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Photo: Brandon Badraoui/IMSA Jan Heylen led the way following a pair of IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge practice sessions for tomorrow’s Road America 120. Heylen, in the No. 28 RS1 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport, recorded a best time of 2:15.343 in Friday morning’s opening practice session, outpacing the No. 13 McCumbee McAleer Racing Ford Mustang GT4 of Nate Cicero by 0.061 seconds. The No. 14 AR Motorsports Porsche of Thomas Merrill was third quickest overall and in the GS class, followed by Gregory Liefooghe and Jeff Westphal in their Stephen Cameron Racing Mustang GT4 and CarBahn with Peregrine Racing BMW M4 GT4 EVOs, respectively. The top six times all came from the cooler, morning session, while Westphal recorded the quickest lap in Practice 2, a 2:15.837. TCR was led by the No. 93 MMG Honda Civic FL5 TCR, thanks to a 2:16.777 lap time by LP Montour that was set in the second session. Each session featured an early red flag, the first for an accident by the debuting N...

Photo: Wes Duenkel/Ford The Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course will return to the Mustang Challenge North America calendar next year, as part of a six-event schedule for the single-make series featuring the Ford Mustang Dark Horse R. Released on Friday, the third season will again kick off at Sebring International Raceway in March, in support of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, followed by a return trip to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, also as part of an IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship weekend. It will be followed by a return to Mid-Ohio, the site of the series’ inaugural event in 2023. Mid-Ohio was not on this year’s schedule due to the proximity of the Mustang Challenge Le Mans Invitational. After Mid-Ohio, the series will make return visits to Watkins Glen International, Virginia International Raceway before closing out the season at Circuit of The Americas as part of the Lone Star Le Mans FIA World Endurance Championship event in early September. “Every decision for ...

Photo: Jessica Johnk/Porsche Tyler Maxson led the way in the second Porsche Carrera Cup North America practice session for this weekend’s races at Road America. The Topp Racing driver reeled off a chart-topping 2:08.412 lap time in his No. 77 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car, going faster than Riley Dickinson’s benchmark time set on Thursday afternoon. Maxson edged out the No. 2 ACI Motorsports Porsche of Jimmy Llibre by 0.221 seconds. Pro class points leader Dickinson, meanwhile, could only muster the third quickest time in his Kellymoss Porsche, with teammate Aaron Jeansonne and Michael McCann completing the overall top-five. Ryan Yardley was sixth, ahead of Jared Thomas and Zachary Vanier. Pro-Am was again led by the Kellymoss Porsche of Alan Metni, while Rob Walker, of JTR Motorsports Engineering, topped the time charts in the Masters class. While the 40-minute session did not feature any red flags, there were several incidents, including an impact with the barriers for the No. 13...

Photo: Jamey Price/Lamborghini Elias De La Torre set the pace in Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America practice on Thursday at Road America, putting TR3 Racing atop the time sheets at the four-mile Wisconsin circuit. De La Torre, in the No. 29 Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo EVO2, reeled off a chart-topping 2:05.782 lap time during the day’s second session, besting co-driver Will Bamber’s 2:06.376 that led the way in the first 45-minute practice. Danny Formal put the No. 1 Wayne Taylor Racing Lamborghini second on the combined time sheets, ahead of the No. 22 World Speed entry of Scott Huffaker, all in the Pro class. Pro-Am was led by the No. 69 WTR Lamborghini of Trent Hindman, while Glen McGee topped Am in his No. 10 WTR entry. Nick Groat was quickest in LB Cup in the No. 57 One Motorsports Lamborghini. There were three red flags across the two sessions, with the No. 30 ANSA Motorsports Lamborghini of Nicky Hays going off course in Turn 9 with 28 minutes to go in second pr...

Photo: Wes Duenkel/Ford Robert Noaker led the way in a red flag-interrupted first practice session of the Mustang Challenge weekend at Road America on Thursday. The Dark Horse class points leader and Ford Performance Junior Team driver reeled off at 2:20.005 benchmark time in his No. 13 Robert Noaker Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse R on his fifth of eight total laps around the 4.048-mile road course. Fourteen minutes into practice, Corbin Collins went off track in Turn 11, resulting in a red flag for debris left at the Kink. With the practice resumed in the final minutes, drivers only had enough time for one more flying lap before taking the checkered flag. Noaker went off track on his final attempt as the session ended, but continued without incident and maintained his session-topping time. Last year’s race winner, Sam Paley, was second fastest overall in the No. 26 Paley Motorsport entry, 2.885 seconds down on Noaker’s pace. Collins, meanwhile, was third-quickest overall, des...

Photo: Porsche Laurin Heinrich said he ‘better understands’ racing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with a championship-winning season already under his belt. The 23-year-old German is in the midst of fighting for his second consecutive GTD Pro title with AO Racing at the wheel of the team’s No. 77 Porsche 911 GT3 R. Heinrich and new-for-2025 full-season driver Klaus Bachler currently sit second in the title race, only 39 points behind championship leaders Antonio Garcia and Alexander Sims of Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports with four races remaining. While having won the 2024 GTD Pro title following a dramatic season-ending Motul Petit Le Mans, Heinrich said he’s been able to learn for his second full-time campaign in the WeatherTech Championship. “Obviously I was full of expectations doing my first season in IMSA and in general in North America,” he said. “But for sure, you can’t go into IMSA and expect you’ll win it the first time, and fight for it a...

Photo: Mike Levitt/IMSA Tom Blomqvist has all but conceded he and co-driver Colin Braun winning the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTP drivers’ championship, with the Meyer Shank Racing team putting a focus on delivering Acura the manufacturers’ title, following a recent return to form for the team and luxury brand. While Blomqvist and Braun sit sixth in the GTP standings, some 308 points behind  leaders Mathieu Jaminet and Matt Campbell of Porsche Penske Motorsport, Acura sits only 90 points behind Porsche in the manufacturers’ championship, thanks to points hauls at Detroit and Watkins Glen, where each of MSR’s cars were victorious. With the drivers’ title likely to come down to an intra-team battle between the two Penske Porsche 963s, Blomqvist admitted the primary focus has now shifted to the manufacturers’ crown. “In terms of the championship, the driver’s championship, to be honest realistically, it’s kind of gone,” he said. “We’re not really chasing it, to be...