Renger van der Zande and Nick Yelloly claimed a hard-fought IMSA Detroit victory for Acura Meyer Shank Racing, breaking Porsche Penske’s dominance.
The 2025 IMSA Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic delivered a thrilling spectacle on the tight, concrete-lined 1.645-mile circuit along the Detroit River, showcasing a dramatic blend of strategy, skill, and raw racing aggression.
The race began under clear skies with Yelloly leading the field through the opening laps. The downtown Detroit circuit notorious for its unforgiving concrete barriers and narrow racing lines, immediately demanded respect from the drivers.
Yelloly executed a flawless start, maintaining the lead and setting a brisk pace. Behind him the competition was fierce with Blomqvist, the BMW M Team RLL entries, and the ever-dangerous Porsche Penske Motorsport cars jostling for position.
As the race settled into its rhythm, the GTP field remained tightly bunched with Yelloly fending off pressure from Blomqvist and the BMW duo of Philipp Eng and Dries Vanthoor.
The Porsche Penske Motorsport cars piloted by Felipe Nasr and Matt Campbell lurked menacingly in the pack, biding their time for a push to the front.
As the first hour ticked by, the race’s complexion began to change. A full-course caution bunched up the field, erasing any comfortable gaps and setting up a tense run to the finish.
The caution period played a pivotal role especially in the GTD Pro class where five manufacturers ran in the top seven spots, separated by just over six seconds with 15 minutes remaining.
Back in GTP, the battle for the overall win intensified. Felipe Nasr in the No. 7 Porsche 963 seized the lead and seemed poised to deliver Porsche Penske Motorsport their fifth consecutive victory of the season.
However, the closing stages of the race would prove decisive as Ricky Taylor in the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac V-Series.R launched a bold attack on Nasr in Turn 3 with just over 13 minutes to go.
Taylor’s move which included slight contact unsettled Nasr and allowed Taylor to slip past in Turn 4. The incident was reviewed by IMSA officials but deemed a racing incident, allowing the battle to continue unabated.
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The drama did not end there. As Nasr struggled to regain his composure Renger van der Zande who had taken over from Yelloly in the No. 93 Acura Meyer Shank capitalized on the chaos and executed a decisive pass on the off-balance Nasr, swiftly moving into second place.
Mathieu Jaminet now in the No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsport entry also took advantage, relegating Nasr further down the order.
Taylor now in the lead faced relentless pressure from van der Zande during the final laps and with just three laps to go he made his move, diving past Taylor through Turn 1.
Van der Zande proceeded to cross the line 0.947 seconds ahead of Taylor, securing IMSA Detroit victory – his 22nd class win and first since Petit Le Mans in 2024. For Nick Yelloly it was his second career IMSA class win and a fitting reward for his pole-winning performance.
Behind the leading duo Mathieu Jaminet brought the No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsport car home in third, salvaging a podium for the team after a race that promised more.
Nasr having led for much of the contest ultimately finished fourth, while the BMW M Team RLL entries of Philipp Eng/Dries Vanthoor and Marco Wittmann/Sheldon van der Linde finished fifth and seventh, respectively.
Tom Blomqvist and Colin Braun in the No. 60 Acura ARX-06 finished sixth, rounding out a solid day for the Acura Meyer Shank Racing squad. The Aston Martin Valkyrie of Ross Gunn and Roman De Angelis claimed eighth while the Wayne Taylor Racing No. 40 Cadillac of Jordan Taylor and Louis Delétraz finished ninth.
Further down the order, the Whelen Cadillac Racing entry of Jack Aitken and Earl Bamber finished tenth one lap down followed by the JDC/Miller Motorsports Porsche of Tijmen van der Helm and Gianmaria Bruni.
Ford Multimatic claims GTD Pro victory
In GTD Pro, Priaulx and Rockenfeller’s Ford Mustang GT3 was untouchable leading the class from pole and navigating the multi-class traffic with remarkable composure.
Their home victory was hard-earned as Ford Multimatic completed the contest with barely a mark on the car—a rare feat given the chaotic nature of street racing.
The Corvette Racing duo of Antonio Garcia and Alexander Sims finished second in class followed by Andrea Caldarelli and Marco Mapelli in the Pfaff Motorsports Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2.
The Lexus RC F GT3 of Aaron Telitz and Jack Hawksworth, and the AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R of Laurin Heinrich and Klaus Bachler, rounded out the top five in a fiercely competitive GTD Pro field.
The race was not without its share of attrition. The Ford Multimatic Motorsports No. 65 Mustang GT3, driven by Christopher Mies and Frédéric Vervisch failed to finish, retiring after 78 laps.
The Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 of Madison Snow and Neil Verhagen also endured a difficult day, finishing 22nd after losing several laps to mechanical issues.
