IMSA WEATHERTECH SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP: MOTUL SPORTSCAR ENDURANCE GRAND PRIX

August 2, 2026

Filipe Albuquerque

Kaylen Frederick

Laurin Heinrich

Ricky Taylor

Tijmen Van Der Helm

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We're pleased to be joined by our first and second finishers overall in the GTP class. Let's start with our second-place finishers. We have Kaylen Frederick, Laurin Heinrich and Tijmen van der Helm. Back-to-back podiums. For Laurin, this is his fifth podium of the season, 13th of his career. Tijmen, his fifth career podium, for Kaylen, his second career podium.

Kaylen, to start us off, back-to-back podiums for you. Just take us through what was a pretty eventful race for you and what it took to get it all the way back to the podium.

KAYLEN FREDERICK: Yeah, pretty eventful weekend on the whole with limited running for me in FP1, didn't go out in FP2. Made it tricky for me to qualify and get on the ball for the race.

I think we did a really good job. We kept it clean. We had our penalties that we got through at the beginning of the race. Yeah, for the lost portion we kept it clean, kept it on track. Everyone was getting pretty aggressive out there. It was really just about bringing it home at that point.

Sometimes things go your way, sometimes they don't. Kind of got a little bit lucky.

THE MODERATOR: Tijmen, your thoughts. You've been part of this team since it began. How exciting is it to be a part of what's happening here?

TIJMEN VAN DER HELM: Yeah, last four race weekends been unbelievable since I've been with this team for four years and we've been working as hard as possible to get a bit more to the podium side, sometimes even the chance of winning.

It has been a positive ride. Of course, it took some time. We got there. I think we keep it positive for the next couple races, what's left.

THE MODERATOR: We have Laurin with the microphone. Fifth podium of the year. Closed up substantially here in the points, only minus 128. Every point counts. Your thoughts on what took place there as the checkered flag came out to get to second place?

LAURIN HEINRICH: Yeah, it was quite a turnaround in the race I would say. It looked like it would be a difficult day. But sometimes, what I learned in IMSA racing, the race has to come towards you. It's not always only down to you. You have to realize that if you have the chance to do something by yourself, you have to take it. If you don't have the chance to do it by yourself, also you shouldn't force it.

Today was one of these days. I would say it's a little less exciting in the cockpit in terms of making up positions. We kept our nose clean, which was great. I think the team did a great job to bounce back from the penalties we had and also the mechanical black, which was quite a substantial damage. Nose damage, a hole in the nose. A lot of air in the cockpit. 10, 15 minutes later there was so much pressure in the cockpit, the passenger door popped open. Felt like a submarine exploded (laughter). We fixed the car in the pit window. Had some good restarts. As I said, kept our head cool, and obviously taking the podium is good for the championship.

THE MODERATOR: We'll move up to the front row here to our winners, Filipe Albuquerque and Ricky Taylor.

Filipe, why don't you start us off. Quite a battle out there for six hours. What was it like to battle here for the first time for a six-hour race, and how does it feel to win?

FILIPE ALBUQUERQUE: I don't know any more this feeling, it's been a while. But winning is so special.

Yeah, I love Road America. Have great memories. Yeah, today was just a special day. The beginning of the race was just kind of following along. But then when Ricky went on, strategy came a little bit to us. Great pit stops from the boys. Ricky putting up there on the top three, following the sister car in P2. You start to get a little bit nervous. You just want a red flag.

Then for the end I got in, was funny because it's just like it's been such a struggle for us with the pace, that sometimes we doubt ourselves, what is it, what is it there, is it here.

Just went down there and said just go in there and just be you, do your thing. I think everything came perfect. We passed the 31, went to the lead. We maintained there. 10 laps to go, cruising in a way, because it was a comfortable, nice lead. Yellow flag obviously, like IMSA. Those restarts were tricky because I knew that the Porsche is very, very strong for braking for five. I needed to be very focused for that. I managed to be ahead of him, got him off guard on both restarts.

It's more than a win. We've been winning more races, but this feels way more special than others, almost like a championship, because how much we overcame and being together as a team, been working hard. When you come from the bottom to the top, improve yourself, convince yourself that you can still do it, that's a great, great feeling, especially just before holidays (smiling).

THE MODERATOR: Ricky, congratulations. Obviously a long time coming for the team. What does it mean?

RICKY TAYLOR: I think Filipe said most of it. Yeah, I think for all of us, it's a big relief. But nobody on the team, obviously like he said, since changing manufacturers, we haven't performed at the level that I think the expectations were. The results weren't coming. The confidence was dropping. Everybody starts doubting themselves.

You think the important thing is that the team never blamed each other. Like, we just kept working harder and harder and harder and the results weren't coming. So now to have a result, I feel like the way the race went as well, it wasn't a lucky one, it was the team did everything right.

We were sort of in the race for the second half of the race, fighting for the win. I think it's awesome that Filipe was in the car at the end. Just the relationship we've had since 2021, we worked so well together on and off the track. Yeah, I think to share it with him. Obviously the team is tight-knit. It's more than a family. Everybody on the team feels like family at this point. I think just for everybody, it's a huge relief and nice testament to the work that everybody's doing.

