Round 8 of the 2025 VSCA SportsCar Championship delivered a thrilling six-hour contest at Watkins Glen International on Saturday. As the third leg of the Endurance Cup and with championship implications heating up before the summer break, the fourth annual “Six Hours of the Glen” tested both the endurance and strategy of the GT PRO grid under blistering track conditions topping 134°F.
Emerging victorious for the first time in the series was the #917 PULSAR eSports Team McLaren 720S GT3 EVO, driven by Bruno Carreira and Joao Pedro Teixeira. The Portuguese pairing executed a flawless race strategy, leading a race-high 75 laps and surviving a chaotic mid-race caution period to finish with a narrow 4.755-second margin — the seventh-closest GT PRO finish in VSCA history.
Pole sitter Jason Allen had earlier put Sim City Racing’s #71 Porsche 911 GT3 R on the front row with a time of 1:43.697, and confidently held the lead through the opening lap. But it was Carreira’s measured pressure and strong pace that gradually turned the momentum toward PULSAR eSports, who took control in the second half of the race.
Delta Racing Denied by Costly Pit Lane Violation
The #12 Delta Racing BMW M4 GT3, which had climbed from seventh on the grid to contend for the win, ultimately finished second after being assessed a five-second post-race penalty for a fast-lane violation in the pits. The infraction occurred just over five hours into the race, when the BMW failed to remain in the fast lane before entering its pit stall — a mistake that proved decisive.
Despite the setback, Delta Racing’s trio of Higo Oliveira, Lucas Freire, and Felypi Sauner led 52 laps and showed consistent pace throughout. Freire, who received an early warning for accelerating prematurely at the race start, took the penalty in stride and emphasized the team’s continued push for the Endurance Cup title, where they now sit third, just 12 points behind the leaders.
Compounding the disappointment for another front-runner was the #71 Sim City Racing Porsche. After earning pole and leading 34 laps, a drive-time infraction relegated them to 12th place post-race, disqualifying them from what would have been a top-five result. Misjudging the stint schedule during the full-course yellow appeared to be the critical error for the team.
iRTM Mercedes Capitalizes on Strategy for Podium Finish
The #157 iRacing Today Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3, piloted by Eric Intili and Sam Gunstone, rounded out the podium in third. The team played their strategy perfectly, using the lone full-course yellow — which neutralized the race between 2:43 and 3:09 on the clock — to extend their fuel window and gain track position. Gunstone and Intili led a combined 23 laps and managed tire wear effectively despite the punishing heat.
Though the Mercedes lacked the outright pace to challenge for the win, the team’s calculated decision to short-fill and lift-and-coast during critical stints ensured a solid result. The #157 was the only Mercedes in the field, making their podium even more significant for iRacing Today Motorsports, especially given the competitiveness of the GT PRO class.
Strong Showings Throughout the Top Ten
Finishing fourth was the #68 TwoLemmaTree Racing McLaren, with Niklas Solle and Travis Linscome-Hatfield delivering a consistent performance that kept them in podium contention for most of the race. Behind them, the #69 North Sim Racing McLaren of Italian duo Thomas D'Ambrosio and Piero Leone crossed the line fifth, having recovered well from an early incident that saw them forced off line by a prototype car attempting a pass in traffic.
Sixth place went to the #151 World Of SimRacing Team Porsche, a quiet but steady run by Spaniards Iker Estefania and Luis M. Díaz. The #44 Fischer Motorsport Porsche, driven by Stephen Nobes and Daniel Gruber, secured seventh after a clean and disciplined drive.
Eighth belonged to the #6 Torque Freak Racing McLaren, with Neil Middleton and Jonathan Dance showing resilience after a major lap 42 accident when Neil Middleton hit the curb in the bus stop chicane and crashed into the outside armco guard rail, resulting in extensive repairs. Still, the team returned to competition and finished the race.
The #183 Blocco Motore Simsport Porsche, featuring Erik van Spijker and Grégoire Petetin, claimed ninth in a tight midfield battle, but also had to overcome a major collision at the 3:16 hour mark, when on lap 100 Grégoire Petetin in the Blocco Motore Simsport machine made contact with the #18 Gowin Racing Mercedes of Cedrik Gaudreault.
