Nick Tandy and Felipe Nasr led a commanding Porsche Penske 1-2 finish at the IMSA Long Beach 2025 Acura Grand Prix to mark their third consecutive win.
The event marking the third round of the 2025 season unfolded on the iconic 1.968-mile Long Beach Street Circuit, a venue renowned for its unforgiving concrete barriers and tight corners that demand precision, strategy and nerves of steel from every competitor.
The IMSA Long Beach 2025 Acura Grand Prix 100-minute sprint was a dramatic departure from the endurance marathons that opened the season yet the outcome remained consistent: Porsche Penske Motorsport once again proved to be the team to beat in the GTP class.
From the outset, anticipation was high as the field of 27 entries—11 in GTP and 16 in GT Daytona (GTD)—lined up for the green flag.
The No. 24 BMW M Team RLL M Hybrid V8 piloted by Dries Vanthoor and Philipp Eng started from pole position, setting the stage for what many expected to be a BMW showcase.
However, the unpredictable nature of street racing and the strategic acumen of Porsche Penske Motorsport would soon rewrite the script.
The opening laps saw the BMWs assert their pace with Vanthoor leading the charge and the two Penske Porsche 963s driven by Nick Tandy and Felipe Nasr (No. 7) and Matt Campbell and Mathieu Jaminet (No. 6), slotting in behind.
The Acura ARX-06 of Nick Yelloly and Renger van der Zande also made an early impression, squeezing between the Porsches to claim fourth at the first corner.
The complexion of the race shifted dramatically just 21 minutes in when the first safety car was deployed, triggering a flurry of pit stops among the leaders.
The No. 24 BMW, both Porsche 963s, and the No. 93 Acura all dove into the pits while the No. 25 BMW and No. 60 Acura opted to stay out for two more laps—a decision that would ultimately cost them valuable track position.
In a race where overtaking is notoriously difficult the timing and execution of pit stops became the defining factor.
Porsche Penske Motorsport’s pit crew delivered under pressure with the No. 7 Porsche spending just 59.3 seconds in the pit lane, narrowly edging out the No. 6 Porsche’s 1:00.3 and decisively outpacing the No. 24 BMW’s 1:04.0.
This efficiency, combined with a bold strategy to forgo a tire change, allowed the No. 7 Porsche to leapfrog the BMW and seize control of the IMSA Long Beach 2025 Acura Grand Prix race.
Felipe Nasr who took over from Nick Tandy after the pit stop expertly managed the remainder of the race, maintaining a relentless pace while conserving energy and tires.
The decision not to change tires—a calculated risk—proved to be a masterstroke as Nasr was able to extract maximum performance from the car when it mattered most.
The No. 7 Porsche crossed the finish line with a commanding 3.0-second lead over the sister No. 6 Porsche, while the No. 24 BMW, despite its early promise, finished 12.9 seconds adrift in third.
This result marked the third consecutive victory for Nick Tandy and Felipe Nasr in 2025—following their triumphs at the Rolex 24 At Daytona and the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.
The No. 6 Porsche of Matt Campbell and Mathieu Jaminet meanwhile ensured a second straight Porsche Penske 1-2 finish, consolidating Porsche’s stranglehold on the championship standings.
Behind the dominant Porsches, the BMW M Team RLL duo of Vanthoor and Eng delivered a strong performance to secure their first GTP podium of the season.
Despite leading early, the timing of their pit stop and the slightly slower service in the pits relegated them to third but their pace throughout the weekend signaled that BMW remains a formidable contender.
MORE IMSA:
Vanthoor claims IMSA Long Beach pole in BMW front row qualifying dominance
IMSA Long Beach FP2: Vanthoor leads second consecutive BMW 1-2 finish
Long Beach IMSA 2025: Van der Linde leads BMW 1-2 in opening practice
Elsewhere in the GTP field, the Cadillac V-Series.R entries from Wayne Taylor Racing and Whelen Engineering as well as the Acura ARX-06s from Meyer Shank Racing battled valiantly but were unable to match the pace and strategic execution of the Porsches and BMWs.
The No. 31 Action Express Cadillac of Jack Aitken and Earl Bamber, the No. 25 BMW of Marco Wittmann and Sheldon van der Linde, along with the No. 10 Cadillac of Filipe Albuquerque and Ricky Taylor showed flashes of speed but ultimately finished outside the podium positions in 4th, 5th and 6th respectively.
The sister Wayne Taylor Cadillac No. 40 driven by Louis Deletraz and Jordan Taylor took seventh ahead of the No. 23 Aston Martin Valkyrie driven by Roman de Angelis and Ross Gunn.
Colin Braun took ninth in the No. 60 MSR Acura while the No. 85 JDC–Miller MotorSports Porsche and the No. 93 MSR Acura Team rounded out the GTP field, each facing their own challenges on the demanding street circuit.
AO Racing Porsche claims GTD win
The GTD class, featuring a diverse array of manufacturers and some of the most competitive racing of the weekend saw AO Racing’s “Rexy” Porsche 911 GT3 R driven by Jonny Edgar and Laurens Vanthoor win the IMSA Long Beach 2025 Acura Grand Prix.
Vanthoor, already a winner in the GTP class earlier in the season showcased his versatility by adding a GTD triumph to his 2025 campaign.
The AO Racing team executed a flawless race, capitalizing on strategy and consistent pace to outduel the two Vasser Sullivan Racing’s Lexus RC F GT3. The No. 12 of Parker Thompson finished second as the No. 89 of Frankie Montecalvo completed the class podium.
Winward Racing’s Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo and Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 EVO completed the top-five.
