Sim City Racing is back in victory lane. In a GT PRO race at Laguna Seca that kept changing shape from the opening lap to the closing minutes, the #71 Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) of Peter Spijkman and Carson Allen came out on top at the 2026 JRT Course De Monterey, converting sharp strategy and late-race execution into a first win in more than a year.
The margin at the flag was only 2.994 seconds over the #88 Ric Team Racing BMW M4 GT3 EVO, making it the eighth-closest GT PRO class finish in VSCA history. The #183 Blocco Motore Simsport Aston Martin Vantage GT3 EVO completed the podium after starting from pole and leading early, but the feeling afterward was that this one could have gone several different ways.
That was true of the whole afternoon, really. Laguna Seca, the 2.24-mile, 11-turn California circuit, has a habit of turning GT races into a high-wire act, and this edition was no different. The race began at 4:30 p.m. local time and ran into the evening light, with the final phase unfolding under headlights just before sunset.
A Fast Start and an Early Statement
Ian Laurence Brown put the #183 Aston Martin on pole with a 1:20.439, the second GT PRO pole of his VSCA career and the fifth in class for Blocco Motore Simsport. But the pole did not last long in practical terms. At the start, Brown led the field to green, only for the #71 Porsche to strike almost immediately.
Spijkman made a daring move into Turn 2 on the opening lap, diving cleanly past the pole-sitter for the lead. It was the kind of pass Laguna Seca often punishes, but this one was judged perfectly, and it set the tone for a Sim City Racing effort that was prepared to be aggressive when the window opened.
Still, the first phase did not simply belong to the #71. Brown and the #183 fought back to the front on lap eight, and while Blocco Motore looked strong, the #71 soon played a different card. An early stop on lap eight dropped Sim City Racing from the lead all the way to 15th in class, a move that looked costly on paper but was anything but accidental.
“The early stop was part of our game plan,” Spijkman explained afterward. “We knew we were not the fastest car today, so we decided to pit early to get into clean air and run our own race; managing traffic is much easier when you're alone rather than battling in a tight group.”
Laguna Seca Does Laguna Seca Things
Even by the standards of this circuit, it was a busy and incident-filled GT PRO contest. Most teams and fans expected more than one full-course yellow, but the race instead had a single FCY, lasting 20 minutes in total. It came 39 minutes into the event and ended with the restart 59 minutes after the start, yet one caution was enough to scramble strategies, compress the field and turn the middle phase into a game of timing and survival.
The race featured eight lead changes in GT PRO. The #183 led first, then the #71, then back to the #183. Later the #44 Fischer Motorsport Porsche, the #88 BMW and the #68 TwoLemmaTree Racing McLaren all took turns at the head of the class before the #71 settled the issue in the final stretch.
The caution period itself produced some of the afternoon’s defining damage. The #77 Virtual Power Sim Racing Porsche was penalized for contact under FCY that affected the #84 Unitronic Fischer Motorsport Porsche and the #13 VSR Competición Acura, while several other GT PRO cars picked up warnings, drive-throughs or post-race penalties during the long and messy middle phase.
There was also an early blow before the race had even truly begun. The #66 Vulture Motorsports Porsche never took the start after being hit with an entry declaration violation and then demoted to the reserve list for failing to attend. The team’s absence followed travel trouble for Erol Ureksoy, who was reportedly stuck at an airport, plus internal complications around replacement drivers.
The Fight Swings Back and Forth
For long stretches, the #88 BMW looked like the benchmark. Ric Team Racing led a class-high 43 laps and twice took command in the second half, first with Bernardo Silva and later with José P Barbosa. The BMW was not just fast; it looked in control, especially once the race settled after the yellow.
That made second place a bitter pill. “Honestly, yeah, it hurts,” Barbosa said. “When you control that much of the race and lose it by less than three seconds, it stings a lot more than a normal second place. It really feels like one we should've taken.”
He also pointed to the decisive turning point. “I think the race slipped away with that contact with a GTP, with about an hour to go or so, especially because we picked up damage. From there we were losing three to four tenths a lap, and that just killed us in the final stint. We executed pretty much a perfect race, but that damage meant we couldn't hold on.”
That opened the door Sim City Racing needed. Spijkman said the moment the win felt real came in the last stint, when the #71 closed on the wounded #88. From there, the reigning GT PRO champions pounced. For a team that had not won since last year's 12 Hours of Sebring, it was a long-awaited return. The result also continued the momentum they had shown at Sebring earlier this month, where they had recovered from a devastating lap-one crash and a two-lap deficit to finish second.
