Laurens Vanthoor led GTD victory for AO Racing at the 50th anniversary of the Grand Prix of Long Beach in the IMSA SportsCar Championship.
The first sprint race on the 2025 schedule hosted a gripping spectacle in the GTD category which saw reigning FIA World Endurance Championship Hypercar champion L. Vanthoor claim victory at the wheel of fan-favourite AO Racing’s ‘Rexy’ Porsche 911 GT3.R.
He is also the Endurance Cup driver in the #7 Porsche Penske 963, which won in overall in GTP, and so Vanthoor claimed his first IMSA victory in GT machinery since the 2023 Sebring 12 Hours with Pfaff Motorsports (GTD Pro).
Vanthoor fronted a strong charge for the #177 Porsche team which narrowly missed out on pole by 0.060 seconds although started in second position behind Parker Thompson’s #12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 – the team who scored a double podium by the end of the 100-minute race.
The race start was tense but controlled in the GTD category as Thompson retained his front spot with Jonny Edgar in the #177 Porsche. In fact, only Manny Franco of the #34 Conquest Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 struggled after utilising the Turn 1 run-off; the #34 Ferrari would go on to complete just 15 laps before conceding as the grid’s sole retirement.
Tom Gamble in the #27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo, however, put pressure on Edgar before taking second place from him after starting P3.
After 10 minutes of green flag running, Thompson already extended his gap on Gamble to 2.5 seconds with another second to Edgar.
The first caution of the race
The first full-course-yellow (FCY) caution declared after 20 minutes when Orey Fidani buried the front of his #13 AWA Corvette Z06 GT3.R into the tyre wall at Turn 8, although not permanently when he reversed back out and continued on his way.
Replays showed the #78 Forte Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 of Misha Goikhberg on the inside (right) of Fidani as both appeared hesitant on whose corner it was to take – thus resulting in their momentary contact.
Goikhberg was responsible for the contact and served a drive-through penalty.
Meanwhile Fidani lost a lap as the AWA mechanics inspected the minor bodywork damage on the #13 Corvette.
Green flag-running resumed with 1-hour and 8-minutes remaining with no pit stops in the category due to the minimum 35-minute drive-time not being fulfilled yet.
With on-track manoeuvres, still present in the eager IMSA field, were difficult to carry out at the Long Beach Street Circuit, the pit stop cycle was key behind teams executing choreographed pit stops and gaining on their rivals.
The #27 Aston Martin, with Casper Stevenson having taken over, fell from P2 down to P6 in the cycle.
Robert Wickens conducted his first IMSA SportsCar Championship stint at the wheel of the #36 DXDT Corvette as the driver change to Tommy Milner carried out in an impressive 18.7 seconds. Crucially, this meant the driver swap was conducted before the refuelling concluded.
Unlike anyone else, the #36 Corvette changed all four tyres opting against the intention by most teams to nurse their one set of tyres to the end.
Both Vasser Sullivans in the fighting mix
L. Vanthoor continued the lead for the #177 Porsche on the #12 Lexus of Jack Hawksworth but it was the other Vasser Sullivan Lexus of Aaron Telitz in the #89 machine who found himself with the sibling team-mate car.
Milner unsurprisingly set the fastest lap time pace on fresh rubber in the GTD category – as he fought enthusiastically for sixth place with Kenton Koch’s #32 Korthoff Mercedes-AMG GT3.
Milner secured the place with a solid move on the inside line into T1 with 48 minutes remaining on the clock.
Two minutes later, the second FCY came out after Stevenson and Gianmaria Bruni’s #85 JDC Miller MotorSports Porsche 963 GTP made contact with one another into T8 in what appeared to be a racing incident.
Bruni was on the right-side, the outside line, to put a lap on the #27 Aston Martin driver which resulted in the #85 Porsche spun around with the rear end in the wall and the rear wing dismounted.
The final sprint to the end with 36 minutes remaining saw the front runners retain their positions. Vanthoor furthered his lead gap on Hawksworth therefore instigating attention on the final podium spot held by Telitz.
Milner and Koch had slight contact at hairpin on the restart nevertheless, the double IMSA GTLM champion pursued reigning GTD champion Philip Ellis and his #57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG in battle for P5.
Milner carried out a move into P5 on Turner Motorsport’s Robby Foley (#96 BMW M4 GT3 EVO) at the final hairpin.
Unfortunately, Milner accumulated bodywork damage amidst his battles therefore putting an end to his efforts when he pitted for bodywork repairs.
‘Rexy’ wins ahead of Lexus 2-3 finish
After 71 laps at the Long Beach Street Circuit, Laurens Vanthoor won his third consecutive IMSA race albeit in the GTD category with team-mate Jonny Edgar having taken his maiden win in six IMSA starts, though his first race in GTD.
It was AO Racing’s first victory in GTD and fifth class win with their Porsche 911 GT3.R which finished 2.378 seconds ahead of Jack Hawksworth’s #12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3.
Telitz fended off Ellis enough so that he claimed third with his #89 Lexus co-driver Franke Montecalvo.
Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG duo Philip Ellis and Russell Ward finished fourth as Foley (and co-driver Patrick Gallagher) rounded out the top-five finishers in the #96 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 EVO.
See here for the full classification of provisional results from the Grand Prix of Long Beach.
