# 2018 Monterey Grand Prix

The 2018 Monterey Grand Prix was a sports car race sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). The race was held at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey County, California, on held on September 9, 2018, at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California, United States. The race was eleventh the round of the 2018 IMSA SportsCar Championship.

## Background

International Motor Sports Association's (IMSA) president Scott Atherton confirmed the race was part of the schedule for the 2018 IMSA SportsCar Championship (IMSA SCC) in August 2017. It was the fifth consecutive year the event was held as part of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The 2018 Monterey Grand Prix was the eleventh of twelve scheduled sports car races of 2018 by IMSA, and was the eighth round not held on the held as part of the North American Endurance Cup. The race was held at the eleven-turn 2.238 mi (3.602 km) WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on September 9, 2018.
After the Oak Tree Grand Prix three weeks earlier, Eric Curran and Felipe Nasr led the Prototype Drivers' Championship with 228 points, ahead of Filipe Albuquerque with 221 points, and Jon Bennett and Colin Braun with 218 points. With 269 points, the GTLM Drivers' Championship was led by Antonio García and Jan Magnussen with a four-point advantage over Ryan Briscoe and Richard Westbrook. In GTD, the Drivers' Championship was led by Bryan Sellers and Madison Snow with a thirteen-point advantage over Katherine Legge with 262 points. Cadillac, Ford, and Lamborghini were leading their respective Manufacturers' Championships, while Whelen Engineering Racing, Corvette Racing, and Paul Miller Racing each led their own Teams' Championships.
IMSA released two separate technical bulletins regarding the Balance of Performance for the event. The first one was released on August 30, 2018, for the Prototype (P) class. The Oreca 07, Ligier JS P217, Dallara P217, and Riley-Multimatic MkXXX were given a 10 kilogram weight increase and a fuel capacity reduction of 3 liters. The Mazda RT24-P was given a 10 kilogram weight reduction and a fuel capacity increase of 2 liters. The Acura ARX-05, Cadillac DPi-V.R, and Nissan Onroak DPi were also given a fuel capacity increase of 2 liters. The second technical bulletin was released on September 5, 2018, which regarded the Balance of Performance in the GT Le Mans (GTLM) and GT Daytona (GTD) classes for the event. In GTD, The Ferrari 488 GT3 received an increase in turbo boost as well as a fuel capacity increase of 2 liters. No changes were made in GTLM.

## Entries

A total of 34 cars took part in the event. 13 cars were entered in P, 8 in GTLM, and 13 in GTD. In P, AFS/PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports switched from the Ligier JS P217 to the Oreca 07. In GTD, Park Place Motorsports and Squadra Corse Garage Italia returned after skipping the Virginia International Raceway event. Scuderia Corsa added a second entry. SunEnergy1 Racing withdrew from the event due to Kenny Habul having an illness.

## Practice

There were three practice sessions preceding the start of the race on Sunday, two on Friday and one on Saturday. The first two one-hour sessions were on Friday morning and afternoon. The third on Saturday morning lasted an hour.

### Practice 1

The first practice session took place at 10:55 am PT on Friday and ended with Renger van der Zande topping the charts for Wayne Taylor Racing, with a lap time of 1:16.832.
| Pos. | Class | No. | Team | Driver | Time | Gap |
| 1 | P | 10 | Wayne Taylor Racing | Renger van der Zande | 1:16.832 | _ |
| 2 | P | 6 | Acura Team Penske | Dane Cameron | 1:17.533 | +0.651 |
| 3 | P | 22 | Tequila Patrón ESM | Pipo Derani | 1:17.975 | +1.093 |
| Source: |||||||

### Practice 2

The second practice session took place at 3:15 pm PT on Friday and ended with Dane Cameron topping the charts for Acura Team Penske, with a lap time of 1:16.865.
| Pos. | Class | No. | Team | Driver | Time | Gap |
| 1 | P | 6 | Acura Team Penske | Dane Cameron | 1:16.865 | _ |
| 2 | P | 7 | Acura Team Penske | Hélio Castroneves | 1:16.980 | +0.115 |
| 3 | P | 5 | Mustang Sampling Racing | Filipe Albuquerque | 1:17.248 | +0.383 |
| Source: |||||||

### Practice 3

The third and final practice session took place at 8:30 am PT on Saturday and ended with Renger van der Zande topping the charts for Wayne Taylor Racing, with a lap time of 1:16.605.
| Pos. | Class | No. | Team | Driver | Time | Gap |
| 1 | P | 10 | Wayne Taylor Racing | Renger van der Zande | 1:16.605 | _ |
| 2 | P | 77 | Mazda Team Joest | Oliver Jarvis | 1:16.686 | +0.081 |
| 3 | P | 7 | Acura Team Penske | Hélio Castroneves | 1:16.750 | +0.145 |
| Source: |||||||

## Qualifying

Saturday afternoon's 65-minute qualifying session was divided into three groups. All three categories had 15-minute individual sessions, and regulations stipulated teams to nominate a single driver to qualify their cars. The competitors' fastest lap times determined the starting order with the grid arranged to put the Prototype and GTLM cars ahead of all GTD entries.

