Penske Porsche have the race pace1.
GTP
BMW had the pace, but Porsche took advantage of a quicker stop and then had more pace as the race went on.
The two BMWs held 1-2 at the start, but the #7 kept a 3s gap to the lead when it settled down. A quicker stop during the first caution period then lead to it getting out ahead. After that Porsche could control the race.
The race winning pit stop strategy was pretty much the same as everyone else’s other than it was executed better.
GTP Lap times
Let’s look at the lap times and averages of multiple laps. This was a sprint race so the averages aren’t over that many laps. However it is clear that Penske have a good race set-up. Those developments over the winter have really helped, as did their approach to practice where they hinted at this pace. It’s all about the race; pace, strategy, and race craft.
Let’s combine these for the cars. There is a clear hierarchy; Penske Porsche, BMW, Cadillac, JDC Porsche, Acura, and then Aston Martin.
GTD
Vanthoor has won every race this year – like his team mates at Daytona and Sebring Tandy and Nasr! At Long Beach he was class of the field in the not GTD Pro Rexy.
Strategy wise it was a little different in GTD. Driven by the need to hit minimum driving times they pitted under green. Some stayed out a little longer to get the advantage of warm tires and lower fuel to leapfrop in the pits.
How close was it?
As is normal in the current era, very close. However, not quite as much as other recent races. Potentially the sprint format and street circuit restricted the ability to find many consistent fast laps.
Safety Car History on Long Beach Street Circuit
| Year | SCs | SC Lap count | Race Distance | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 6 | 5 + 4 + 3 + 6 + 6 = 24 | 63 | Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R |
| 2018 | 2 | 5 + 8 = 8 | 70 | Mustang Sampling Racing Cadillac DPi |
| 2019 | 2 | 6 + 5 = 11 | 73 | Mustang Sampling Racing Cadillac DPi |
| 2021 | 1 | 4 = 4 | 78 | Whelen Engineering Racing Cadillac DPi |
| 2022 | 3 | 5 + 3 + 1 = 9 | 73 | Cadillac Racing Cadillac DPi |
| 2023 | 2 | 5 + 2 = 7 | 78 | Porsche Penske Motorsports Porsche 963 |
| 2024 | 3 | 5 + 7 + 3 = 15 | 68 | Cadillac Racing Cadillac V-Series.R |
| 2025 | 2 | 5 + 5 = 10 | 75 | Porsche Penske Motorsports Porsche 963 |
- Tandy, Nasr Credit “Awesome Execution” for Third Porsche Win Sportscar365 4/12/2025 ↩︎
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