- AO Racing’s “Rexy” crosses finish line fifth, remains third in championship hunt
- Strong run from Skeer sees Wright Motorsports make up positions late in race
- Adelson extends VP Racing championship lead in triple header
- Heylen, Mars, RS1 earn third Michelin Pilot Challenge victory of 2025
AO Racing used strategy to achieve a fifth-place finish on Sunday in IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship action. Former Porsche Junior drivers Laurin Heinrich and Klaus Bachler led the top Porsche effort in the race. Wright Motorsports secured a seventh-place finish in the GTD class when Elliott Skeer advanced five spots in the final 28 minutes of the two-hour, 40-minute race for a seventh-place finish.
Alton, Va. The two-hour, 40-minute race began with a series of drive-through penalties for contact after race officials warned drivers they would be strict in policing driving behavior. Both Porsches stayed out of the fray and improved positions until the No. 77 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R was assessed a drive-through penalty for contact with two hours remaining in the race.
The penalty forced AO Racing to change strategies, as the No. 77 was the last car in the field to make their full-service pit stop. Bachler climbed to the lead while others pitted, then dropped to the back of the GT-only field when he finally came to pit lane for fuel, tires and a swap to Heinrich with one hour, 36-minutes remaining.
The long initial stop meant the team needed to spend less time on pit lane during the second and final stop under caution with slightly less than one hour remaining. Heinrich jumped to fifth place both in the GTD Pro class and overall during that stop and held that position to the end of the race.
Wright Motorsports made a hard charge late in the race to secure their seventh-place finish. Adelson ran a clean opening stint before handing the green Porsche 911 GT3 R to Skeer. Down the order in 12th at the restart with less than 30 minutes to go, Skeer salvaged a solid seventh-place finish with a strong run to finish the race.
The GTD Pro and GTD classes will be rejoined by the GTP class for the six-hour Battle on the Bricks at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the 10-hour Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta to finish the season.
Win for Porsche, RS1 on Saturday; Adelson extends VP point lead
Porsche Motorsport North America customer programs had outstanding weekends in both Michelin Pilot Challenge and the VP Racing SportsCar Championship. RS1 earned their third victory in the Michelin Pilot Challenge GS class behind the wheel of their Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport.
RS1‘s Jan Heylen and Luca Mars extended their Michelin Pilot Challenge GS class point lead by winning the two-hour race on Saturday afternoon. Early contact for Mars forced him off track and further down the field, but a strategy gamble paid off and put the team back in contention late in the race. Heylen was in second place under the third and final full course caution with slightly less than 15 minutes remaining and shot to the lead in the opening corner of the final restart. He held off the contenders to the checkered flag for the victory. With two races left in 2025, Mars and Heylen hold a 240-point lead in the championship.
Adam Adelson, who pulled double duty this weekend, finished second in the GTDX class during three VP Racing SportsCar Championship sprint races; two regularly scheduled races and the postponed race from Canadian Tire Motorsport Park last month. His successful weekend in the Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R allowed him to stretch his championship lead to 210 points with two races remaining in the season.
Drivers’ impressions after the race
Klaus Bachler (Porsche 911 GT3 R #77): “We finished in P5 and that was the maximum we could do today. The team gave everything, a mega job again in the pits. We had an incredibly good car, but there was nothing we could do. We did not have the pace to fight the others. The championship is getting further away, we lost some points to the leaders but we will try to come back next time in Indianapolis.”
Elliott Skeer (Porsche 911 GT3 R #120): “That was a tale of two stints for us at Wright Motorsports. The first stint was all green, race pace, driving up through the field. It felt super strong, but we missed the yellow by about 30 seconds to come into the pits. When you push it long, you run that risk, and it bit us today. I ended up at the back and we picked our way back up, going from 12th to seventh again. Honestly, it was a really strong day for Wright Motorsports. You wish that P7 was a little bit up the grid, but we did all we could.”
Jan Heylen (Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport #28): “The lap it went yellow I was prepping for it. But we still had enough time to get by after. We needed a good result and we got it. It’s good to have a fast car. But you still have to execute it. It’s one of those days with the speed and everyone executed. Luca was in not such an easy spot, pitting early, but it all worked out.”
Race results
GTD Pro class:
1. Garcia/Sims (ESP/GBR), Chevrolet #3, 81 laps
2. Costa/Altoe (ESP/ITA), Ferrari #81, +1.070 seconds
3. Milner/Catsburg (USA/NLD), Chevrolet #4, +5.036 seconds
5. Heinrich/Bachler (DEU/AUT), Porsche 911 GT3 R #77, +10.123 seconds
GTD class:
1. Ward/Ellis (USA/GBR), Mercedesi #57, 81 laps
2. Triarsi/Koch (USA/USA), Ferrari #21, +1.078 seconds
3. Gamble/Stevenson (GBR/GBR), Aston Martin #27, +2.611 seconds
7. Adelson/Skeer (USA/USA), Porsche 911 GT3 R #120, +7.640 seconds