Porsche wins at Laguna Seca with #5 JDC-Miller
JDC-Miller MotorSports won the IMSA race at Laguna Seca. At the wheel of the #5 Porsche 963, factory driver Laurin Heinrich and Tijmen van der Helm celebrated a surprise victory, which former Porsche Junior Heinrich was only able to secure on the final lap of the race.
📷 © Porsche. JDC-Miller MotorSports celebrating win at Laguna Seca
Laurin Heinrich made his mark on the fourth round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The 24-year-old Porsche works driver took over the JDC-Miller MotorSports 963 from his teammate Tijmen van der Helm in tenth place after about 40 minutes and then thrilled the fans with an impressive comeback. On the very last lap of the 2-hour-and-40-minute race, Heinrich overtook the previously dominant #31 Cadillac and secured the first victory for a customer 963 in the North American IMSA series.
“A top-notch performance by the entire team and an outstanding driving performance by Laurin Heinrich,” said JDC-Miller team principal John Church. “We didn’t make any mistakes and stuck to our strategy consistently. That’s how we ended up in first place. I’m overwhelmed.”
📷 © Porsche. JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963 #5
Laurin Heinrich (Porsche 963 #5): „It’s unbelievable! We started way back in the field, but thanks to the flawless work of the entire team, we fought our way to the front. For me personally, this was my third win in four IMSA races this year. The fact that I’ve achieved this with the factory team and now with the customer team JDC-Miller MotorSports makes it even more special. I’ll never forget this victory.“
Whelen Cadillac Second
Cadillac Racing came so close to a victory in the Monterey Sportscar Championship at Laguna Seca Raceway, but Earl Bamber and the #31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R were passed on the final lap by Laurin Heinrich and the #5 JDC-Miller Motorsports Porsche 963 and finished .758 of second behind them.
Bamber's teammate, Jack Aitken, started second and took the lead on lap 20 from the pole-winning car driven by Louis Delétraz, driver of the No. 40 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing V-Series.R. He held the top spot for the next 25 laps when pit strategy took place.
📷 © Cadillac Racing. #31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R
Jack Aitken #31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R: “Day overall was another really good day. I mean, we've got yet another podium to add to the streak, so that's six in a row now is really something that's quite amazing in IMSA racing, where it's so competitive. I mean, again, you know, about that we're all gutted to finish second just shows the level that we're on right now. And it is a shame that we couldn't get that first one of the year, but it just, you know, the momentum we're building is really, really cool. I mean, it's coming real soon.”
Earl Bamber #31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R: “No, I mean, it was a really good dog fight. You know, we had a great car all day. Our guys did an amazing strategy. But we just didn't have enough rear tires at the end of the race. And, you know, the Porsche, Laurin (Heinrich) came at a huge rate of knots through the field. So yeah, that was, you know, none of us could really pass and he could just manage to cut through and once he finally got me, I saw how much grip he had. So, yeah, I think if you're not going to finish first, you finish second, but it's obviously better to, you know, not get passed on the last lap, but it was a great fight and, you know, it was nearly done, but, you know, that's what it is.” Source: Cadillac Racing
BMW M Team WRT third
Second podium of the season for BMW M Team WRT in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IMSA Series). At WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Philipp Eng and Marco Wittmann finished third in the #25 BMW M Hybrid V8 after a strong comeback drive. The duo started from 10th position and steadily improved throughout the 2-hour and 40-minute race.
📷 © BMW. #25 BMW M Hybrid V8
Philipp Eng (#25 BMW M Hybrid V8, BMW M Team WRT, 3rd place GTP): “A good ending to a difficult weekend for us. I’m very happy for the whole team - thank you, everyone! We struggled with the car’s balance all weekend, but in the race we did a perfect job. Marco drove fantastically, and I was able to save a lot of energy in my first stint, which helped us in the end.”
Marco Wittmann (#25 BMW M Hybrid V8, BMW M Team WRT, 3rd place GTP): “That’s what I call a happy end to a tough week! We had many problems with the car’s balance this weekend. Considering that, third place is much more than we expected. It’s great that the hard work of the whole team was rewarded with a podium. At the end of the race, I could only defend, but the Porsche was simply too strong. I couldn’t hold it off, but at least it was still enough for third place.” Source: BMW
Related Info
📷 © Cadillac Racing. Delétraz in #40 Cadillac won pole at Laguna Seca
📷 © Porsche. Porsche 963 with Apple Computer livery at Laguna
📷 © Luc Warnotte at Sebring. Whelen Cadillac third despite incident
