Renger van der Zande and Sebastien Bourdais emerged as the winners on the streets of Long Beach in an action-packed Round 3 of the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Chip Ganassi Racing made a strategic decision not to change tires during the pit stop, which worked in their favor amidst several incidents during the race. The tight street circuit proved to be more challenging than expected, with drivers either falling victim to the mistakes of others or making their own errors. Pipo Derani secured his third consecutive pole position despite driving a damaged #31 Cadillac V-Series.R for Wehlen Cadillac Racing, while Vasser Sullivan dominated the GTD field. The race saw intense battles for the podium positions, with Bourdais, Yelloly, and Tandy among the contenders. A Full Course Yellow was deployed due to an incident involving two GTD cars, temporarily halting Derani’s lead. The race resumed, but another caution period ended Bourdais’ chase down of Derani. Louis Deletraz, the most recent race winner, crashed into the wall, causing significant damage to his #40 Acura ARX-06. The caution period allowed the GTPs to have enough fuel to finish the race, and the #01 car of Bourdais did not change tires, giving them an advantage in terms of strategy and track position. The rest of the field opted to change only the left-side tires, which bear the most degradation on the Long Beach circuit. The green flag conditions resumed with van der Zande leading the race, followed by Aitken and Jaminet. Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti’s #10 Acura GTP faced drama when Ricky Taylor collided with Richard Westbrook’s #85 JDC Miller MotorSports Porsche 963, resulting in a drive-through penalty for Taylor. The tension intensified as Connor De Phillippi of BMW RLL’s #25 car attempted to overtake Felipe Nasr’s #7 Porsche, resulting in contact. Van der Zande was unable to widen the gap at the front, with Aitken, Jaminet, Nasr, and De Phillippi closely following. Nasr’s attempt to overtake Loris Spinelli’s #78 Forte Racing Lamborghini led to contact with Jaminet’s car, resulting in a brief traffic jam. De Phillippi crashed into the tire barrier at Turn 6 after shedding bodywork, leaving him at the back of the field. The final portion of the race saw Aitken challenging van der Zande for the lead, with Nasr close behind in third. Van der Zande ultimately took victory for the #01 Cadillac V-Series.R, followed by Aitken and Derani in the #31 Wehlen Cadillac Racing. Nasr and Cameron secured third place in the #7 Porsche Penske 963, while Jaminet and Tandy finished fourth in the #6 Porsche Penske. Gianmaria Bruni rounded off the top-five in the #5 Proton Competition Porsche 963, alongside teammate Mike Rockenfeller. In the GTD race, Frankie Montecalvo of the #12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 received a drive-through penalty for switching lanes before crossing the start-finish line. Albert Costa Balboa showcased strong performance in the #34 Conquest Racing Ferrari 296, climbing from third to second place. The #89 Vasser Sullivan Lexus, driven by Parker Thompson, maintained the lead and focused on increasing the gap to their rivals. Brendan Iribe of Inception Racing lost control of his #70 McLaren 720S GT3 EVO, resulting in a collision with Adam Adelson’s #120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3.R. The #120 car suffered race-ending damage. The #57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG team with Philip Ellis received a drive-through penalty for having too many pit crew members working on the car during a stop. The #12 Lexus of Vasser Sullivan faced suspension damage and a flat tire after hitting the wall, leading to their retirement. In the final sprint to the end, Gradient Racing’s Stevan McAleer fought for a podium finish against Mike Skeen in the #32 car and Corey Lewis in the #55 Ford Mustang Proton. The #89 Lexus of Barnicoat and Thompson claimed victory, followed by Turner Motorsport’s #96 BMW M4 and the #66 duo of McAleer and Monk. The #55 Proton crew of Levorato and Lewis secured fifth place.
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