DETROIT — There’s more flag waving than usual this year in the United States, with 2026 being the 250th anniversary of America’s Declaration of Independence.
The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic provided another reason to celebrate the Stars and Stripes, as Cadillac and Corvette swept to overall and class victories on the streets of Motown — the historical hometown of the American automotive industry.
Detroiters love their cars, and that was abundantly apparent throughout the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix weekend as large crowds packed the downtown circuit each day.
The WeatherTech Championship served up a 100-minute sprint race as the Saturday headliner, and the local fans – especially enthusiasts of General Motors and its marques – had to have liked what they saw.
The narrow 1.645-mile track defines the term “concrete canyon,” yet IMSA’s Grand Touring Prototype and Grand Touring Daytona Pro classes staged a compelling race that featured fender-banging action to the very end.
Standard Of The World
Cadillac adopted “Standard of the World” as its corporate slogan after winning the 1908 Dewar Award from the Automobile Club of England. And over the last nine months, Cadillac – the No. 31 Cadillac Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R, to be specific – has set the GTP standard in the WeatherTech Championship.
Since winning at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course in September 2025, the No. 31’s finishing record is 1-1-2-3-2-2-1. Jack Aitken and Earl Bamber have earned a Motul Pole Award apiece in ‘26, and Aitken has established a comfortable points cushion over Porsche pilots Laurin Heinrich, Felipe Nasr, and Julien Andlauer in the GTP driver’s championship.
During that remarkable seven-race streak capped by the Detroit victory, Aitken and Bamber could or should have won at least one other race. Four weeks earlier at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Bamber lost the lead and the win on the last lap to an inspired move by Heinrich in the No. 5 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963.
Detroit was therefore redemptive – especially when you consider Aitken lost a 14-second lead to a full-course caution with 20 minutes remaining. The bunching of the field caused a bit of nail-biting for the Whelen crew, but such was the No. 31 Cadillac’s advantage that Aitken built a 6-second lead over the last six green-flag laps.
In GTD PRO, Antonio Garcia and Alexander Sims enjoyed a similar dominant run at the front in the No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsport Corvette Z06 GT3.R, completing a memorable hometown event sweep for General Motors. The Corvette victory was especially sweet given that the Detroit GTD PRO class win in 2025 went to archrival Ford and its Mustang GT3.
“What a special day for General Motors and Cadillac Racing and Corvette Racing teams in Detroit,” stated GM President Mark Reuss. “Winning both classes of the Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic on the streets of the Motor City is a tremendous achievement for our motorsports, design, and engineering teams.
“Congratulations to Whelen Cadillac and Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports teams on hard-earned victories at our home race.”
What In The World?
It’s well-known that the Detroit street course inaugurated in 2023 is short, and at places, extremely narrow. The nature of the track, with a single long straight and an abundance of 90-degree corners places a premium on braking performance.
Perhaps it’s not surprising that IMSA’s Pit Notes – which were not compiled for the first time since 1999 by Lee Driggers, who sadly passed away recently after a short battle with cancer – recorded more than 50 spins or overruns into escape roads during the course of practice. Thankfully, those incidents produced only three red flags. But would the race prove to be so clean?
In a word, mostly. After an early caution for debris, the field ran 62 laps under green flag conditions until chaos prevailed in the final 20 of 100 minutes. Most of the “argy bargy” occurred in the GTD PRO class, though in GTP, the No. 6 Penske Porsche Motorsport Porsche 963 lost out on a near-certain podium finish when Laurens Vanthoor got roughed up in the closing lap, requiring a pit stop for a new tail that dropped the entry to an eighth-place finish.
Antonio Garcia, who completed the winning anchor stint in the GTD PRO-winning No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette Z06 GT3.R, described what unfolded in his rear-view mirror/video feed as “a bit of a Mario Kart scene.”
Two cars in the wars were the pair of Vasser Sullivan Racing Lexus RC F GT3s, which were in either win or podium contention before a pair of collisions with the two Corvettes. In both cases, the two Lexus cars came off worse to end an unrepresentative sixth and 10th.
World Class
It’s well known that the WeatherTech Championship features a stellar lineup of sports car drivers from around the world. There’s a certain appeal to racing in America, whether it’s the perceived laid-back paddock atmosphere and overall camaraderie, or the unique spectrum of race tracks across the U.S. In short, IMSA is a popular destination for sports car pilots.
Philipp Eng and Marco Wittmann finished second overall and in GTP at Detroit in the No. 25 BMW M Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8. It was Eng’s 10th podium in IMSA competition, and the Austrian driver was delighted to note that believes he has earned more top-three finishes in the WeatherTech Championship than any other sports car hunting ground.
“That really cheered me up,” he said. “The team did a really good job with the strategy, bringing us in before we hit the GT traffic. My job was basically just bringing it to the end – I had the easiest job of everyone.
“Hearing all the chat on the intercom on the strategy channel, I must say, those guys are so clever,” he added. “I’m just happy that I only drive around in circles. It was a masterclass by the team.”
While Eng has competed in IMSA as a Michelin Endurance Cup driver since 2018 and run full-time in the WeatherTech Championship for the last four years, reigning Australian Supercars champion Chaz Mostert ran his first WeatherTech Championship sprint race at Detroit after five previous Michelin Endurance Cup starts that netted a class win in the 2020 Rolex 24 At Daytona International Speedway and two other podiums.
Mostert joined Toyota’s worldwide driver lineup this year, and the 34-year-old Australian was stoked to be invited to co-drive Vasser Sullivan’s No. 15 Lexus RC F GT3 “guest” GTD PRO car on the streets of Detroit with Aaron Telitz. Their podium hopes faded to a 10th-place finish in the hectic closing laps.
“This track is definitely an eye-opening experience, but the Gold Coast track in Australia is pretty gnarly too and keeps your heart in your throat,” Mostert said. “No doubt, the first few laps here in Detroit were the same.
“I’m just super-honored to be here this weekend,” he added. “To come to America and compete in an IMSA sprint race is a box I’ve wanted to check off. The Toyota family is massive in racing, and it’s always fun to drive these GT3 cars. It’s cool to say I was able to drive this Lexus.”
