Winners and losers from IMSA's Laguna Seca race

Porsche Penske Motorsport has now won all four of IMSA’s races this year with victory at Laguna Seca, lapping all but the two BMWs, and its lead car now has a 280-point lead before we’ve even reached pre-season.

And in GTD Pro, Porsche also has a stranglehold thanks to two wins in a row for the #77 AO Racing 911 GT3, which destroyed the field in that class.

Mercedes at least stopped a Porsche whitewash with another Winward Racing victory.

With a very busy and strategic 2h40m race to sink our teeth into, here’s our winners and losers.

Loser: Anyone in GTP that isn’t in a Porsche

With the leading #7 Porsche now 280 points clear after four of nine races, it’s reached crisis point for its rivals.

Dries Vanthoor scored a fourth successive pole for BMW but the team was outsmarted in strategy and execution by Porsche once again - even if it was unfortunate not to challenge for second after traffic for Nick Tandy pushed him into Vanthoor who spun at the last corner of the last lap. The #25 sister car was fourth just behind.

Only the Porsches and the BMWs finished on the lead lap with all the other manufacturers finishing at least a lap down. In fact, eighth-11th were two or more laps down.

The next manufacturer is fifth in the championship with Cadillac yet to score a podium, as Jack Aitken took sixth at Laguna while the Wayne Taylor pairing’s woeful season continued in seventh and eighth. The #41 had multiple off track excursions and actually did well to finish seventh ahead of the #10 car which did have an unscheduled stop to change bodywork.

Acura had a torrid time too with the #60 needing a stop for new rear bodywork, while the #93 car did fare better and rounded out the top five.

The new Aston Martin Valkyrie was involved in contact with a GT car and had a costly puncture, finishing 11th and last. - Jack Benyon

Winner: Porsche Penske Motorsport

After every race, we say the same thing. In IMSA, there's Porsche Penske Motorsport and then there's the rest of the world.

And yet we can't really talk about a BoP advantage. In four races, the German-American alliance has secured its fourth victory, its third one-two finish and its fourth double podium. However, it is still chasing its first pole position, which remains the preserve of BMW.

After just over 40 minutes of racing, the #6 963 driven by Matt Campbell – then in third place – had to make an early pit stop following contact with a GT car. A few minutes later, Felipe Nasr (#7 Porsche) took the lead from Dries Vanthoor in the #24 BMW M Hybrid V8.

But the misfortune encountered by the No. 6 car ultimately worked in its favour, as Nick Tandy emerged from the pit lane behind Mathieu Jaminet, who was then 10 seconds ahead. Despite a final attack by Dries Vanthoor in the last corner, the standings remained unchanged and the #6 car took its first victory of the season just in front of the sister car.

It was another triumph for Porsche Penske Motorsport, which did not have to rely on a safety car, as there was not a single caution period during the race, something the IMSA series has not experienced in nearly three years. - Thibaut Villemant

Loser: Ford in GTD Pro

The 5.4-litre V8 leviathan Mustang was never expected to suit the tight and twisty Laguna Seca circuit with no space to stretch its legs, but even so, dropping from first to fourth in the championship and now 107 points behind was less than ideal for the Pony car.

The #65 car driven by Frederic Vervisch and Christopher Mies - which won the prestigious Daytona 24 Hours this year - qualified seventh and finished eighth, and will be dreaming of the races more suited to the car in events to come.

The sister #64 car felt they’d executed a good race but finished a lap down, showing the struggle for pace. - JB

Winner: AO Racing

The green 'Rexy' livery gave way to the pink of 'Roxy' but the AO Racing #77 Porsche 911 GT3 results remain the same.

Victorious at Sebring and also at Long Beach in a one-off GTD entry, PJ Hyett's team confirms its status as favourite to defend its 2024 GTD Pro title, as does its star driver Laurin Heinrich.

“After a strong start, we made an early pit stop to avoid losing too much time behind the other cars," said Heinrich's co-driver Klaus Bachler. "It was the right call. Winning today means we're leading the championship, which feels great — but there are still seven races left on the calendar.”

The #77 Porsche finished with an 8.6-second lead over the #81 Ferrari 296 GT3 from Dragon Racing, which started from pole position - TV

Winner: Winward Racing

While not quite as dominant as Porsche Penske Motorsport in IMSA, Winward Racing is leaving little to the competition in the GTD class early this season.

Fourth at Daytona and Long Beach, the #57 Mercedes-AMG GT3 scored its second victory in four races adding Laguna Seca to its Sebring triumph, its 10th in IMSA.

Just like in GTP, it was an early pit stop in a caution-free race that made the difference, with Philip Ellis and Russell Ward taking the lead on lap 57/114 after starting fifth on the grid.

“An absolutely flawless day by the team, also by Russell in the first stint,” Ellis said. “Full green, it was exactly what we needed, I think especially against the Lexus. I think they were stronger than us early in the stint, and then we were better than them late out of the stint.

"It was exactly what we needed to stay out of trouble, great stops by the team. That's how you win the championship.”

As the defending GTD champion, Winward knows this better than anyone. It leads by 124 points over the #12 Lexus. - TV

Loser: Paul Miller Racing

The car starting second in GTD Pro, the #48 BMW driven by Dan Harper, made a faux par at the start and changed lanes before it’s permitted (seen above having already moved over, second car in line on the right) resulting in a drive-through.

The Evo version of the M4 GT3 has been rapid in multiple categories since its introduction, and after a troublesome Daytona, a second at Sebring and then pole at Laguna looked like it was finally coming together for the car in IMSA too.

A fifth-place finish was an excellent recovery all things considered, especially for one of the youngest line-ups on the grid, but to be seventh in the championship after the pace shown has to be disappointing.

The #1 car is in a similar boat after following up a fourth and a third with a 10th at Laguna to sit sixth in the standings. Work to do but lots of potential. - JB