Rounding out the top ten was the #93 Digital Chicane Acura NSX, the only Acura in the GT PRO field, with Chris Scarr and Kyle Loh managing a composed race amidst heavy traffic and attrition. On lap 106 Scarr crashed at the bus stop, in a near carbon-copy of Middleton's crash earlier in the race, hitting the curbs and suffering a hard impact into the barrier.
Incidents and Officiating Shape Midfield Drama
Race control was active throughout the event, with several incidents and rulings shaping the final order. Early contact between Daniel Perez Santiago’s #554 Corvette and Manuel Mayer’s #84 Porsche on lap one nearly triggered a major crash, though quick reactions avoided catastrophe. Mayer’s luck ran out just four laps later when he collided with the spun #515 GT AM Porsche, ending the contention for a competitive result in this race, for the second-place holders in the GT PRO championship.
A warnings was also issued by race control to the #12 Delta Racing BMW for a race start violation. A particularly tense moment occurred for the #69 North Sim Racing McLaren when the #4 Fischer Motorsport GTP class car made a late dive on the former, though contact was narrowly avoided, and race control deemed it a no-penalty incident.
Despite the pressure and risks involved, most teams navigated the six-hour race cleanly, with the sole full-course yellow proving decisive for many strategy calls.
On lap 163, with just about 53 minutes remaining in the race, the #157 iRacing Motorsport Mercedes with Eric Intili behind the wheel entered pit lane for the team's final pit stop, so the #12 Delta Racing re-took the lead in GT PRO. The Brazilian team had already completed its final pit stop four laps prior, on lap 159 and was now focused on holding the lead until the checkered flag.
But Bruno Carreira in the #917 PULSAR eSports Team McLaren pushed and closed the gap to within less than half a second, and as the cars crossed the finish line, the Portuguese team took victory, by account of the #12 BMW's five-second post-race penalty for the pit lane violation earlier in the race.
Post-Race Reactions
Joao Pedro Teixeira, #917 PULSAR eSports Team McLaren: "I'm very tired, but I'm feeling really accomplished. We had our strategy defined very well and worked out perfectly. We managed correctly to hit the first milestone in P1 and then it was just a matter of trying to get the checkered flag in the same position. Very happy with the overall result of the race and thanks to Bruno for the excellent drive he did. This was a tough race!"
"We almost hit the victory many times this year but we never had the moment to make it happen. For us means a lot because we know that we can make it happen. For the PULSAR eSports, we have to thank them and our sponsors for making this victory possible."
"Without the rain, the car behaves really well and suits our driving style, but no doubt it was more than the car. Our strategy and our setup was a good part of it. The key moment was the FCY. We had our strategy well defined and nothing was wrong when the FCY came into play. We adapted the strategy from there and everything went well. We had a couple of moments where we overtook some cars and my heart was pumping because we didn't want to have any damage or crash. Nevertheless, we knew that we had to take risks to try and get that first place."
"Our plans for the summer break will be to relax and get some rest. In any case, the next race will be Indianapolis and a lot of work needs to be done until then. We will be focusing hard in trying to get first place in the Endurance Cup."
Bruno Carreira, #917 PULSAR eSports Team McLaren: "I feel very happy with this victory, it was a week of hard work and many hours of training especially with the new tire model. It's a track that I really like and winning here is always special."
"This victory is something we have been chasing since the first round, as the pace has been there but we have had some unfortunate incidents that ended up costing us better positions this year. Victory is something that both driver and team always look for, and when victory is achieved it is the reward for the work that is done in preparing the race."
"I think the most important point in this race was the work done before the race with several possible strategies, knowledge of the car and the circuit,qualifying turned out to be also important because this way we managed to avoid crashes and losing time at the beginning of the race, then it was about keeping pace and playing with the knowledge we had to have the best strategy possible."
"Now it's time to enjoy the summer here and take a dip, and then start working for the last 3 races to try to get the best possible result and still try to win the endurance championship, like last year. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the entire organization, team and sponsors."
Lucas Freire, #12 Delta Racing BMW: "Actually, I’m not disappointed. Breaking a rule is something that happens when you’re really focused, so what really matters is who crossed the line first, especially in the conditions we were in."
