Cadillac Ganassi Racing wins Long Beach on single set of Michelin tires

The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach saw No. 01 Cadillac Ganassi Racing win the 100-minute sprint on a single set of soft Michelin Pilot Sport tires.

“Those softs seem to work well,” van der Zande said. “I think it was a bold move to go for one set only. “

This marked the second year in a row that a team won the race on a single set of Michelin tires. Porsche Penske Motorsport pulled it off in ’23 with Mathieu Jaminet and Nick Tandy.

“Once I was in front, I could control the race,” said van der Zande.

Sebastien Bourdais handed the No. 01 Cadillac to van der Zande, who was able to hold off the No. 31 Whelen Motorsports Cadillac for victory.

“It was tire management all the way and push(ed) it when I needed to push and have tires left over when I needed it,” said van der Zande.

In GTD, Parker Thompson and Ben Barnicoat won in the No. 89 Vasser Sullivan Lexus. Thompson also set a qualifying lap record at 1:17.357 allowing the team to start from pole position. Lexus fielded the special entry and number to highlight 1989, the year the brand debuted in America, highlighting 35-years of U.S. heritage.  

IMSA now heads north in California for the Motul Course De Monterey Powered by Hyundai N at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. You can watch the race in America on NBC or Peacock. Check where you can watch the race internationally here: https://www.imsa.com/internationalcoverage/.