### Qualifying results

Pole positions in each class are indicated in bold and by ‡.
| Pos. | Class | No. | Team | Driver | Time | Gap | Grid |
| 1 | P | 10 | Wayne Taylor Racing | Renger van der Zande | 1:16.181 | _ | 1‡ |
| 2 | P | 6 | Acura Team Penske | Dane Cameron | 1:16.576 | +0.395 | 2 |
| 3 | P | 7 | Acura Team Penske | Hélio Castroneves | 1:16.662 | +0.481 | 3 |
| 4 | P | 22 | Tequila Patrón ESM | Pipo Derani | 1:16.766 | +0.585 | 13 |
| 5 | P | 54 | CORE Autosport | Colin Braun | 1:16.774 | +0.593 | 12 |
| 6 | P | 55 | Mazda Team Joest | Jonathan Bomarito | 1:16.793 | +0.612 | 4 |
| 7 | P | 85 | JDC-Miller MotorSports | Robert Alon | 1:16.989 | +0.808 | 5 |
| 8 | P | 77 | Mazda Team Joest | Oliver Jarvis | 1:17.249 | +1.068 | 6 |
| 9 | P | 31 | Whelen Engineering Racing | Eric Curran | 1:17.415 | +1.234 | 7 |
| 10 | P | 52 | AFS/PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports | Sebastián Saavedra | 1:17.485 | +1.304 | 8 |
| 11 | P | 5 | Mustang Sampling Racing | João Barbosa | 1:17.525 | +1.344 | 9 |
| 12 | P | 2 | Tequila Patrón ESM | Scott Sharp | 1:17.679 | +1.498 | 10 |
| 13 | P | 99 | JDC-Miller MotorSports | Misha Goikhberg | 1:18.067 | +1.886 | 11 |
| 14 | GTLM | 4 | Corvette Racing | Oliver Gavin | 1:22.700 | +6.519 | 14‡ |
| 15 | GTLM | 66 | Ford Chip Ganassi Racing | Dirk Müller | 1:22.787 | +6.606 | 15 |
| 16 | GTLM | 3 | Corvette Racing | Jan Magnussen | 1:22.806 | +6.625 | 16 |
| 17 | GTLM | 67 | Ford Chip Ganassi Racing | Ryan Briscoe | 1:22.850 | +6.669 | 17 |
| 18 | GTLM | 25 | BMW Team RLL | Alexander Sims | 1:22.972 | +6.791 | 18 |
| 19 | GTLM | 911 | Porsche GT Team | Nick Tandy | 1:22.990 | +6.809 | 19 |
| 20 | GTLM | 912 | Porsche GT Team | Earl Bamber | 1:23.140 | +6.959 | 20 |
| 21 | GTLM | 24 | BMW Team RLL | Jesse Krohn | 1:23.527 | +7.346 | 21 |
| 22 | GTD | 86 | Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanin | Katherine Legge | 1:24.456 | +8.275 | 22‡ |
| 23 | GTD | 48 | Paul Miller Racing | Madison Snow | 1:24.595 | +8.414 | 23 |
| 24 | GTD | 33 | Mercedes-AMG Team Riley Motorsport | Jeroen Bleekemolen | 1:24.644 | +8.463 | 24 |
| 25 | GTD | 58 | Wright Motorsports | Patrick Long | 1:24.871 | +8.690 | 25 |
| 26 | GTD | 73 | Park Place Motorsports | Patrick Lindsey | 1:24.904 | +8.723 | 26 |
| 27 | GTD | 14 | 3GT Racing | Kyle Marcelli | 1:25.010 | +8.829 | 27 |
| 28 | GTD | 96 | Turner Motorsport | Bill Auberlen | 1:25.034 | +8.853 | 28 |
| 29 | GTD | 15 | 3GT Racing | Jack Hawksworth | 1:25.170 | +8.989 | 29 |
| 30 | GTD | 63 | Scuderia Corsa | Cooper MacNeil | 1:25.404 | +9.223 | 30 |
| 31 | GTD | 93 | Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanin | Justin Marks | 1:25.629 | +9.448 | 31 |
| 32 | GTD | 64 | Scuderia Corsa | Frankie Montecalvo | 1:26.107 | +9.926 | 32 |
| 33 | GTD | 44 | Magnus Racing | John Potter | 1:26.411 | +10.230 | 34 |
| 34 | GTD | 51 | Squadra Corse Garage Italia | Francesco Piovanetti | 1:27.731 | +11.550 | 33 |
| Sources: ||||||||
* The No. 22 Tequila Patrón ESM entry was moved to the back of the P field for starting the race with a different driver than who qualified.
* The No. 54 CORE Autosport entry was moved to the back of the P field for starting the race with a different driver than who qualified.
* The No. 44 Magnus Racing entry was moved to the back of the GTD field after the team elected to change tires after qualifying.

