The anticipated rain started 20 minutes before the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen reached halfway, throwing several strategies employed by the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship teams out the window. While many cars chose to stay on the slicks for as long as possible, several teams pitted for treaded tires fairly early. But when the rain started in earnest five minutes before the halfway point, almost all cars pitted for wet tires and full energy.
The one exception was the No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport with Dane Cameron at the wheel. While Cameron led at halfway, he could be in trouble, because he got stuck on track with low fuel as soon as Gianmarco Levorato crashed the GTD-class No. 55 Proton Competition Ford Mustang GT3 in Turn 10. Zacharie Robichon in the No. 27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo spun and had contact in avoidance. Both cars are likely finished.
All this happened at pit in, so any car in desperate need to fuel could have issues. Whatever happens with the No.7, it will still be a PPM Porsche at the front, the No. 6 of Nick Tandy running with a full tank and fresh wet tires.
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“I got out of the car a bit cooked,” said Mathieu Jaminet after handing the No. 6 over to Tandy. “The steering is really heavy. It’s hot and the traffic makes it a challenge because you need to be so focused.”
Behind Tandy was Jordan Taylor in the No. 40 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Acura ARX-06, Matteo Cairoli in the No. 63 Lamborghini Iron Lynx SC63 and Richard Westbrook in the No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorsSports Porsche 963.
The No. 31 Whelen Cadillac Racing suffered a setback after taking its turn at the front courtesy of an impressive pass by Jack Aitken on Phil Hanson in the No. 85 963. After Pipo Derani took over the No. 31, he hit something and damaged the nose. After the bodywork change, the No. 31 is a lap down.
BMWs alternate strategy appeared to be thrown out the window when a full-course caution came out with 3h45m remaining in the race. The 25 BMW M Team RLL M Hybrid V8, however, took a short fill during the ensuing round of pit stops to keep a solid track position. However, a drivethrough penalty for violating pit lane protocol, along with the No. 10 WTRAndretti Acura ARX-06, put them back at the rear of the GTP field. The 25in in an impressive position after an overnight rebuild, starting from the pit and serving a drivethrough for missing the installation lap.
The No. 88 AF Corse ORECA led LMP2, Lilou Wadoux Ducellier at the wheel. Harry Tincknell came out on top of GTD PRO in the No. 64 Ford Multimatic Motorsports Mustang GT3 after the round of pit stops for wet tires where he stayed out, and the No. 32 Korthoff-Preston Motorsports headed GTD in the hands of Kenton Koch.
Incidents started early when Dwight Merriman in the LMP2 championship-leading No. 18 Era Motorsports ORECA had contact with Luis Perez Companc in the No. 88 AF Corse ORECA, with both spinning. Companc got going quickly, but Merriman was stuck there and a full-course caution was called to retrieve him. The car never turned another lap and has been retired.
The second full-course caution came when Roberto Lacorte in the GTD-class No. 47 Cetilar Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 had contact with the No. 04 CrowdStrike Racing by APR ORECA driven by George Kurtz. The Ferrari was turned into the guardrail and made hard contact before sliding off into the gravel trap. The car was subsequently retired.
Joao Barbosa brought out the third caution when he spun the No. 33 Sean Creech Motorsports Ligier LMP2 car in Turn 1 and hit the barrier.
A couple of the GTD PRO cars had brake issues early in the contest. The No. 65 Ford Multimatic Motorsports Mustang GT3 received a new brake caliper and then was taken behind the wall when that didn’t fix the problem. The car returned to the track 15 laps down. The No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Z06 GT3.R received new front brakes on pit lane after Alexander Sims reported that the brake pedal was getting long. The Corvette, which had been running second, dropped a lap in the process.