Watkins Glen IMSA Race Report: Blomqvist and Braun Secure Acura’s First Win in Thrilling Six-Hour Showdown
In a dramatic conclusion to the 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen, Acura Meyer Shank Racing’s Tom Blomqvist and Colin Braun clinched their inaugural victory of the season. The win was determined by a finely-tuned fuel strategy following an eventful race, marked by challenging weather conditions and ten Full Course Yellows.
The #60 Acura ARX-06 emerged victorious amidst a chaotic race that transitioned from early rain to heatwave conditions, ultimately sprinting to the finish with leading cars relying on dwindling fuel reserves. With just seconds remaining, the leading #31 Cadillac Whelen V-Series.R ran out of fuel, paving the way for Blomqvist to surge ahead for the victory, fueled by just 1% of their virtual energy.
Blomqvist noted the strategic commitment that led them to victory, “I was able to push hard in the last laps thanks to our effective fuel saving.” Co-driver Braun echoed the sentiment of a challenging season turned rewarding, praising the team’s back-end strategy calculations as pivotal to their success.
The podium was dominated by Wayne Taylor Racing, which captured second and third places. The #40 Cadillac, driven by Jordan Taylor and Louis Deletraz, improved significantly with strategic timing that elevated them into a favorable position following a late-race yellow. Jordan Taylor highlighted this strategic out-of-sequence decision as critical to their turnaround in form.
Mathieu Jaminet and Matt Campbell of the #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport team cemented a narrow lead in the GTP Drivers’ standings, finishing fourth, while the #31 Whelen Cadillac, despite being in contention for much of the race, finished fifth due to a later pit stop. Polesitters MSR Acura came in sixth.
In LMP2 competition, the #22 United Autosports ORECA 07-Gibson, piloted by Goldburg, di Resta, and Lindh, captured victory amid treacherous track conditions, marking their second win this season. Goldburg noted the significant challenges of navigating mixed weather, which led to early contention losses for rivals.
In GTD PRO, Paul Miller Racing’s duo of Dan Harper and Max Hesse overcame a challenging start, including a 60-second penalty. They prevailed in the #48 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, managing to reclaim the lead in the latter stages aided by a succession of Safety Cars. After the race, Harper acknowledged the importance of team strategy and fortunate Safety Car incidents.
Corvette Racing’s Garcia and Sims finished second, extending their lead in the championship standings, while the #27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin clinched a last-minute victory in GTD after the #12 Lexus faced fuel mismanagement on the final lap.
As the IMSA series heads to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park for the Chevrolet Grand Prix on July 13, the teams will refine their strategies following a race that underscored the critical balance of fuel management, timing, and adaptability in unpredictable race conditions.
Race Results Highlights:
- GTP: 1. #60 Acura ARX-06 (Blomqvist/Braun); 2. #40 Cadillac (Taylor/Deletraz); 3. #10 Cadillac (Taylor/Albuquerque).
- LMP2: 1. #22 United Autosports ORECA; 2. #99 AO Racing ORECA; 3. #04 CrowdStrike by APR.
- GTD PRO: 1. #48 BMW M4 GT3 EVO (Harper/Hesse); 2. #3 Corvette Z06 GT3.R; 3. #65 Ford Mustang GT3.
- GTD: 1. #27 Aston Martin Vantage (Stevenson/Gamble/Robichon); 2. #70 Inception Racing Ferrari 296 GT3; 3. #32 Korthoff Competition Mercedes-AMG GT3.
The race reaffirmed the unpredictable and strategic nature of endurance racing, ensuring a highly competitive season ahead.
