{"id":274908,"date":"2026-04-19T00:45:11","date_gmt":"2026-04-19T00:45:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/274908\/"},"modified":"2026-04-19T00:45:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-19T00:45:11","slug":"porsche-defends-championship-lead-with-podium-finish-in-long-beach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/274908\/","title":{"rendered":"Porsche defends championship lead with podium finish in Long Beach"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n \"Porsche
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

18\/04\/2026<\/p>\n

The factory team of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG successfully defended its lead in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. In the 100-minute sprint race in Long Beach, France\u2019s K\u00e9vin Estre and Belgium\u2019s Laurens Vanthoor secured another podium result with a third-place finish. Daytona and Sebring winners Felipe Nasr from Brazil and France\u2019s Julien Andlauer came home in fourth place. On the street circuit just outside Los Angeles, both factory Porsche 963 cars competed in Apple Music design.<\/p>\n

Under the Californian sun, the 28 starters delivered an exciting 100-minute race. The Long Beach street sprint was marked by five caution periods due to on-track incidents. These repeatedly bunched up the field and created intense battles for position. Traffic management between GTP prototypes and GTD class cars also required strong situational awareness. Unlike many of their rivals, the Porsche factory drivers avoided major damage to their cars. Only the No. 6 car required minor front-end repairs during a pit stop, completed without time loss. The damage occurred in a contact during the opening phase but had no impact on performance. Estre and Vanthoor were rewarded with third place, while Andlauer and Nasr crossed the line just behind them in fourth in the No. 7 Porsche 963.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a good day for our team. We are satisfied with the results,\u201d explains Urs Kuratle, Director Factory Motorsport LMDh. \u201cOur drivers did an excellent job and kept it clean on the street circuit \u2013 that was the key to success. We scored valuable points, and the collaboration within Porsche Penske Motorsport worked flawlessly. Congratulations to our customer team JDC-Miller MotorSports. Sixth place is a strong result. Porsche factory driver Laurin Heinrich made an impressive debut there.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the overall standings, Porsche, the Porsche Penske Motorsport team, and factory drivers Nasr and Andlauer all retained their championship leads. Round four of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship will take place on May 3 at Laguna Seca in Monterey, California.<\/p>\n

Customer team JDC-Miller MotorSports opts for bold strategy

\nIn the top GTP class, customer team JDC-Miller MotorSports chose an alternative race strategy: the No. 5 Porsche 963 pitted under the first full-course caution after just five minutes. Factory driver Laurin Heinrich took over from Dutch driver Tijmen van der Helm, completed the remaining 95 minutes and posted the fastest lap time of the race. The German charged through the field to finish sixth, at times even running within reach of the podium positions.<\/p>\n

In the GTD class, the AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R, nicknamed \u201cRoxy,\u201d worked its way up to seventh place during the race but lost several positions shortly before the finish. Britain\u2019s Harry King and Denmark\u2019s Mikkel Pedersen ultimately finished 13th. The identical Weissach-developed car from Wright Motorsports crossed the line in 15th place.<\/p>\n

Further information

\nPhotos from Long Beach: Porsche at the street race<\/a>

\nFull results and standings: Alkamelsystems<\/a>

\nApple Music partnership: All about the special livery<\/a>

\nLong Beach statistics: The Grand Prix in numbers<\/a><\/p>\n

Driver quotes after the race

\nLaurens Vanthoor (Porsche 963 #6): \u201cIf someone had offered me third place before the weekend, I would have gladly taken it. I\u2019m very satisfied with this result. We scored a lot of points. The race was anything but easy \u2013 but once you\u2019re celebrating on the podium, that no longer matters. Our long-term goal is clear: winning the championship.\u201d<\/p>\n

Felipe Nasr (Porsche 963 #7): \u201cThird and fourth place is a great result for our team. Once again, we maximized our potential today. The pit crew delivered perfect stops, and the strategy was spot-on. We\u2019re still leading the championship and are already looking forward to the next race at Laguna Seca.\u201d<\/p>\n

Laurin Heinrich (Porsche 963 #5): \u201cWhat a race! We started from the back and took a strategic gamble during the first caution. It paid off \u2013 finishing sixth feels like a strong result and a great start to my new chapter with JDC-Miller MotorSports.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harry King (Porsche 911 GT3 R #177): \u201cOur team did a great job, and the pit stop was flawless. Unfortunately, it still wasn\u2019t enough for a top-10 finish, which is disappointing. But we\u2019re looking ahead now. We\u2019ll be back in the GTD Pro class for the next race and will do everything we can to achieve a better result at Laguna Seca.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nFurther information, film and photo material in the Porsche Newsroom: newsroom.porsche.com<\/a><\/p>\n

The \u201cX\u201c channel @PorscheRaces<\/a>, the WhatsApp Channel Porsche Motorsport<\/a> and Instagram @porsche.motorsport<\/a> provide live updates from Porsche Motorsport with the latest information from racetracks around the world.<\/p>\n