THE MODERATOR: We'll take questions.

Q. Filipe, your car was the only car in GTP that didn't get a penalty. Do you think that played into things, as well? Especially towards the end of the race, a lot of carnage.

FILIPE ALBUQUERQUE: That's a good question because I think -- you tell me (smiling), because from what I was sitting, I think we deserved the win, even if we didn't have any penalty, because, okay, we were flawless, no penalties. I think when we look at the standings, so many DNF's. It's easy to see, oh, so many DNF's, obviously a win.

But I think we were controlling the race and the pace. It was elbows out. When we see as well like the Porsche fighting hard with nothing to lose, that was hectic.

For sure IMSA is on the path of policing us. I think sometimes it was a bit too harsh for some other guys. In my opinion, I think it was too harsh. For others, I understand.

A good example of that was my pass on Jack Aitken on the outside. In a normal situation, that was a good example to shove me off. He gave me space to stay on the outside. That's good racing.

So it's just up to us to adapt to this new IMSA style. I think where we were going towards, it's positive. I think we still need to get the consistent there.

Q. Do you think the policing is increasing the last couple races?

FILIPE ALBUQUERQUE: Yeah, it's been coming already. I think the race director was pretty mad about Watkins Glen and the amount of yellow flags. Some of them was a bit too extreme. But I think they want to bring the drivers down a bit to be more calm so we can go to normal racing. It requires some races, in my opinion.

Q. Did I feel as action-packed a day as it was? This was a six-hour race, we could never put our pen down. Something happening all the time. Could you talk about all of that. There was a shot of you watching the 31 and the 6 kind of come together. Was that surprising that that happened at the very end?

FILIPE ALBUQUERQUE: Yeah, at one point we had Rory Harvey, the CEO of Cadillac. Ricky was P2, Jordan was P1. I said to him, A red flag would be great. We were happy.

So many thing happen. When I was in the lead, I was kind of having a gap, I felt stable. We were not even catching traffic. Then came a yellow. C'mon.

After those restarts, a yellow brings you more yellow, more fighting. For a moment I fear for my race when I saw when I was going in deep, even if I had a gap for T1, I saw in the mirror the 6 car completely sideways. I thought he was going to collect me. Yeah, I was lucky there.

From the outside, I don't know. I was just so focused on my race. Even if I had sometimes a breathe, I was never having it in the pocket. I was focused on the next corner, no mistakes.

RICKY TAYLOR: I think this might sound bad, but when I was watching the 31 incident, that was kind of in the past for me. We heard about the Aston getting the penalty. I said to them I'd rather the Aston be behind us than Laurin. I was telling them I didn't want them to get a penalty and not to complain too much because I didn't want him there (laughter).

I think I was smiling when the camera was on me, but it was because I was saying I didn't want them to get a penalty, not having anything to do with the 31 because that had already happened and I couldn't change that.

Q. Laurin, can you talk about coming into this race, Jack's lead was huge. At one point may have even looked insurmountable. Now you have cut it so much. Talk about the championship implications for you.

LAURIN HEINRICH: Yeah, I mean, I said to some people on the podium it's a bit like my second birthday. It sounded like it was gifted. In the end it's not. If everyone around you loses their head, you manage to keep it, that's endurance racing. You have to bring it over the line.

It was a great team effort. I think the team today did most of the part for us to be on the podium, which is great, which I'm really thankful for. It proves again what we're capable of.

In terms of the championship, yeah, it was good day obviously. The lead of Jack was quite big, despite it was three races to go in IMSA. It's never over until it over. But it was quite significant.

For sure now a result like this changes quite a bit. I would be lying if I said I wasn't hoping it was less than 128 points until you were reading it out. I didn't know up until that point. It's quite substantial, two races to go.

I think Indy now being a sprint race, we've seen there's a lot which can happen. Then Petit is Petit. I won't give up. I will do the last races on two different teams, which is an interesting dynamic. It's two good teams and I'm always happy to race a Porsche.

Q. We got the six-hour race that I think people have wanted here for a long, long time. Six hours again next year. What else can we do? How else can we spice it up?

LAURIN HEINRICH: I mean, I think the first would be to try to get a bit more green flag out of the six hour because it was quite a lot of yellows.

I mean, it was cool. I said before this place deserves an endurance race, it's so historic. I think we all love driving around here.

People always ask me if I like this track. I've only competed here in GT. The 911, despite it winning today, it's not the strongest car around this place (smiling). I always said I love driving here. But competing me in a Porsche GT wasn't easy in my years. Coming here in the Prototype, that's one of the best experiences you can have I think as a racing driver. With it being an endurance round with so many cars on track, I think it asks a lot from us drivers and the team to be on the podium and score a good result.

FILIPE ALBUQUERQUE: I think if you want more action than this, this is crazy (smiling). Up to the line, the last laps...

I love it here. I think it makes sense to have a six-hour race here. The crowd is incredible coming around. Again, IMSA never fails to put a show on. I think it's spot on. Let's just enjoy the moment.