Seneca Lodge launches IMSA-themed beer
DSC made a trip to Watkins Glen’s (in)famous Seneca Lodge for important field research as the popular inn/tavern launched its new IMSA Enduro Lager on Thursday.
The launch of the new limited-run beverage, described as “a crisp, golden lager brewed for those who embrace the journey,” was part of a full-scale IMSA Preview Party – it also featured an autograph session featuring members of Wayne Taylor Racing, Inter Europol Competition, United Autosports, and Heart of Racing Team.
United and Heart of Racing drivers also spent time serving patrons of the Seneca Lodge tavern during dinnertime hours.
The Seneca Lodge opened for the first time in 1948 for outdoorsmen, but particularly during the heyday of the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix in the 1960s and 1970s, it became synonymous as the place to be for drivers and fans to interact together.
Aitken remarks after opening practice with top time
GTP championship leader Jack Aitken may have set the fastest time in Friday’s only practice session but for Cadillac Whelen, the main priority for most of the session was to get Frederik Vesti back into a rhythm for his first IMSA race since Long Beach.
“That was good,” Aitken said about his leading lap of 1:33.846. “I think most cars are on the same strategy just to use the one set. So the quick times came at the start.
“We got a nice clean lap just being first out of the box and settled into a bit of a programme afterwards, trying different things, getting Fred back in the car after a bit of break away from us. So it was just pretty smooth session and we’re gonna have a busy day tomorrow, so we’ll get our homework done tonight, so we’re ready for it.”
Ohta determined to close IMSA chapter with Acura MSR with podium
Kakunoshin Ohta’s brief run in IMSA may come to an end this Sunday when he runs his second and final race for the Acura Meyer Shank Racing team in its #93 Acura ARX-06.
As one of Honda’s leading works drivers, Ohta debuted last year splitting time between MSR and Era Motorsport in LMP2 in select races, and came back in 2026 to run Daytona and Watkins Glen for MSR.
Looking back on this time, Ohta said, “To be honest, we had a lot of hard moments from last year, because every race we had pace, but you know, in like the last 10 or 20 minutes, the luck wasn’t there. We dropped from the podium, P2, to P5 or P6 in a lot of races.
The Japanese driver, who recently celebrated his 27th birthday on Monday, expressed his desire to sign off with a podium finish at what he considers to be his favourite American circuit. “I hope for this weekend, I really want to finish on the podium – at least a podium for my last race in IMSA for a while.
“But every moment for me was a good memory. My teammates are all super good guys. They have a lot of experience in the whole world. So yeah, it’s fun!”
After Ohta finishes up at Watkins Glen, he’s on the first plane back to Japan to take part in a mid-season Super Formula test; he leads Japan’s single-seater championship after four rounds, but he and the Team HRC ARTA Mugen squad have gone the first two rounds in SUPER GT without scoring a point.
If his wish to race in IndyCar comes true, this won’t be Ohta’s last race in America – and he said he may be interested in coming back to race in IMSA some day soon, even after the Acura Meyer Shank Racing team closes at the end of 2026. “Some teams asked me about the (LM)P2 running,” said Ohta.
“It might not be happening, but I’m already feeling that my name is getting well-known, and I’m getting more popular in the IMSA paddock. It’s not super-difficult to get a seat in LMP2 for some race. I hope one day I can come back to the grid, and get the big trophy, especially the big five (endurance) races like Daytona. I really want to do that, but you know, it’s all about the contract between Honda for sure.”
Hartog achieves his ‘big American dream’ with WeatherTech Championship debut
2024 Porsche Carrera Cup North America champion Loek Hartog came close to racing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship before, but this week marks the young Dutchman’s race debut in the series – where he gets to reunite with familiar faces at Manthey and a familiar co-driver in Klaus Bachler.
“I’m looking forward to this, of course,” said Hartog, last year’s winner of the Porsche Cup – awarded to the top privateer Porsche driver in worldwide competition. “It’s the way you want to enter IMSA, for myself, in GTD Pro. I didn’t expect to do it like this, but it was always the goal as soon as I landed in America.
“It was my big American dream, let’s say, and it’s cool to do it now!”
Hartog’s 2025 season was highlighted by a win at the 12 Hours of Spa in the 24H Series, a class win at the 49th Suzuka 1000km, runner-up in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Bronze Cup, and his first 24 Hours of Le Mans start.
He missed Le Mans this year due to a new full-season commitment in GT World Challenge America for Kellymoss; Hartog has raced in the American, European, and Asian GT World Challenge series, the Nürburgring 24 Hours, and even the China GT Championship in his second year as a GT3 driver.
“For me, I’m just trying to do as much as I can, because I believe I have so much to learn, and so much to squeeze out of these years where I’m still flexible and can take every opportunity,” Hartog added. “Of course, I want to focus on the big races, but still, I have to be realistic that I’m new to GT3 racing in some ways.
“Getting all these experiences – for example, in China GT – you learn so much from other teams and environments, that it’s exactly the ingredients I need to be better, and to also consolidate an opportunity like this.”
