Porsche 963s to start from third row at IMSA Detroit Grand Prix

Porsche Penske Motorsport qualified fifth and sixth for the IMSA race in Detroit. Catch the 100-minute sprint live on IMSA.tv this Saturday.

The streets of Detroit are set for high-speed drama as round five of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship gets underway. Porsche Penske Motorsport heads into the race with both factory-entered Porsche 963s lining up on the third row of the grid. Matt Campbell clocked the fifth-fastest time in qualifying, narrowly edging out teammate Nick Tandy, who was just 0.130 seconds behind in sixth.

Detroit’s tight and technical street circuit demanded precision from all drivers, with cool track temperatures further complicating tire warm-up during the short 15-minute session. Nevertheless, both Porsche 963s remained consistently competitive throughout, regularly appearing in the top portion of the timesheets. These signs of pace over longer stints suggest the team could have an ace up its sleeve come race day.

“We’re slightly off the pace over a single lap,” admitted Jonathan Diuguid, Executive Director of Porsche Penske Motorsport. “But during the heat of the second practice, we looked stronger over longer runs.” Campbell echoed this sentiment, hinting that strategy may well be the team's best weapon in Saturday’s sprint-style showdown.

Tandy—famously dubbed “Mr. 24 Hours” for his unprecedented wins at Daytona, Le Mans, the Nürburgring, and Spa—remained optimistic about the race ahead, praising the car’s handling and the team’s preparation.

Joining the factory entries are Porsche's customer teams. Gianmaria Bruni and Tijmen van der Helm will start tenth in the JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963, while AO Racing’s eye-catching pink 911 GT3 R, known affectionately as “Roxy,” was caught out by a red flag during GTD-Pro qualifying. Drivers Klaus Bachler and Laurin Heinrich couldn’t complete their flying laps, leaving them to start from eighth on the grid.

The short 100-minute format promises a strategic chess match, where every pit stop and overtaking opportunity could prove decisive. Porsche’s long-run pace, demonstrated during Friday’s practice, may yet turn out to be their trump card on a track that leaves little room for error.

Source: porsche.com