“It feels incredible,” Spijkman said. “It's been a while since our last win, and given how fierce the competition is in the GT PRO class, being back on the top step of the podium is a massive achievement for the whole team.” He added that the strategist deserved special credit: “In a race like today, having someone making the right calls at the exact right moment is what gives us an edge over the field.”
Blocco Motore Fast, but Left Wanting More
The #183 Aston Martin had the raw pace to win. Brown’s fastest lap of 1:20.338 was the best in GT PRO, and Blocco Motore led early and remained a threat all afternoon. But this was also one of very few GT PRO entries to run three drivers in the 2-hour, 40-minute race, which always made the balancing act trickier.
After the restart, the #183’s race wobbled. Lennart Blok spun and dropped from fourth to ninth, and later in the race the car collected further penalty trouble. In a field where track position is hard currency, especially at Laguna Seca, those setbacks were enough to turn a potential win bid into a third-place finish, 19.163 seconds behind the winner.
Blok kept the result in perspective. “To be honest, achieving pole itself was the bigger surprise to us, as we had been struggling to find our setup and rhythm here during the prior week,” he said. “That, plus knowing that there was very likely to be a chaotic race ahead of us, meant we never took a win for granted.”
On the restart drama, he added: “I was struggling to get my tires fired up after that full-course yellow. So when Tomás lost it right in front of me, that split second of hesitation was enough to let me drop it as well and make my heart skip a beat. Luckily we didn't make contact and the gravel helped me not to go around entirely or lose too much time. Unfortunately that mistake did come at a very bad moment of the race for our track position.”
Tyler Redden struck a similarly measured tone. “It's not hard to process,” he said of the podium. “We had the pace but not the strategy. I had a few incidents with a GTP that cost us a drive-through as well. Turn 4 and 5 proved tricky for GTPs to get a good exit when overtaking.” He added that with three drivers aboard, the team already knew it could “only do so well,” and described the race as one where damage limitation mattered.
Stories All Through the Top Ten
Behind the front three, the #65 Vulture Motorsports Porsche took fourth at 42.620 seconds back, a strong recovery on a day when the team also had the cloud of the absent sister #66 hanging over the garage. The #157 iRacing Today Motorsports Aston Martin claimed fifth, just half a second behind the #65 on the road, and quietly strengthened its championship position in the process.
The #57 Double Stint Racing BMW came home sixth after a race that never quite settled into rhythm. Seventh went to the #68 TwoLemmaTree Racing McLaren, which had even led lap 65 before late-race complications and a black flag blunted the final result.
The #68 was also at the center of one of the race’s most disputed late moments. In the closing minutes, while battling the #183 and with GTP traffic involved, the McLaren suffered significant steering damage in an incident with the #12 GTP car in Turn 5. Race Control deemed it a racing incident, a decision that left TwoLemmaTree deeply unhappy. Travis Linscome-Hatfield declined to give formal post-race comments, citing disagreement with the ruling.
The #44 Fischer Motorsport Porsche finished eighth, but that result barely tells the story. Marco Silva briefly led the race on lap 41, and for a while the #44 looked like a genuine contender. Then the day unraveled in stages: traffic, contact, drive-throughs and a late post-race penalty gradually pulled the floor out from under the effort.
“It was a rollercoaster,” Silva said. “We knew this race bites and it was key to stay out of trouble. In the end we couldn't do that and left disappointed in my performance.” He called eighth a missed opportunity, adding that spins and penalties derailed what “should have been a top five today.”
Ninth went to the sister #84 Fischer Motorsport Porsche, one lap down but still running at the flag. The #77 Virtual Power Sim Racing Porsche rounded out the top ten, two laps down, yet that result carried real substance after starting 15th and gaining five positions in one of the most chaotic races in class this season.
Tomás Silva said the #77’s strategy had been turned upside down by the only caution. “We had a strategy of going with our driver with less pace in the beginning, let him do his mandatory drive time and then get our fastest driver in and push all the way to the end,” he said. “Unfortunately the full-course yellow completely ruined our plans and the starting driver had to do one more stint.”
He also addressed the race’s emotional swings. “We take responsibility for the incident with the #22, but that's no excuse to drive the way they did after the full-course yellow came out with constant brake checks. It was hard to forget the fact that our race was probably ruined because of the timing of the yellow, but we did our best to just bring the car to the end without major issues and score enough points to keep up hope of still fighting for something bigger.”
