Porsche stripped of Watkins Glen win, BMW inherits landmark victory

The #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 of Nick Tandy and Mathieu Jaminet scored a dramatic general victory at Watkins Glen after passing the #25 BMW M Workforce RLL BMW M Hybrid V8 of Nick Yelloly and Connor De Phillippi with simply six minutes of the six-hour race remaining.

That’s the best way the automobiles completed as a full-course warning got here out a lap later, resulting from Bill Auberlen rolling his Turner Motorsports BMW M4 GTD Automobile on the strategy to the ultimate nook, and the race completed below yellow.

However following post-race inspection, the #6 Porsche was discovered to have a skid block measuring lower than the permitted minimal thickness and was moved to the rear of the GTP ending order, elevating the #25 BMW to victory.

The Porsche is the second IMSA GTP winner to be discovered to have breached the foundations within the 5 races to date this 12 months within the new LMDh period.

The Meyer Shank Racing Acura that gained the Daytona 24 Hours was allowed to maintain its victory within the report books, nevertheless, as its tyre strain information manipulation was solely found following post-race tech inspection – after the outcomes had been declared official – however did undergo a big factors deduction.

The Porsche’s exclusion means a primary GTP victory for BMW since 1986, when the late John Andretti and Davy Jones triumphed within the McLaren North America-run BMW M Workforce March 86G. It means all 4 marques taking part within the new-for-2023 hybrid-electrified GTP class in its debut season have now gained within the first 5 races.

The Action Express Racing Cadillac V-Sequence.R of Pipo Derani, Alex Sims and Jack Aitken was elevated to second, forward of Colin Braun and Tom Blomqvist within the MSR Acura.

JDC Miller MotorSports’ buyer Porsche 963, pushed by Mike Rockenfeller and Tijmen van der Helm rises to fourth from the Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac of Sebastien Bourdais and Renger van der Zande.