## Race
### Post-race

The result kept Curran and Nasr atop the Prototype Drivers' Championship with 299 points. Bennett and Braun advanced from third to second while Cameron and Montoya jumped from sixth to fourth. The result kept García and Magnussen atop the GTLM Drivers' Championship with 299 points, 9 points ahead of Briscoe and Westbrook. The result kept Sellers and Snow atop the GTD Drivers' Championship with 303 points, 6 points ahead of Legge. Cadillac, Ford, and Lamborghini continued to top their respective Manufacturers' Championships while Whelen Engineering Racing, Corvette Racing, and Paul Miller Racing kept their respective advantages in the Teams' Championships with one round left in the season.

### Results

Class winners are denoted in bold and ‡.
Final race classification :
| Pos | Class | No. | Team | Drivers | Chassis | Tire | Laps | Time/Retired |
| Pos | Class | No. | Team | Drivers | Engine | Tire | Laps | Time/Retired |
| 1 | P | 22 | Tequila Patrón ESM | Pipo Derani Johannes van Overbeek | Nissan Onroak DPi | C | 103 | 2:41.23.487‡ |
| 1 | P | 22 | Tequila Patrón ESM | Pipo Derani Johannes van Overbeek | Nissan VR38DETT 3.8 L Turbo V6 | C | 103 | 2:41.23.487‡ |
| 2 | P | 54 | CORE Autosport | Jon Bennett Colin Braun | Oreca 07 | C | 103 | +10.900 |
| 2 | P | 54 | CORE Autosport | Jon Bennett Colin Braun | Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 | C | 103 | +10.900 |
| 3 | P | 6 | Acura Team Penske | Dane Cameron Juan Pablo Montoya | Acura ARX-05 | C | 103 | +13.396 |
| 3 | P | 6 | Acura Team Penske | Dane Cameron Juan Pablo Montoya | Acura AR35TT 3.5 L Turbo V6 | C | 103 | +13.396 |
| 4 | P | 55 | Mazda Team Joest | Jonathan Bomarito Harry Tincknell | Mazda RT24-P | C | 103 | +16.872 |
| 4 | P | 55 | Mazda Team Joest | Jonathan Bomarito Harry Tincknell | Mazda MZ-2.0T 2.0L Turbo I4 | C | 103 | +16.872 |
| 5 | P | 31 | Whelen Engineering Racing | Felipe Nasr Eric Curran | Cadillac DPi-V.R | C | 103 | +30.034 |
| 5 | P | 31 | Whelen Engineering Racing | Felipe Nasr Eric Curran | Cadillac 5.5 L V8 | C | 103 | +30.034 |
| 6 | P | 99 | JDC-Miller MotorSports | Misha Goikhberg Stephen Simpson | Oreca 07 | C | 103 | +40.775 |
| 6 | P | 99 | JDC-Miller MotorSports | Misha Goikhberg Stephen Simpson | Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 | C | 103 | +40.775 |
| 7 | P | 85 | JDC-Miller MotorSports | Robert Alon Simon Trummer | Oreca 07 | C | 103 | +51.236 |
| 7 | P | 85 | JDC-Miller MotorSports | Robert Alon Simon Trummer | Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 | C | 103 | +51.236 |
| 8 | P | 52 | AFS/PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports | Sebastián Saavedra Gustavo Yacamán | Oreca 07 | C | 102 | +1 lap |
| 8 | P | 52 | AFS/PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports | Sebastián Saavedra Gustavo Yacamán | Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 | C | 102 | +1 lap |
| 9 | P | 77 | Mazda Team Joest | Oliver Jarvis Tristan Nunez | Mazda RT24-P | C | 101 | +2 Laps |