Championship Picture Tightens Again
The victory changes the shape of the GT PRO SportsCar Championship. Sim City Racing moves into first place with 1,820 points, 20 points clear of Blocco Motore Simsport. iRacing Today Motorsports rises to third, 240 points off the lead.
In the Sprint Cup, however, the #183 Aston Martin still leaves Laguna Seca on top with 925 points. The #71 Porsche climbs to second, 60 points back, and the #88 BMW also moves to within 60 points of the summit. That split picture matters in VSCA, especially because the winner of the race does not always leave with the biggest championship haul. Clean Racing Bonus points, awarded on a scale worth 50 percent of the finishing-position points system, can shift the balance.
Blok acknowledged that factor directly. “With those bonus points currently making the difference in the overall championship, we certainly have our work cut out for us in the coming races,” he said. Redden, meanwhile, sounded entirely unshaken: “All we can do, and what we will do, is have a statement win from pole at VIR. We know the championship is still very much in our court, so we feel no pressure at all.”
Post-Race Reactions
Peter Spijkman, #71 Sim City Racing Porsche: “It feels incredible. It's been a while since our last win, and given how fierce the competition is in the GT3 PRO class, being back on the top step of the podium is a massive achievement for the whole team. The early stop was part of our game plan. We knew we were not the fastest car today, so we decided to pit early to get into clean air and run our own race; managing traffic is much easier when you're alone rather than battling in a tight group. The moment I knew the win was back on the table was during that final stint when we closed in on Ric Team Racing as they suffered damage from contact with a GTP. It's definitely a case of enjoying the moment tonight, but we're fully aware that the job is far from over. Taking the championship lead is a great reward for the team's hard work, especially after the strategy we pulled off today, but a 20-point gap can disappear in a single weekend in this series. Absolutely. This win wouldn't be possible without our partners and sponsors, but I also have to give a massive shout-out to our strategist. In a race like today, having someone making the right calls at the exact right moment is what gives us an edge over the field.”
Caron Allen, #71 Sim City Racing Porsche: “Our strategy from the get go was key. My dad (Jason Allen) nailed the strategy today and had everyone confused; some play checkers while others play chess. I just believed in our strategy from the get go; get clean air and get my drive time in. We only worry about ourselves and trying hard to defend our title from last year.”
José P Barbosa, #88 Ric Team Racing BMW: “Honestly, yeah, it hurts. When you control that much of the race and lose it by less than three seconds, it stings a lot more than a normal second place. It really feels like one we should've taken. At the same time, it shows exactly what we're capable of, so there are positives to take. I think the race slipped away with that contact with a GTP, with about an hour to go or so, especially because we picked up netcode damage of two minutes and 30 seconds. From there we were losing three to four tenths a lap, and that just killed us in the final stint. We executed pretty much a perfect race, but that damage meant we couldn't hold on. It definitely makes us hungry more than anything. Being this close proves we have the pace to win consistently and that everything is working well within the team. Now it's just about nailing those final details. We're right there, and we're not going anywhere. Massive effort from everyone at Ric Team Racing. Drivers, spotters, everyone behind the scenes. And a big thank you to Ricfazeres, PC Componentes and MVskinlab for the support. We'll be back to finish the job next time.”
Bernardo Silva, #88 Ric Team Racing BMW: “We had an almost perfect race, so finishing second leaves a slightly bittersweet feeling. That said, we've made clear progress compared to our previous events, and we're proud of the result. Shortly after the driver change, we suffered damage due to an unfortunate netcode incident, which prevented us from extracting the car's full potential. After the final pit stop, it became clear that P2 had stronger pace, so we focused on staying consistent and bringing the car home. I think this result proves that we are genuine contenders. In the last race at Sebring, we were involved in several incidents that didn't reflect our true performance. This time, we showed what we're capable of, and even without the win, it has boosted the team's confidence and morale.”