For his debut race, Hartog has modest expectations, even when jumping back into the fold with Manthey, three months after the team won at Sebring. “My personal expectation is to stay faultless. It’s not about showing what I’m capable of, or rather, it is – but I believe that’s moreso in being predictable. And that’s what I hope to be,” he said.
“I’m still the guy that needs to prove it. I’m not a proven force within the Porsche roster, or any roster at the moment.
“These clashes can also mean it’s an opportunity for myself,” he added, taking a more optimistic view about the confirmed clash between Watkins Glen and Spa next year. “There’s nothing on the table at the moment, but I know that last year when I looked at it, I also saw this clash and I was hoping for something like this – and look where it got me! It’s a nice opportunity.”
Costa hopeful for fellow Spaniard Rueda to show strength in Conquest Racing debut
For the second straight IMSA round, Conquest Racing driver Manny Franco is sitting out, and Albert Costa – who went through a fluid co-driver situation at DragonSpeed last year – is back in a similar situation with Conquest in 2026.
Second-generation Italian driver Lorenzo Patrese fills the spot that would normally be occupied by Franco, just as he did at Laguna Seca. Alongside them both for Watkins Glen is Fran Rueda, who races in the European Le Mans Series for Ferrari customer Kessel Racing.
Two days of preliminary testing, Costa feels, is more than enough for his friend and countryman Rueda to have hit the ground running for his IMSA debut, saying earlier this week: “I brought Fran to the team, because when I knew Manny didn’t want to be racing, let’s say, I decided to help the team by introducing Fran.
“At one point we wanted to do a shootout, because for the team it was also very important to know the rules of IMSA, the full course yellows, et cetera.
“So we are fighting for the championship still. We are far, but we want to fight, and we want someone who is ready. Fran, at this point, is strong enough, he’s mature enough to show his speed, and for him it’s an opportunity. I hope he can do the job.”
Costa is 296 points behind GTD championship leader Eduardo Barrichello in sixth place, but he returns to a circuit where he’s finished on the podium in each of the last two years: Second in 2024 with Conquest (in GTD), and third in 2025 with DragonSpeed (in GTD Pro).
Super Trofeo: Morad powers TR3 Racing to win on series debut
In Qualifying 1 for Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America, Daniel Morad put the #29 TR3 Racing Lamborghini on pole overall with a fastest lap time of 1:45.572 – then went on to win the first race of the weekend alongside co-driver Elias de la Torre.
The pole-sitting #29 TR3 Racing car of Morad and De la Torre commanded the lead from the green to the chequered flag this afternoon, building a large gap in Morad’s stint, then following it up with some deft defence from De la Torre after a caution put him under pressure from the #33 XONINE Racing car.
The #33 of Darius Trinka and Will Bamber finished second, ahead of the #2 RAFA Racing Team car (Kiko Porto/Tyler Gonzalez), which inherited third late in the race after the #88 Taurino Racing car (Giano Taurino) stopped on track after a combination of contact and technical issues took them out of the running.
The first 15 minutes of running were very clean, with the field getting underway and running through the first few laps without any major incidents. Morad had pulled out a massive six-second lead less than ten minutes into the race, same as Danny Formal in the ProAm class, running second overall in the #10 Wayne Taylor Racing car.
The first full-course caution was thrown with 34 minutes remaining, with the #40 Alliance Racing ProAm car coming to a halt just off the racing line in turn eight. Angelo Dinkov would try to get it going again, but race control didn’t like how long it was taking and paused the race just before the 30-minute mark, when pit stops would have commenced. The #40 would get going again unassisted, four minutes later.
On the restart, there was potential for disaster when the top of the field checked up all together, sending the #27 SP Motorsports car (Joaquin Morillo/Jaden Conwright) careening off track, but there were no other incidents as a result.
The #10 Wayne Taylor Racing car of Graham Doyle and Danny Formal won handily in ProAm with a 16-second buffer to P2. The #70 TR3 Racing car (Dean Neuls) won in Am, while the #99 Topp Racing car (Rocky T. Bolduc) won in LB Cup.
Carrera Cup: Janne Stiak leads ACI Motorsports sweep
ACI Motorsports swept all three class wins in Race 1 this afternoon at Watkins Glen, with Janne Stiak claiming his first Porsche Carrera Cup North America win, finishing first overall. Callum Hedge made a strong bid for the lead in the closing stages in his #9 JDX Racing Porsche, but came short, finishing in second position just half a second behind.
Polesitter Tyler Maxson in the #77 Topp Racing car had a devastating puncture halfway through the 40-minute race, ultimately finishing in ninth position. He would not be the only championship contender looking for a redemption effort tomorrow, after five drivers failed to finish the race.
Patrick Mulcahy won for ACI in ProAm, his sixth victory of the season. In the Masters class, polesitter Scott Blind spun and collected his fellow points leaders in the process, bringing out a full-course yellow. John Goetz of Kellymoss would pick up the pieces and lead initially before finishing the race third, behind Matt Smith of ACI Motorsports and Alain Scalzo in the #26 Scalzo Autosport cars in first and second.
Images © Jack Webster / dailysportscar.com
