The 100 minute IMSA WeatherTech Championship race, on the streets of Long Beach, CA brought the Porsche 963 its first win and its first double podium.

This race track is like all street races/courses with tight turns, narrow tracks but also dirty, with little traction, compared to prepared race tracks. These are roads converted into a race track for one race weekend. This brings about different race strategies and also a different way to drive the track.

You have to understand that these cars are not only new to the teams, drivers and manufacturers, but also come with a different set of tires. These tires from Michelin are new to the teams and drivers and are more environmentally sustainable. Not only are the GTP cars using a hybrid-electrified powertrain, but also 80% renewable fuel and reduced tire allocations.

The new Michelin tires are down to two compounds; basically designated as (Standard) daytime and (Low temperature) nighttime compounds. With the lower allocations, they have to balance between the two to get through a race. For the past two longer, into the night races, they had to balance not running too late into the night, as the drivers might have gotten a surprise.

The GTP (LMDh) cars are now using a wider rear tire and a narrower front tire than they had on the Daytona Prototype cars (DPI). This is due to the increased weight distribution in the rear of these GTP cars, which is harder on the brakes and tires. Yes, electricity regeneration has helped with this, but has also caused the unknown on whether this is being used or not used on tire and fuel stints. Also IMSA has mandates for minimum tire pressures, at all times, which again leads to the unknown.

Next month I will give you more information about the energy mandates and other information on these new GTP (LMDh) race cars of the future.

The Long Beach race, with only a 100 minutes (1 hour, 40 minutes) versus the past two races of 24 and 12 hours, has brought about a drastic change in driving and strategy for the teams.

With Nick Tandy and Felipe Nasr in the first stints of the race, they brought the Team Penske Porsche 963 GTP cars into the pits about halfway through the race.  Porsche had decided to trust their Michelin tires to go all the way and not change tires, but only drivers and fuel.  This put the two Porsche GTP cars up front.

While Mathieu Campbell came under attack from his competition, with a minor collision and slight damage to the rear, and rapid tire degradation over the last 10 laps and only nine minutes left, he dropped to third place.  But it was the the #6 Penske Porsche, with Mathieu Jaminet, that was battling to keep the lead.  The #10 Acura tried to pass on the front straight, on the dirty side of the track, but could not make turn #1.  He slid into the tire barriers, which ultimately ended the race behind the safety car.

I guess you win races under some strange situations, but a win is a win in the record books, which lead us to the first win for the Penske Porsche GTP car and also a double podium as the #6 car was awarded third place.

In GTD, the Pfaff Porsche 911 GT3 R, with Patrick Pilet and Klaus Bachler, came in third place, while the Wright Motorsports and Kelly Moss by Riley teams finished in tenth, twelfth and thirteenth positions.

The next race is on the legendary California circuit at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on May 14th, for a two-hour and 40 minute race.

See you at a CVR event or at a race track.