Round 2 of the 2026 IMSA Esports Global Championship at Sebring International Raceway ended with both class pole-winning cars taking provisional victories after 2 hours and 40 minutes. Porsche Coanda Esports Racing Team won GTP with its #91 Porsche 963, while Bleu Mercure Esport controlled GTD in the #132 Porsche 911 GT3 R.
Sánchez secured GTP pole, but Collins took the start and established the early advantage over the two Grid-and-Go.com eSports Aston Martin Valkyries. The #91 retained the effective lead through the opening pit cycle before Sánchez took over during the middle phase of the race.
“After I got that gap at the start, I was actually a bit surprised at how big of a gap I got,” Collins said. “After that, I just kind of settled into a rhythm.”
Throttle problem creates late pressure
The #91 appeared to have the race under control after the final stops, but Jake Denehan rapidly reduced the gap in the closing laps aboard the #8 Aston Martin. What initially appeared to be fuel saving was subsequently explained by Sánchez as a hardware problem.
“I was managing a broken throttle pedal,” Sánchez said. “I wasn't going 100%, and it was just dancing around 70%. So I had to push it with my whole body basically on the straights to make it go anywhere close.”
Denehan reached the final lap approximately one second behind but could not get close enough to attempt a pass. Sánchez crossed the line 1.2 seconds ahead of the #8 shared by Denehan and Jere Lehtinen.
“I thought it was over as soon as I saw the throttle completely acting up on the last couple laps,” Sánchez added. “The gap wasn't that big, but I think we managed it all quite well.”
Road Atlanta winners Alexander Spetz and Atte Kauppinen finished third in Bleu Mercure’s #31 Acura ARX-06, securing their second podium in as many rounds. Diogo C. Pinto and Enzo Bonito placed fourth for BMW M Verstappen Sim Racing, with Vesta Sport’s Niklas Beu and Przemyslaw Marek Lemanek fifth.
The other Verstappen Sim Racing entry retired during the first pit-stop cycle. Chris Lulham emerged from the pits on cold tyres in the #33 BMW before contact from the #7 Grid-and-Go Aston Martin at Turn 1 sent him into the tyre barrier. The #7 subsequently served a drive-through penalty.
“You always lose three or four seconds getting them up to temperature, and I came out only one or two seconds ahead, so it was just not quite enough to hold the track position,” Lulham said of the team’s short-fill strategy.
Bleu Mercure controls GTD from pole
Lassine made a clean start from GTD pole and broke clear of the chasing pack before handing the #132 Porsche to Cazaubon. The lead remained at roughly four to five seconds during the closing stint, allowing Bleu Mercure to complete an untroubled run to the provisional class victory.
“Honestly, it was perfect,” Cazaubon said. “I just had to finish the race. We worked a lot on the setup, so we are very happy about the setup. We completely optimized the car.”
Lewis Woods and Luca Wunsch finished second for Alpha One by SX in the #179 Porsche. Kevin Ellis Jr and Yohann Harth completed the podium in Nova Legio Racing’s #199 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO, ahead of THE FARM’s #142 Porsche and the #162 VØRAX Mercedes-AMG.
Round 3 is scheduled for Watkins Glen on 25 October 2026 and will mark the midpoint of the five-round season.
