Samwise Sportscar & Endurance Newsletter
Friday, May 29, 2026
Detroit Sports Car Classic: 21-Car Field Set for Third Running
IMSA’s Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic heads into its third edition this weekend with 11 GTP prototypes and 10 GTD Pro cars tackling the 10-turn, 1.645-mile Belle Isle street circuit. The 100-minute sprint—the second and final of the 2026 season—arrives at a pivotal moment in the championship: Laurin Heinrich leads the GTP standings by 21 points over Jack Aitken, while JDC-Miller Motorsports carries momentum from its breakthrough Porsche 963 victory at Laguna Seca. Teams return to standard liveries after last weekend’s throwback celebration, setting the stage for a wide-open afternoon on the streets of Detroit.
Sources: Sportscar365
McLaren MCL-HY Suffers Suspected Technical Issue at Imola Test
Dries Vanthoor’s Le Mans preparation hit a snag this week when McLaren’s MCL-HY Hypercar stopped on track with a suspected technical issue during a two-day test at Imola. The Belgian driver—loaned to McLaren for the 2027 FIA WEC season before becoming an exclusive works driver the following year—flew directly from Italy to Detroit on Thursday afternoon to compete in this weekend’s IMSA round. The nature of the technical problem was not disclosed. McLaren’s Hypercar programme continues its build-up toward the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June, where the British manufacturer will field its WEC debut entry.
Sources: Sportscar365
Albuquerque Looks to Detroit for Breakthrough After Tough 2026 Run
Filipe Albuquerque and Ricky Taylor arrive in Detroit in the No. 10 WTR Cadillac V-Series.R hungry for their first victory since the inaugural Detroit street race in 2024. The duo has managed just four podiums in the 17 GTP races since that win, with 2026 bringing retirements at Daytona and Laguna Seca and a Sebring podium stripped due to a camber infraction. One bright spot: a top-three finish in last year’s 100-minute sprint here was the pair’s first podium since returning to Cadillac. “We want to catch a break, to be honest, this season, and hopefully Detroit can be a good breakthrough,” Albuquerque said.
Sources: Sportscar365
Indy NXT Leader Nikita Johnson Pulls Double Duty in Detroit Debut
Eighteen-year-old Nikita Johnson, current Indy NXT championship leader, makes his Detroit double-duty debut this weekend, racing the No. 59 RLL Team McLaren 720S GT3 Evo alongside Max Esterson while also competing in the Indy NXT support event. It will be Johnson’s first time on the Detroit circuit in either category. “I haven’t run at Detroit in either class, Indy NXT and GT,” he noted. Johnson isn’t alone in juggling disciplines: MSR and Team Penske drivers are also doing double duty across GTP and IndyCar this weekend, reflecting Detroit’s unique position on the calendar as a shared-circuit event.
Sources: Sportscar365
Supercars Champion Chaz Mostert Makes Lexus RC F GT3 Debut at Detroit
Defending Australian Supercars champion Chaz Mostert arrives in Detroit to make his Lexus RC F GT3 debut in IMSA competition, arriving on the back of his first victory with the new GR Supra last weekend at Symmons Plains Raceway in Tasmania. The 2025 Supercars title-holder switched to the Japanese manufacturer’s new Supercars programme this season and currently sits tenth in that championship. Detroit offers Mostert his first taste of international GT3 racing on a street circuit, adding another dimension to what has already been a milestone year for the versatile Australian driver.
Sources: Sportscar365
Reborn M24 Motorsport Museum Opens at Le Mans After Eleven-Month Rebuild
The gates of the Le Mans circuit opened on May 28 to welcome the brand-new M24—Motorsport Museum, successor to the former Le Mans 24 Hours Museum. Closed after the 2025 Le Mans Classic, the facility underwent a total transformation in just eleven months—a project museum director Fabrice Bourrigaud acknowledged “could easily have taken two years.” Exhibition space doubled from 5,000 m² to 10,000 m², and the car count grew from around 100 to roughly 130 vehicles, including Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari F2002. The new Alley of Heroes honours Schumacher and Henri Pescarolo, while the ACO’s archive of one million photographs is now on permanent display, backed by a Richard Mille investment.
Sources: Autosport
De Phillippi Embraces Mentor Role in Paul Miller BMW GTD Pro Return
Connor De Phillippi, 33, is relishing a new chapter at Paul Miller Racing after two seasons in BMW’s GTP programme. Sharing the No. 1 BMW M4 GT3 EVO with young Neil Verhagen—his first full GTD Pro season since 2022—De Phillippi sees himself as the team’s experienced anchor. “He’s the qualifying guy for the season and I’ll be the race finisher guy,” he said of his partnership with Verhagen. The pairing already struck gold at the Rolex 24 at Daytona and sits second in GTD Pro points heading into Detroit, underlining how seamlessly De Phillippi has transferred lessons from BMW’s top-level Hypercar effort back into GT3 competition.
Sources: Sportscar365
United Autosports Extends ORECA Partnership Through 2032 with Oreca 09 Commitment
United Autosports has extended its chassis partnership with ORECA through 2032, pledging to adopt the new Oreca 09 when LMP2 regulations reset in 2028. The two firms have collaborated since 2019—when United switched from the Ligier—across WEC, ELMS, IMSA and the Asian Le Mans Series, racking up two Le Mans victories, the 2025 Daytona 24 Hours win and a 2026 IMSA one-two at Sebring. United will continue racing the current Oreca 07 through end of 2027, with track testing of the Oreca 09 slated to begin in 2027. ORECA founder Hugues de Chaunac called the renewal a mark of “renewed trust” in a partnership that has defined modern prototype racing.
Sources: Sportscar365
WEC Hypercar — Drivers
1. René Rast / Robin Frijns (BMW #20) — 35 pts
2. Brendon Hartley / Ryō Hirakawa / Sébastien Buemi (Toyota #8) — 26 pts
3. Sheldon van der Linde (BMW #20) — 25 pts
4. Kamui Kobayashi / Mike Conway / Nyck de Vries (Toyota #7) — 25 pts
5. Kevin Magnussen / Raffaele Marciello (BMW #15) — 24 pts
6. Antonio Fuoco / Miguel Molina / Nicklas Nielsen (Ferrari #50) — 23 pts
WEC Hypercar — Teams
1. BMW — 59 pts
2. Toyota — 52 pts
3. Ferrari — 42 pts
4. Aston Martin — 14 pts
5. Alpine — 14 pts
6. Peugeot — 9 pts
7. Cadillac — 8 pts
8. Genesis — 6 pts
After Round 2 (Spa) — via pitdebrief.com
IMSA GTP — Drivers
1. Laurin Heinrich — ~1396 pts
2. Jack Aitken — ~1375 pts
3. Julien Andlauer — ~1323 pts
4. Estre / Vanthoor — ~1250 pts
After Round 3 (Laguna Seca) — Cadillac Whelen leads teams
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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