Porsche Stripped of Watkins Glen Win, Will Protest Penalty

Words and Images by Matthew Boyce

Porsche Penske Racing’s No. 6 has been stripped of its Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen due to a technical infraction. The penalty hands the win over to the BMW M Team RLL No. 25 BMW M Hybrid V8 driven by Connor De Phillippi and Nick Yelloly. The penalty was confirmed by IMSA late Sunday evening after the No. 6 Porsche driven by Nick Tandy and Mathieu Jaminet was found to have a skid block width less than the thickness required by the series. The infraction was found during post race inspection. The resulting penalty has moved the No. 6 to the back of the GTP class running order. Porsche’s lead in the GTP series standings will also be changed as well, moving them from first to third in the standings.

The win for BMW is the manufacturer’s first major race victory since 2000 when a BMW V12 LMR took the checkered flag in an American Le Mans Series race at Silverstone. With the BMW victory, all four IMSA GTP manufacturers have now claimed a checkered flag this season. Porsche Penske, in an update released Monday, will protest the penalty handed down on Sunday evening. Stated in a release by the team, the Penske Racing teamed stated that the skid block was, "less than one millimeter" outside of the legal tolerance. The rear skid wear was also found to be, "well within" the rules. It was also stated that, "Porsche Penske Motorsport plans to collect all of the data and follow the protest procedures." We will update you to any additional announcements made when they are released.