Laurin Heinrich and Seb Priaulx from team #77 AO Racing were the winners in the GTD Pro category at the IMSA Detroit Sports Car Classic after a race full of incidents. The fifth round of the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship featured an exciting 1 hour and 40-minute sprint race on the streets of Detroit. The narrow circuit limited overtaking opportunities, but drivers still attempted maneuvers throughout the race. Dry conditions and the shorter duration of the race on the calendar meant that GTP and GTD Pro drivers had to strategically manage fuel and tires to make overtakes. Qualified drivers had already done most of the work the day before, so it was up to their teammates to make an impact in the race.
At the start of the race, there was chaos in the GTD Pro field, especially for pole-sitter Antonio Garcia in the #3 Corvette Z06 GT3.R, who had to pit after the first lap due to an alternator failure. His teammate Tommy Milner took the lead. There were also issues for Harry Tincknell in the #64 Ford Multimatic Mustang, causing a brief full-course yellow period. When the race resumed, Milner kept his lead ahead of Jack Hawksworth in the #14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F, while Seb Priaulx in the #77 AO Racing Porsche 911 was in third.
The race took a turn when Nick Tandy in the #6 Porsche Penske collided with Daniel Serra in the #35 Conquest Racing Ferrari 296, causing the Ferrari to hit the wall. Tandy received a drive-through penalty, and the Ferrari dropped down the order. The Corvette #3 and Mustang #64 later rejoined the race, although the Mustang’s issue was not fully diagnosed.
In the P2 category, Ben Barnicoat in the #14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus defended his position against Laurin Heinrich in the #77 Porsche. After another full-course yellow period, Milner lost his lead due to a collision with Barnicoat’s Lexus. Car #14 attempted a risky move on the inside of Corvette #3 at Turn 3, resulting in damage to both cars. Heinrich took advantage of the chaos and took the lead, leaving Corvette #3 and Lexus #14 behind.
Despite the damaged front end, Lexus #14 continued to fight in second place, but Heinrich managed to extend his lead. A full-course yellow was declared to clean up debris on the track, reducing Heinrich’s advantage. With seven minutes remaining, a fifth full-course yellow was called after a collision between two GTPs.
In the final moments of the race, the McLaren #9 Pfaff Motorsports McLaren 720S GT3 EVO, which was in third place, made contact with the Aston Martin Vantage AMR #23 Heart of Racing. The McLaren ended up hitting the wall and out of the race just two laps before the end.
In the end, the Porsche 911 #77 AO Racing, driven by Laurin Heinrich and Seb Priaulx, secured the victory. Ben Barnicoat and Jack Hawksworth, the current GTD Pro champions, secured second place in the Lexus RC F #14. Alex Riberas and Ross Gunn from the Aston Martin Vantage AMR #23 Heart of Racing inherited third place, followed by Parker Thompson and Frankie Montecalvo in the Lexus #15 Vasser Sullivan. Bryan Sellers and Madison Snow completed the top five in the BMW M4 GT3 #1 Paul Miller Racing.
© 2024
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