Taking a very close second-place finish last time out at Watkins Glen was a bittersweet result for the #99 AO Racing crew, but this year, Spike the Dragon came out on top in the IMSA Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen, moving up the LMP2 points standings in the process.
In the LMP2 class’s first race back since Sebring back in March, the AO Racing squad had a clean six hours, staying out of the chaos that their fellow competitors descended into and consistently putting their ORECA Gibson machine in the fight for the lead despite nine cautions mixing up the field.
AO Racing’s #99 powerhouse driver lineup of Dane Cameron, PJ Hyett and Jonny Edgar has been frustrated this season by their potential at both Daytona and Sebring not showing up in the championship results. They led 521 laps out of 1,015 between the two Floridian endurance races and finished fifth and sixth, respectively.
“We have had the pace all season. I think the fact that we were able to bring it home just shows what we were capable of the whole year, and to actually put it together, I’m super proud of the team and my co-drivers for making it happen today,” said Hyett, who started behind the wheel, handing it over to Jonny Edgar after two caution-heavy stints. “It was a wild one.”
Jonny Edgar, fresh off a victory in the LMGT3 class at Le Mans earlier this month, in the TF Sport Corvette, felt as if the monkey was off his back in an LMP2, taking his first ever victory in the prototype.
“It’s been a great two weeks for me, winning Le Mans and here. Really happy to win here, it’s my first win in the LMP2.”
The 2025 LMP2 team championship winners found most of their success last season primarily in sprint races, taking back-to-back wins at Mosport (Canadian Tire Motorsport Park) and Road America, coincidentally the two races in which Edgar was not on the entry list alongside Cameron and Hyett.
“I felt like last year, Dane and PJ seemed to win everything but the five endurance races I did. We never managed to get over the line first, so I’m happy to finally have a win in the LMP2 car.”
In the first half of the race, the full 54-car field fell into a chaotic spell similar to the mess at Road America 2025, but, as in that race last year, the AO crew kept out of it and, in many ways, benefited from others’ scrambling. Thankfully, as the six hours progressed, the IMSA field cleaned up its act and saw some exceptionally good clean racing.
“I mean, honestly, a pretty classic kind of IMSA race going into traffic, some really good hard fights, and some different strategies and things playing out across LMP2 in terms of when people are pitting and, you know, overcuts and undercuts and all sorts of things. I had a lot of fun today,” said platinum-graded driver Dane Cameron.
The key to their success in Watkins Glen lay in their willingness to battle it out on track for extended periods around the technically challenging Watkins Glen International speedway and to adopt a more aggressive strategy, said pro driver Dane Cameron.
“We were pretty aggressive; it’s something we’ve been working on as a group. I think we’ve probably been conservative sometimes, car-wise, driving-wise. Kind of a poor start to the year, and at some point, you need to stop the bleeding and get one on the board.”
And get one on the board they did, looking strong from the get-go and keeping the pressure on their competitors, namely the #43 Inter Europol Competition and #04 Crowdstrike Racing by APR cars.
“This car was awesome. As soon as we rolled off the truck, we were super quick.
“We felt like we only just missed last year, so it was kind of on the back of my mind. Glad to be able to do this one, glad to get a win with Jonny [Edgar] after doing such a great job for us for the last year and a half. And to get PJ’s first endurance win in the US is special as well.”
Returning to Mosport and Road America as reigning winners, now coming off a sure-thing victory, has built a lot of momentum for the purple dragon squad going forward. Their somewhat disheartening Watkins P2 finish still fueled their confidence as they took on these races this time last year. We will have to wait and see what a class victory can do for morale this time around.
“It was a huge confidence boost getting on the podium here last year. While we were disappointed we didn’t win, it certainly helped build some momentum for us, Dane and I, and the team at large.
“So, going into Mosport and Road America [as race winners], two tracks that I absolutely love, I know we have a good shot at performing well there. [The Watkins Glen win] absolutely helped with our championship points, so it meant the world to me and the whole team. So looking forward to those races and the rest of the season,” said Hyett.
“It’s a wonderful thing to be able to race in this championship.”
The AO Racing team is now tied for second position in the championship with 952 points, equal with the #22 United Autosports USA squad after coming into this weekend sixth in the standings. The chase is now on to reel in the #04 Crowdstrike Racing by APR car in the final four rounds of the season.
Image courtesy of Jack Webster
