OCTOBER 16, 2024

(IMSA)

A race that was largely dominated by an intra-team battle between Porsche Penske Motorsport teammates ceded the spotlight to headlights, under the lights, in the final 10 minutes of the 10-hour Motul Petit Le Mans. Toppling the pair of Porsches, the striking, one-off, pink No. 01 Cadillac Racing Cadillac V-Series.R driven by Renger van der Zande, Sebastien Bourdais and Scott Dixon captured the final victory of the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season. The Cadillac did so despite spotty electronics that threatened to derail its comeback drive.

Porsche Penske Motorsport led 235 of 443 laps but failed to win the race. It did, however, clinch championships in the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class driver, team, manufacturer and Michelin Endurance Cup with Felipe Nasr and Dane Cameron. Tandy, Mathieu Jaminet and Kevin Estre finished second both in the race and the season in their No. 6 Porsche. It left the final podium position to the car and team that spent the majority of the race celebrating its season-long accolades, the No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport entry of Nasr, Cameron and Matt Campbell.

The No. 7 team clinched the GTP Michelin Endurance Cup title at the four-hour mark and shortly thereafter, sealed the full-season championship as a second GTP car (the No. 25 BMW M Hybrid V8) dropped out. It’s the sixth IMSA championship for Team Penske, fourth for Cameron and third for Nasr. Watch the Race Highlights from Motorsports on NBC here. (Thank You to Tony DiZinno/IMSA Wire Service)

(IMSA)

Although the Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) championship was out of reach, a Motul Petit Le Mans victory and IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup class title were there for the taking for TDS and drivers Mikkel Jensen, Hunter McElrea and Steven Thomas in the No. 11 TDS ORECA LMP2 07. The team was well on its way to capturing the race win, having already clinched the Michelin Endurance Cup by leading at the eight-hour mark of the race and given that just one competitor – the No. 74 Riley ORECA of Josh Burdon, Felipe Fraga and Gar Robinson – remained on the lead lap. But a caution with less than an hour remaining not only wiped-out TDS’s lead, but the resulting series of final fuel stops also enabled no fewer than four other LMP2 cars to join the TDS and Riley cars on the lead lap. Having earlier set the fastest LMP2 lap of the race, Jensen quickly put paid to any potential drama. At the drop of the green flag, he carved his way past a couple GTP cars to get breathing room on Fraga, and subsequently gapped his pursuers by a second or more a lap to come home more than 17 seconds clear of the Riley ORECA to secure the win. (Thank you to David Phillips/IMSA Wire Service)

(IMSA)

Laurin Heinrich won the GTD PRO championship by holding on to 11th place in the final race of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season. Heinrich’s No. 77 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R - with co-drivers Michael Christensen and Julien Andlauer - encountered mechanical issues early in the race and fell five laps behind. Ross Gunn and his co-drivers, Alex Riberas and Roman De Angelis (No. 23 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3) gave it all they had. With 30 minutes remaining, Gunn recorded the fastest lap of the race in GTD PRO – 1 minute, 18.954 seconds – but he couldn’t get past Daniel Serra (No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3) for second place, which would have won him and the No. 23 the championship. While the drama unfolded behind him, Jordan Pepper held on for victory in the No. 19 Iron Lynx Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 he co-drove with Franck Perera and Mirko Bortolotti. In the end, Pepper finished 2.361 seconds ahead of Serra for the team’s first IMSA victory. 

(Photo by Jake Galstad/Lumen - courtesy of Racer.com)

The drama of the GTD PRO race carried over into the GTD class, as Albert Costa Balboa passed Loris Spinelli for the lead and went to win the race in the No. 34 Conquest Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 he co-drove with Manny Franco and Cedric Sbirrazzuoli. The victory completed an eighth-to-first run for Costa Balboa and Conquest, which prevailed over Spinelli and the No. 78 Forte Racing Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 and co-drivers Misha Goikhberg and Devlin DeFrancesco by just 0.718 seconds. The 2025 WeatherTech Championship season opens Jan. 25-26 with the Rolex 24 At Daytona. It will be preceded by the Roar Before the Rolex 24 test sessions at Daytona International Speedway from Jan. 17-19.(Thank you to Jeff Olson/IMSA Wire Service)

(Photo of Alex Palou by Joe Skibinski for Penske Entertainment)

INDYCAR testing took place on Friday, Oct. 11 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Though reigning NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Alex Palou has won the championship three times in the last four seasons, he still seeks his first Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge victory. But Palou led testing on the historic 2.5-mile oval Friday with a top speed of 224.342 mph in the No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing DHL Honda. "It was a good day of testing," Palou said. "We tried a lot of stuff. Yesterday was Firestone, today was more us, Ganassi and Honda. We're happy. You want to come here, and even if you're testing a bunch of stuff, you want to be first." Right behind Palou on the speed chart was two-time reigning Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden, second at 223.973 in the No. 2 Team Penske Shell Powering Progress Chevrolet. Rinus VeeKay was third at 223.383 in the No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda in his first day of testing with that team. Graham Rahal was fourth at 222.650 in the No. 45 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda, with 2022 "500" winner Marcus Ericsson rounding out the top five at 222.324 in the No. 28 Andretti Global Honda. Eleven car-and-driver combinations – one driver from each team – combined to turn 1,123 laps in six hours of testing Friday after four drivers tested tires Thursday afternoon for Firestone. A primary area of focus for all teams and drivers was the new hybrid system, which made its competitive debut in July 2024. The hybrid system offers the competitors and their twin-turbo V6 engines an additional 60 horsepower. Previous iterations of the hybrid package were previously tested during the development process, but this test marked the debut of the system as it will race next May. "I think the overtake we get (from the hybrid) is nice," Palou said. "I think it's good enough to set up a pass maybe in the middle of the pack. We'll have to see." (Thank you to INDYCAR Media)

(Road America images)

From the Road America release: Road America is saddened to announce the passing of August "Augie" Pabst Jr. on October 9, 2024, at 90. Pabst leaves behind a legacy both on and off the track, celebrated for his remarkable racing career and dedicated service to the motorsports community.

A great-grandson of Milwaukee brewing legends, Pabst embarked on a ten-year racing journey that included two national championships: the 1959 USAC Road Racing Championship and the 1960 SCCA Championship. He quickly became a charismatic and beloved figure in American sports car racing, competing in iconic vehicles such as the Ferrari TR, Birdcage Maserati, and the Meister Brauser Scarab.

Pabst’s illustrious career also saw him race in the legendary Road America 500, securing victories in 1962 and 1963, among many other achievements. After a brief hiatus due to a crash in 1962, Pabst returned to racing, continuing to make his mark on the sport. Following his retirement from professional racing, Pabst remained a significant presence in the motorsports world, contributing to Road America’s growth and success as a Board Member.

Inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2011, Augie Pabst’s passion for motorsports never waned. His legacy continues through his family, with his son, August Pabst III, managing the Pabst Racing Team, which recently celebrated the 2024 USF2000 Championship.

The entire Road America family extends its heartfelt condolences to the Pabst family during this time. Augie Pabst will forever be remembered for his extraordinary contributions to racing and his unwavering dedication to the sport.

Further details and his obituary can be found at this link: https://www.pagenkopf.com/obituaries/August-Augie-Pabst?obId=33358940#/obituaryInfo

Editor's Note: This is our dearly departed billboard, which we had at Road America for several years. Peter gifted the phrase "America's National Park of Speed" to the track, which now uses it proudly in all of its communications. -WG

Editor's Note: Click on "Next 1 Entries" at the bottom of this page to see previous issues. - WG