Porsche Penske driver Mathieu Jaminet is hopeful that the upcoming sprint race of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship at Long Beach will bring him and his teammate Nick Tandy back into championship contention. Currently, they are in sixth place in the driver standings with 545 points, while their teammates in the Porsche #7 963 and the Acura #40 WTRAndretti are tied for the championship lead with 706 points.
The Long Beach Grand Prix will be the first sprint race on the 2024 calendar, and Jaminet has expressed his excitement and optimism for the event. He believes that this race is where their season truly begins, and he enjoys the more aggressive nature of the format. Jaminet is eager to kick off the sprint season and hopes it will put them back in the championship hunt.
The car they will be competing in requires a specific setup to manage tire wear due to high degradation throughout the race. Jaminet explains that they need a smooth setup to improve traction in low-speed corners while maximizing braking for performance. He notes that the track at Long Beach is very bumpy, which has been a weakness for their team in the past.
In the previous race at Sebring, the Porsche #6 faced challenges after contact with Katherine Legge, resulting in a ninth-place finish. However, the upcoming race at Long Beach is a different kind of challenge, and Tandy and Jaminet are aiming to replicate their victory from last year. Their win in the previous year’s race propelled them to the top of the standings, surpassing champions Alexander Sims and Pipo Derani. With a strong performance in qualifying and the race, the #6 duo has the opportunity to climb the standings and establish themselves as championship contenders.
