News

Long Beach Grand Prix
Long Beach, CA - April 18, 2026

Number Six Porsche Penske Motorsport Finishes on Podium at Long Beach to Hold Point Lead
 

Porsche Penske Motorsport earned a hard-fought podium in Saturday's IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race on the streets of Long Beach. The No. 6 Porsche 963 of Laurens Vanthoor and Kévin Estre finished third, just in front of the No. 7 sister car driven by Felipe Nasr and Julien Andlauer.

Under the Californian sun, the 28 GTP entries delivered an exciting 100-minute race. The Long Beach Grand Prix 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 and GTD class cars also required strong situational awareness.

Unlike many of their competitors, Porsche Penske Motorsport's 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 during contact in the opening phase but had no impact on performance.

The strong finish keeps Nasr, Andlauer and the No. 7 squad in the championship lead after three rounds. Estre and Vanthoor currently sit in P4 in the championship standings.

The next round of the 2026 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is the Monterey Sportscar Championship at Laguna Seca on May 2 - 3.

No. 6 Car

START: 8TH  
FINISH: 3RD
 

LAURENS VANTHOOR'S THOUGHTS: "If someone had offered me third place before the weekend, I would have gladly taken it. I'm very satisfied with this result. We scored a lot of points. The race was anything but easy - but once you're celebrating on the podium, that no longer matters. Our long-term goal is clear: winning the championship."
 

URS KURATLE'S THOUGHTS: "It was a good day for our team. We are satisfied with the results. Our drivers did an excellent job and kept it clean on the street circuit - that was the key to success. We scored valuable points, and the collaboration within Porsche Penske Motorsport worked flawlessly."

No. 7 Car

START: 5TH   
FINISH: 4TH
 

FELIPE NASR'S THOUGHTS: "Third 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're still leading the championship and are already looking forward to the next race at Laguna Seca."