| 9 | P | 77 | Mazda Team Joest | Oliver Jarvis Tristan Nunez | Mazda MZ-2.0T 2.0L Turbo I4 | C | 101 | +2 Laps |
| 10 | GTLM | 25 | BMW Team RLL | Connor De Phillippi Alexander Sims | BMW M8 GTE | M | 100 | +3 Laps‡ |
| 10 | GTLM | 25 | BMW Team RLL | Connor De Phillippi Alexander Sims | BMW S63 4.0 L Turbo V8 | M | 100 | +3 Laps‡ |
| 11 | GTLM | 912 | Porsche GT Team | Earl Bamber Laurens Vanthoor | Porsche 911 RSR | M | 100 | +3 Laps |
| 11 | GTLM | 912 | Porsche GT Team | Earl Bamber Laurens Vanthoor | Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | M | 100 | +3 Laps |
| 12 | GTLM | 3 | Corvette Racing | Antonio García Jan Magnussen | Chevrolet Corvette C7.R | M | 100 | +3 Laps |
| 12 | GTLM | 3 | Corvette Racing | Antonio García Jan Magnussen | Chevrolet LT5.5 5.5 L V8 | M | 100 | +3 Laps |
| 13 | GTLM | 24 | BMW Team RLL | John Edwards Jesse Krohn | BMW M8 GTE | M | 100 | +3 Laps |
| 13 | GTLM | 24 | BMW Team RLL | John Edwards Jesse Krohn | BMW S63 4.0 L Turbo V8 | M | 100 | +3 Laps |
| 14 | GTLM | 4 | Corvette Racing | Oliver Gavin Tommy Milner | Chevrolet Corvette C7.R | M | 100 | +3 Laps |
| 14 | GTLM | 4 | Corvette Racing | Oliver Gavin Tommy Milner | Chevrolet LT5.5 5.5 L V8 | M | 100 | +3 Laps |
| 15 | P | 7 | Acura Team Penske | Hélio Castroneves Ricky Taylor | Acura ARX-05 | C | 99 | +4 Laps |
| 15 | P | 7 | Acura Team Penske | Hélio Castroneves Ricky Taylor | Acura AR35TT 3.5 L Turbo V6 | C | 99 | +4 Laps |
| 16 | GTD | 86 | Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanin | Katherine Legge Álvaro Parente | Acura NSX GT3 | C | 97 | +6 Laps‡ |
| 16 | GTD | 86 | Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanin | Katherine Legge Álvaro Parente | Acura 3.5 L Turbo V6 | C | 97 | +6 Laps‡ |
| 17 | GTD | 73 | Park Place Motorsports | Jörg Bergmeister Patrick Lindsey | Porsche 911 GT3 R | C | 97 | +6 Laps |
| 17 | GTD | 73 | Park Place Motorsports | Jörg Bergmeister Patrick Lindsey | Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | C | 97 | +6 Laps |
| 18 | GTD | 33 | Mercedes-AMG Team Riley Motorsport | Jeroen Bleekemolen Ben Keating | Mercedes AMG GT3 | C | 97 | +6 Laps |
| 18 | GTD | 33 | Mercedes-AMG Team Riley Motorsport | Jeroen Bleekemolen Ben Keating | Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 | C | 97 | +6 Laps |
| 19 | GTD | 48 | Paul Miller Racing | Bryan Sellers Madison Snow | Lamborghini Huracán GT3 | C | 97 | +6 Laps |
| 19 | GTD | 48 | Paul Miller Racing | Bryan Sellers Madison Snow | Lamborghini 5.2 L V10 | C | 97 | +6 Laps |
| 20 | GTD | 44 | Magnus Racing | John Potter Andy Lally | Audi R8 LMS | C | 96 | +7 Laps |
| 20 | GTD | 44 | Magnus Racing | John Potter Andy Lally | Audi 5.2L V10 | C | 96 | +7 Laps |
| 21 | GTD | 51 | Squadra Corse Garage Italia | Francesco Piovanetti Oswaldo Negri Jr. | Ferrari 488 GT3 | C | 96 | +7 Laps |
| 21 | GTD | 51 | Squadra Corse Garage Italia | Francesco Piovanetti Oswaldo Negri Jr. | Ferrari F154CB 3.9 L Turbo V8 | C | 96 | +7 Laps |
| 22 | GTD | 15 | 3GT Racing | Jack Hawksworth David Heinemeier Hansson | Lexus RC F GT3 | C | 96 | +7 Laps |
