
8. Bamber / Bourdais (Cadillac) — 4 pts
9. Tincknell / Gamble — 2 pts
10. Hanson / Kubica / Ye — 1 pt
WEC Hypercar — Teams
1. Toyota Racing (#8) — 25 pts
2. Ferrari AF Corse (#51) — 19 pts
3. Toyota Racing (#7) — 15 pts
4. Alpine Elf WEC Team — 12 pts
5. BMW M Motorsport — 10 pts
6. Ferrari AF Corse (#50) — 8 pts
7. BMW M Motorsport (#15) — 6 pts
8. Cadillac Racing — 4 pts
IMSA GTP — Drivers
1. Julien Andlauer (Porsche #7) — 1061 pts
2. Felipe Nasr (Porsche #7) — 1061 pts
3. Laurin Heinrich (Porsche #7) — 1026 pts
4. Aitken / Vesti (Cadillac) — 1023 pts
5. Kevin Estre (Porsche #6) — 977 pts
IMSA GTP — Teams
1. Porsche Penske Motorsport — Championship lead
2. Cadillac Racing entries — in pursuit
3. Acura Meyer Shank Racing — 3rd overall
Full team standings at imsa.com
Curated by JD · samwise.agency