Click for more.
The four IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship classes ran at Watkins Glen International for the third IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup race of the season last weekend.* The 3.4-mile, 11-turn road course was used for IMSA and the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen. Cadillac Racing dominated at Watkins Glen International with Jack Aitken, Earl Bamber and Frederik Vesti winning from the pole in the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen. Bamber, Aitken and Vesti led 143 of 182 laps to score their second season victory and their record-extending eighth podium finish. The streak is the longest in IMSA GTP history since 2023. They also won last month in Detroit.
Nick Yelloly’s No. 93 Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian Acura ARX-06 finished runner-up in the GTP class with Laurin Heinrich claiming the final step on the podium for the No. 5 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963. Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports’ No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R of Antonio Garcia and Alexander Sims placed fourth in GTD PRO on Sunday at the end of a caution-ridden Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen as Chevrolet retained the Manufacturers Championship lead in the class. [~20% of the field was removed from contention because of track incidents – AutoCrat.]**
“It was super tight. We had some really ferocious battles all throughout the race,” said GTP driver Earl Bamber.” It looked easy, but the whole time it wasn’t. There were a few cars that really showed up there for a while, the BMW, the Acura was on our toes all day, and the No. 5 there at the end. So, there was some really great hard racing, but what set that up all day was Jack’s pole position. It was amazing to win here at Watkins Glen, and I managed to get another endurance cup win and extend that streak to, what is it, 9 now? I don’t know. It’s just amazing momentum, a great organization to be part of, and let’s roll on to Road America, where it’s a new format. It’s going to be something interesting with 6 hours there, everyone can’t wait.” [The next IMSA GTP event is the Motul SportsCar Endurance Grand Prix from Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin on 2 August 2026 – AutoCrat.]
Garcia and Sims in GTD PRO started the race eighth. However, deft driving and notable late pit strategy by the team maximized the No. 3 Corvette’s results as the driving pair moved from fourth to second in the Drivers’ Championship with five races to go.
The No. 3 duo now sit one spot ahead of Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports teammates Tommy Milner and Nicky Catsburg, who finished eighth in class in the No. 4 Corvette Z06 GT3.R. The two GTD PRO Corvettes ran in the top-five late – and Catsburg led inside the race’s final 90 minutes. However, the No. 4 was assessed a drive-through penalty for incident responsibility in the closing minutes.
In the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup, comprised of Daytona, Sebring, Watkins Glen, Road America and Road Atlanta endurance races, Porsche remains at the top of the standings.**
*AutoInformed on
**IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
IMSA Watkins Glen: Cadillac, Corvette, Porsche Run Solid
Click for more.
The four IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship classes ran at Watkins Glen International for the third IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup race of the season last weekend.* The 3.4-mile, 11-turn road course was used for IMSA and the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen. Cadillac Racing dominated at Watkins Glen International with Jack Aitken, Earl Bamber and Frederik Vesti winning from the pole in the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen. Bamber, Aitken and Vesti led 143 of 182 laps to score their second season victory and their record-extending eighth podium finish. The streak is the longest in IMSA GTP history since 2023. They also won last month in Detroit.
Nick Yelloly’s No. 93 Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian Acura ARX-06 finished runner-up in the GTP class with Laurin Heinrich claiming the final step on the podium for the No. 5 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963. Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports’ No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R of Antonio Garcia and Alexander Sims placed fourth in GTD PRO on Sunday at the end of a caution-ridden Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen as Chevrolet retained the Manufacturers Championship lead in the class. [~20% of the field was removed from contention because of track incidents – AutoCrat.]**
“It was super tight. We had some really ferocious battles all throughout the race,” said GTP driver Earl Bamber.” It looked easy, but the whole time it wasn’t. There were a few cars that really showed up there for a while, the BMW, the Acura was on our toes all day, and the No. 5 there at the end. So, there was some really great hard racing, but what set that up all day was Jack’s pole position. It was amazing to win here at Watkins Glen, and I managed to get another endurance cup win and extend that streak to, what is it, 9 now? I don’t know. It’s just amazing momentum, a great organization to be part of, and let’s roll on to Road America, where it’s a new format. It’s going to be something interesting with 6 hours there, everyone can’t wait.” [The next IMSA GTP event is the Motul SportsCar Endurance Grand Prix from Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin on 2 August 2026 – AutoCrat.]
Garcia and Sims in GTD PRO started the race eighth. However, deft driving and notable late pit strategy by the team maximized the No. 3 Corvette’s results as the driving pair moved from fourth to second in the Drivers’ Championship with five races to go.
The No. 3 duo now sit one spot ahead of Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports teammates Tommy Milner and Nicky Catsburg, who finished eighth in class in the No. 4 Corvette Z06 GT3.R. The two GTD PRO Corvettes ran in the top-five late – and Catsburg led inside the race’s final 90 minutes. However, the No. 4 was assessed a drive-through penalty for incident responsibility in the closing minutes.
In the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup, comprised of Daytona, Sebring, Watkins Glen, Road America and Road Atlanta endurance races, Porsche remains at the top of the standings.**
*AutoInformed on
**IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.