After Sunday’s TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks, IMSA impounded seven different GTP cars from five different manufacturers for an in-depth inspection. These teams were the race-winning No. 24 BMW M Team RLL BMW M Hybrid V8, Porsche 963s from Porsche Penske Motorsport, Proton Competition and JDC-Miller MotorSports, Chip Ganassi Racing’s Cadillac, Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Global’s No. 40 Acura and the Lamborghini SC63 from Lamborghini Iron Lynx. Thursday (Sept. 26) saw the results issued.
Porsche Penske Motorsport’s No. 6 Porsche 963 was found to have unapproved modifications to the wiring harness/loom. As a result, Kevin Estre and Mathieu Jaminet lost their third-place finish from Sunday’s race and have been moved back to 10th. Porsche has also been fined $10,000.
The No. 40 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Global Acura ARX-06 was found to have modified brake ducting components. This is not allowed as those pieces were homologated and locked in. As a result, Louis Deletraz and Jordan Taylor lost their fifth-place finish and are now credited with 11th. Acura has also been fined $10,000.
As a result, the top-five from Sunday are now as follows. BMW M Team RLL’s Philipp Eng and Jesse Krohn retain their victory over teammates Connor de Phillippi and Nick Yelloly. JDC-Miller MotorSports’ Phil Hanson, Tijmen van der Helm and Richard Westbrook are promoted to third overall in their Porsche. WTRAndretti’s No. 10 for Filipe Albuquerque and Ricky Taylor is now fourth, while Proton Competition’s Porsche for Gianmaria Bruni, Alessio Picariello and Bent Viscaal is fifth.
This ruling significantly affects the championship in the GTP class. After Sunday’s race, Dane Cameron and Felipe Nasr in the No. 7 Porsche had a 14-point lead over Estre and Jaminet in the No. 6. That would mean a veritable dead heat since that is less than the difference between winning and finishing second.
The penalty results in a 110-point shift. Jaminet and Estre dropping from third to 10th in class means that they lose 90 points. Nasr and Cameron finished ninth in class after suffering from power steering issues. They have been elevated to seventh and gain 20 points.
As a result, they will have a 124-point lead entering the Motul Petit Le Mans. That will mean that Cameron and Nasr will win the championship by finishing ninth or better as of now, although qualifying at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta can affect that. Deletraz and Jordan Taylor dropped from fourth to fifth in points as a result of the penalty that cost them 60 points.
Phil Allaway has three primary roles at Frontstretch. He's the manager of the site's FREE e-mail newsletter that publishes Monday-Friday and occasionally on weekends. He keeps TV broadcasters honest with weekly editions of Couch Potato Tuesday and serves as the site's Sports Car racing editor.
Outside of Frontstretch, Phil is the press officer for Lebanon Valley Speedway in West Lebanon, N.Y. He covers all the action on the high-banked dirt track from regular DIRTcar Modified racing to occasional visits from touring series such as the Super DIRTcar Series.