"Our BMW M4 GT3 responded very well, but it has always been a solid car on this track, so I wouldn’t consider it a surprise to be up front with it. However, our strategy was really good, and we believe we’re finally adapting to the dynamics of this championship, which are different from others."
"Our goal always is victory. These are tracks we like and know well, and I believe we’re going to give everyone a hard time."
Sam Gunstone, #157 iRacing Today Motorsports Mercedes: "I think it's fair to say that we are very happy with this result, the car felt great out there today! We had a good start and led some laps during the pit cycles, but I think deep down we knew we didn't have the outright pace to win. The key moment in our race was pitting under caution at the halfway point and deciding to save fuel, we saw a path that could save a pit stop and were aware that most others around us wouldn't be able to match us on strategy. Thanks to all the prototype drivers out there for not crashing into me during my huge lift-and-coasts!"
"I think I had the better end of the stick with the hot track temps compared to my teammate, my drive time was at the start, and a period later where I was saving fuel - this puts less load through the tires, as you know. I'd also say that in general, the Mercedes seems to have a more neutral balance compared to some other cars, so when the tires are wearing this helps keep things a little less sketchy for us."
"To be honest I've struggled to get to grips with the car this year, but something clicked this race. Most of my successes have come on the prototype side of multiclass racing, so to get this result in such a competitive GT3 field is really satisfying. I first crossed paths with iRTM 10 years ago here at The Glen, we've all been racing together a long time and it's great we can still pull together amazing results for both #157 and especially #158 - congrats to them for another win!"
Eric Intili, #157 iRacing Today Motorsports Mercedes: "The whole team is pumped from the results both cars had! We had decent pace all day and really just tried to stay out of trouble. When the FCY came out, we committed to stretching to make the 5 stop work and Sam did an incredible job saving. That got us in a safe window, which probably gained us 2 or 3 positions."
"Our guys hit on a good setup for the hot conditions in FP2 . Sam had really great pace, and given he hasn't felt 100% all weekend, it was a truly remarkable drive from him in this heat. For my stints, I couldn't quite get as much pace out of the car as I would have liked, especially my last stint when I tried fuel only. I'm just glad my bad choice didn't cost us any positions in the end but it was a learning moment for sure."
"It means a lot to us at iRTM to be the lone Merc out here in GT Pro representing for the brand. I know it's not everyone's favorite but I've always been a fan of the car and I've gotten on well with it all the way back to its pre Evo days. It sounds pretty good too."
Jason Allen, #71 Sim City Racing Porsche: "Sitting on pole was great! Our plan going in was to take care of the car and try to get the half way points for Endurance Cup and just be there at the end and pick up points - unfortunately we did that all race and I made a mistake with the drive time limit. That long caution really caught us out with the timing of things - we did not adjust as needed unfortunately today."
"We will take a little break from the grind and then get ready for the end of the season and stay the course! Shout out to Kevin for a great race with no incident points today!"
Kevin Carlisle, #71 Sim City Racing Porsche: "Yeah we had a great car! Jason and I put in a lot of work in setups and getting used to the new tire model. Car felt great through track temps and tightened up with cloud covers. We were hoping for a win but caution luck wasnt on our side. Also with that caution we made a mistake and didnt change our driving schedule. Because of our mistake we went over the drive time for Jason. Unfortunate mistake on our end. Really disappointed with how much work we put in and threw away the top 5. I hate that for us. We will do better."
Summer Break Sets the Stage for Final Push
With eight rounds complete and three remaining in the 2025 VSCA SportsCar Championship, teams now head into a ten-week summer break. For PULSAR eSports, the breakthrough win at Watkins Glen fuels their championship ambitions — particularly in the Endurance Cup, where momentum may prove critical.
Delta Racing and iRacing Today Motorsports will also look to carry strong form into the final stretch, while others like Sim City Racing are left to regroup after missed opportunities. Indianapolis looms next on the calendar, where the pressure to perform will only intensify.
As the sun set on a dramatic day at Watkins Glen, the storylines of the 2025 season gained new depth — and the battle for the GT PRO crown is far from over, especially also after championship leaders #71 Sim City Racing suffered their worst result of the season thus far, a twelfth-place finish.
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