Lennart Blok, #183 Blocco Motore Simsport Aston Martin: “To be honest, achieving pole itself was the bigger surprise to us, as we had been struggling to find our setup and rhythm here during the prior week. That, plus knowing that there was very likely to be a chaotic race ahead of us, and it certainly was, meant we never took a win for granted. Obviously we will investigate where we could have done better, but we are not entirely displeased to have maintained a podium result. I already knew I wasn't going to have the same blistering pace that Ian showed, and I was struggling to get my tires fired up after that full-course yellow. So when Tomás lost it right in front of me, that split second of hesitation was enough to let me drop it as well and make my heart skip a beat. Luckily we didn't make contact and the gravel helped me not to go around entirely or lose too much time. Unfortunately that mistake did come at a very bad moment of the race for our track position, especially on a track where it is so hard to get overtakes done. It's a mixed bag for sure. We are happy to have survived the chaos with a podium finish, which is never a guarantee here, but clearly my slide did significant damage to what was possible tonight. That loss of track position meant Tyler had to push very hard to recover positions, ultimately at the cost of our bonus points. With those bonus points currently making the difference in the overall championship, we certainly have our work cut out for us in the coming races.”
Tyler Redden, #183 Blocco Motore Simsport Aston Martin: “It's not hard to process. We had the pace but not the strategy. I had a few incidents with a GTP that cost us a drive-through as well. I had a few incidents with the same GTP. Turn 4 and 5 proved tricky for GTPs to get a good exit when overtaking. No, it wasn't anything like that. We used three drivers this event, so we knew we could only do so well. I had to push quite hard in my stint and I managed to catch first place by around 16 seconds or so, but yeah, it was definitely a race where damage limitation was our key concern. The blow was very soft. All we can do, and what we will do, is have a statement win from pole at VIR. We know the championship is still very much in our court, so we feel no pressure at all.”
Marco Silva, #44 Fischer Motorsport Porsche: “Yeah, it was a rollercoaster. We knew this race bites and it was key to stay out of trouble. In the end we couldn't do that and left disappointed in my performance. You have to go with the flow and move the goal posts. For us it doesn't matter what position we're running; you always focus and do your best. Achieving that was hard today. As time went on, traffic was growing impatient, and where we saw most of the issues out on track was in the second half of the race. Certainly a missed opportunity. Getting spun and a couple of drive-throughs really derailed what should have been a top five today. We keep focused on doing our best, and if this is a bad day we'll take it. We're all looking forward to better races and to catching up on our closest competitors in the standings. We know we can beat them, so we have to do our bit and wait for them to have bad days too.”
Tomás Silva, #77 Virtual Power Sim Racing Porsche: “Yeah, we feel like luck wasn't at all on our side today. We had a strategy of going with our driver with less pace in the beginning, let him do his mandatory drive time and then get our fastest driver in and push all the way to the end. Unfortunately the full-course yellow completely ruined our plans and the starting driver had to do one more stint, and from there it was just about hoping for another full-course yellow that never came and focusing on damage limitation. We take responsibility for the incident with the #22, but that's no excuse to drive the way they did after the full-course yellow came out, with constant brake checks. About our emotions, it was hard to forget the fact that our race was probably ruined because of the timing of the full-course yellow, but we did our best to just try and bring the car to the end without major issues and score enough points to keep up a bit of hope of still fighting for something bigger. Sure, it can strengthen a team, but as a team we know we can do a lot better than what we did. Right now we want to put this in the past and start thinking about the next one. There is still a long road ahead and a lot of points at stake.”
Travis Linscome-Hatfield, #68 TwoLemmaTree Racing McLaren: “I appreciate the questions, but as I don't really agree with the outcome of the Race Control decision on the second-to-last-lap incident that cost us four positions and a bunch of incident points, I think it's best I don't formalize responses on this one. Thank you again for the request for comment, though.”
Looking Ahead
By the end, the GT PRO story at Laguna Seca had everything the place usually promises: an audacious opening pass, eight lead changes, a caution that altered the whole complexion of the race, late-race traffic drama and a finish close enough to keep everyone looking over their shoulder. The #71 Porsche did not have the easiest route, but in the end it had the cleanest answer when it mattered most.
For Sim City Racing, that answer was worth more than a trophy. It was a first win since Sebring in 2025, the team’s fourth GT PRO class victory in VSCA, and a reminder that champions usually find a way back to the winner's circle. Ric Team Racing left with the frustration of a win that slipped through its fingers, and Blocco Motore left with podium silver linings but clear unfinished business.
The SportsCar Championship now heads to Virginia International Raceway for the Virginia Sports Car Grand Prix on April 18, 2026, scheduled to start at 16:00 GMT. After the dust, gravel and late-afternoon glare of Laguna Seca, GT PRO arrives at VIR with the title fight very much alive.
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