| 22 | GTD | 15 | 3GT Racing | Jack Hawksworth David Heinemeier Hansson | Lexus 5.0L V8 | C | 96 | +7 Laps |
| 23 | GTD | 63 | Scuderia Corsa | Cooper MacNeil Gunnar Jeannette | Ferrari 488 GT3 | C | 96 | +7 Laps |
| 23 | GTD | 63 | Scuderia Corsa | Cooper MacNeil Gunnar Jeannette | Ferrari F154CB 3.9 L Turbo V8 | C | 96 | +7 Laps |
| 24 | GTD | 64 | Scuderia Corsa | Townsend Bell Frankie Montecalvo | Ferrari 488 GT3 | C | 96 | +7 Laps |
| 24 | GTD | 64 | Scuderia Corsa | Townsend Bell Frankie Montecalvo | Ferrari F154CB 3.9 L Turbo V8 | C | 96 | +7 Laps |
| 25 | GTD | 14 | 3GT Racing | Dominik Baumann Kyle Marcelli | Lexus RC F GT3 | C | 96 | +7 Laps |
| 25 | GTD | 14 | 3GT Racing | Dominik Baumann Kyle Marcelli | Lexus 5.0L V8 | C | 96 | +7 Laps |
| 26 | GTD | 58 | Wright Motorsports | Patrick Long Christina Nielsen | Porsche 911 GT3 R | C | 96 | +7 Laps |
| 26 | GTD | 58 | Wright Motorsports | Patrick Long Christina Nielsen | Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | C | 96 | +7 Laps |
| 27 DNF | P | 2 | Tequila Patrón ESM | Ryan Dalziel Scott Sharp | Nissan Onroak DPi | C | 90 | Suspension |
| 27 DNF | P | 2 | Tequila Patrón ESM | Ryan Dalziel Scott Sharp | Nissan VR38DETT 3.8 L Turbo V6 | C | 90 | Suspension |
| 28 DNF | GTLM | 67 | Ford Chip Ganassi Racing | Ryan Briscoe Richard Westbrook | Ford GT | M | 71 | Steering Arn |
| 28 DNF | GTLM | 67 | Ford Chip Ganassi Racing | Ryan Briscoe Richard Westbrook | Ford EcoBoost 3.5 L Turbo V6 | M | 71 | Steering Arn |
| 29 DNF | GTD | 96 | Turner Motorsport | Robby Foley Bill Auberlen | BMW M6 GT3 | C | 41 | Transmission |
| 29 DNF | GTD | 96 | Turner Motorsport | Robby Foley Bill Auberlen | BMW 4.4 L Turbo V8 | C | 41 | Transmission |
| 30 DNF | P | 10 | Wayne Taylor Racing | Jordan Taylor Renger van der Zande | Cadillac DPi-V.R | C | 18 | Lost Power |
| 30 DNF | P | 10 | Wayne Taylor Racing | Jordan Taylor Renger van der Zande | Cadillac 5.5 L V8 | C | 18 | Lost Power |
| 31 DNF | GTD | 93 | Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanin | Justin Marks Lawson Aschenbach | Acura NSX GT3 | C | 6 | Crash |
| 31 DNF | GTD | 93 | Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanin | Justin Marks Lawson Aschenbach | Acura 3.5 L Turbo V6 | C | 6 | Crash |
| 32 DNF | GTLM | 66 | Ford Chip Ganassi Racing | Joey Hand Dirk Müller | Ford GT | M | 2 | Crash |
| 32 DNF | GTLM | 66 | Ford Chip Ganassi Racing | Joey Hand Dirk Müller | Ford EcoBoost 3.5 L Turbo V6 | M | 2 | Crash |
| 33 DNF | GTLM | 911 | Porsche GT Team | Patrick Pilet Nick Tandy | Porsche 911 RSR | M | 0 | Crash |
| 33 DNF | GTLM | 911 | Porsche GT Team | Patrick Pilet Nick Tandy | Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | M | 0 | Crash |
| 34 | P | 5 | Mustang Sampling Racing | Filipe Albuquerque João Barbosa | Cadillac DPi-V.R | C | -- | Did Not Start |
| 34 | P | 5 | Mustang Sampling Racing | Filipe Albuquerque João Barbosa | Cadillac 5.5 L V8 | C | -- | Did Not Start |
| Sources: |||||||||
Tyre manufacturers :
| Key ||
| Symbol | Tyre manufacturer |
| C | Continental |
| M | Michelin |