Photo credit: Porsche
Porsche Penske Motorsport endured a mixed Six Hours of Watkins Glen, salvaging fourth place with the No. 6 Porsche 963 while the sister No. 7 entry crashed out. The result was enough to move Matt Campbell and Mathieu Jaminet to the top of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship standings, leap-frogging team-mates Felipe Nasr and Nick Tandy despite the latter’s retirement.
Rain at the start played to Porsche’s strengths, allowing Nasr to charge from 10th to the lead within five laps. Once the track dried and temperatures climbed to 90°F, however, the 963s slipped back behind Cadillac and BMW rivals. Campbell and Jaminet held steady to secure fourth, but with 80 minutes remaining Tandy lost control in Turn 1 and hit the barriers at 25 g. The Briton walked away unhurt, though the No. 7’s title lead evaporated.
Customer squads also struggled. JDC-Miller’s No. 85 Porsche 963 took eighth on the road but a pit-lane infraction dropped it to 10th, and Proton Competition’s car retired after a multi-class tangle. In GTD Pro, AO Racing’s fan-favorite “Rexy” 911 GT3 R reached the class lead during the early wet stint but finished sixth after late contact and refuelling woes. Wright Motorsports’ GTD entry came home 13th.
Despite the setbacks, Porsche retains first place in the GTP team and manufacturer tables. The top prototype class is idle until Road America on August 3; LMP2 and the GT fields race next at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park on July 13.
