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    2026 Grand Prix of Long Beach: Acura, Lexus break through in IMSA
    • April 19, 2026

    • Stadium Super Trucks compete in the first of two races...

      Stadium Super Trucks compete in the first of two races during the 51st Grand Prix of Long Beach in Long Beach on Saturday, April 18, 2026. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)

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    Stadium Super Trucks compete in the first of two races during the 51st Grand Prix of Long Beach in Long Beach on Saturday, April 18, 2026. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)

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    LONG BEACH — Renger van der Zande made sure Acura was accurate in the event bearing the manufacturer’s name.

    After teammate Nick Yelloly earned the pole on Friday, van der Zande secured the win in the IMSA Grand Touring Prototype Round 3 race on Saturday at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.

    “This is home ground for Acura,” van der Zande said. “They gave me the car in (position one), and that’s the easiest to drive it home.”

    The Dutchman, driving the No. 93 Acura ARX-06 for Meyer Shank Racing, crossed the finish line more than eight-tenths of a second ahead of Long Beach first-timer Frederik Vesti.

    “(Vesti) didn’t make it too easy,” van der Zande said. “It was high-intensity, and I came out of the car a little red because I was working hard out there.”

    Leading the final 6-plus minutes of 70 laps over the 100-minute race, van der Zande won for the third time at Long Beach and sixth time in the last 10 races overall.

    “It was a nail-biting finish, but I knew the guy behind the wheel could do the job,” Yelloly said. “He knows this place like the back of his hand.”

    Recent industry speculation has put Torrance-based Acura’s future with IMSA in doubt.

    “I’m just trying to win,” van der Zande said. “Winning races is the best solution to a lot of things.”

    Vesti and Jack Aitken finished second as the No. 31 Cadillac V-Series R made its fifth consecutive podium dating to last season.

    “You need to have a good start, have a good stop and not make mistakes,” Aitken. “We pretty much hit those boxes, so it (stinks) to not get the win.”

    In the race’s most significant incident, former IMSA champion Ricky Taylor wiggled from a bump and crashed into the tire barrier on Turn 6, catching fire briefly to cause a full-course yellow flag caution with 24 minutes remaining.

    On the 30th anniversary of Jimmy Vasser’s win at the 1996 Grand Prix of Long Beach, Vasser Sullivan Racing’s Aaron Telitz and Benjamin Pedersen teamed to claim the IMSA Grand Touring Daytona Round 3 race.

    “We had one goal, and that was to get to the front and get this Vasser Sullivan team another victory,” Telitz said. “We just need to keep having good races. We don’t need to set the world on fire or anything. We just need to have solid races, and it feels like we’ll be in the hunt.”

    Driving the No. 12 Lexus RCF GT3, Telitz cruised to a win by more than 5 seconds over Patrick Gallagher and Robby Foley in the No. 96 Turner Motorsports BMW M4 GT3 EVO

    Vasser Sullivan Racing doubled its success this weekend after Frankie Montecalvo claimed the GTD pole on Friday and Telitz got the race win on Saturday, the team’s first since winning at Long Beach in 2024.

    “We’ve gone a long time without a win and everyone on the team felt that,” Telitz said. “It was awesome to be able to secure that hardware.”

    The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship next races at Laguna Seca in Salinas, May 1-3.

    ​ Orange County Register 

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