The finish line nearly eluded them
The race ended under yellow after a crash between Jack Aitken and Kévin Estre during the final restart. The incident wiped out the contenders for second, giving Ricky Taylor and Filipe Albuquerque the win. The dramatic ending allowed the #10 Cadillac to cross the line first, ending Wayne Taylor Racing’s two-year victory drought in the process.
Albuquerque and Taylor had been waiting over two years for a win of this magnitude. Their #10 Cadillac held off a last-lap charge that would have ended with JDC-Miller MotorSports’ Laurin Heinrich in second, but the chaos of the final moments prevented that scenario from unfolding. The victory marked the first GTP class win for the duo and their team since the Detroit race in 2024.
Chaos defined the last 10 minutes
With 10 minutes and 35 seconds left, Estre and Aitken made contact while fighting for second. Both retired, and the race ended immediately under caution. The impact was significant enough to bring out the yellow flag, cutting the race short and shifting the focus to the #10 Cadillac as the final winner. Ricky Taylor described the win as "unbelievable," emphasizing the long journey and the team’s perseverance.
The result gave Wayne Taylor Racing a double podium with Louis Deletraz and Jordan Taylor in third, rounding out the WTR sweep on the track. This achievement further solidified the team’s performance at Road America, which saw another WTR Cadillac finish in the top spot.
The race was a rollercoaster
The 4.048-mile Road America circuit was a constant battleground. Nine caution flags were shown over the course of the race. Midway through, Paul Miller Racing crashed in Turn 12, forcing a cycle of pit stops that reshaped the running order. Tijmen van der Helm briefly led before being overtaken by Jordan Taylor, highlighting the unpredictable nature of the event. Van der Helm’s #5 Porsche briefly took the lead but was soon followed by Taylor’s #40 Cadillac.
Dries Vanthoor, in the #24 BMW, briefly challenged the lead before the final pit stop cycle sent Aitken and Vanthoor into the final restarts with just over an hour to go. The halfway mark brought more chaos, as the Porsche Penske Motorsport duo of Laurens Vanthoor and Julien Andlauer had to contend with changing strategies and penalties. Vanthoor, in the #6, came back out in front of the #7 car after the pit stops, but a penalty for the #5 Porsche shifted the race lead to Ricky Taylor, giving Wayne Taylor Racing a strong position.
The final pit stops, along with the ongoing investigation into Felipe Nasr’s contact with Aitken, created a new running order as Dries Vanthoor assumed the lead, followed by Aitken. The #10 Cadillac of Filipe Albuquerque and the #40 Cadillac of Louis Deletraz were right behind, keeping the battle competitive until the very end. The GTD Pro class saw Pfaff Motorsports capture a win with Andrea Caldarelli and Sandy Mitchell in the #9 Lamborghini Temerario GT3, while the GTD class was taken by the Winward Racing combination of Philip Ellis and Russell Ward.
The victory for Taylor and Albuquerque not only ended the team’s victory drought but also helped solidify their position in the championship race. The event was a dramatic conclusion to a long and eventful season for the teams competing in the GTP class.
In LMP2, the #43 Inter Europol Competition ORECA LMP2 07 of Tom Dillmann came out on top, marking another win for the team in the category. The race also saw the #43 car briefly take the lead in the LMP2 class, further adding to the complexity of the overall standings. With two hours left in the race, the #31 Whelen Cadillac pitted for a driver change, and Jack Aitken took over for Earl Bamber. Moments later, Felipe Nasr was involved in a costly incident that forced the race into a caution period.
As the investigation into Nasr’s contact with Aitken unfolded, the race continued with a reshaped order. Dries Vanthoor maintained the lead without pitting, followed closely by Aitken and then Albuquerque. The final restart with 1h37m to go had Vanthoor leading the pack, but the unpredictable nature of the race was already clear to all who were watching.
Ricky Taylor expressed his pride in the team and the hard work that went into the victory. He emphasized the team’s belief in each other and the long wait for this moment to finally arrive. The race was a testament to the perseverance of the crew and the drivers involved, who had to overcome numerous challenges on the track.