The final race weekend in California for IMSA is set to take place as four of IMSA’s series hit the track at Laguna Seca.

The WeatherTech SportsCar Championship returns to action for its first traditional sprint-format race of the season, while the Michelin Pilot Challenge, Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America, and Mustang Challenge are all set to accompany the main event on Sunday.

There are many storylines heading into the weekend, with the headline being Porsche’s pursuit of perfection, as the two-car program looks to earn its fourth-straight double podium of 2025.

It also marks the track debut for the Aston Martin Valkyrie, fielded by Heart of Racing, which will contest its first race under the 2-hour and 40-minute format and its first IMSA weekend on a natural road course.

There’s a lot to preview this weekend as IMSA approaches the midpoint of its 2025 season, with Laguna Seca serving as a pivotal stop.

Dethroning the Porsche?

As mentioned, Porsche has had a historic start to its 2025 campaign. After winning the season opener at Daytona in the Rolex 24, the Penske-run No. 7 Porsche 963 with Nick Tandy and Felipe Nasr went on to secure victories at Sebring and Long Beach, continuing their perfect run. Not to be overlooked, the team’s sister car, the No. 6 Porsche 963 of Mathieu Jaminet and Matt Campbell, has also claimed podium finishes in all three races.

With Laguna Seca setting the stage for the Penske Porsches to extend their dominance, the question remains: which team or manufacturer can challenge the German marque?

So far, BMW has shown the most consistent pace, though race strategy has plagued the RLL effort in 2025. Despite claiming three poles to start the season, their race results haven’t quite followed suit, with a recent podium at Long Beach marking the best finish for both cars so far this year.

Team RLL’s future beyond 2025 remains uncertain, but their performance this season positions BMW as the leading contender to break Porsche’s winning streak.

Beyond BMW, Cadillac has historically shown strong pace at Laguna Seca, highlighted by a second-place finish for the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac. Although the brand’s three-car factory program—split between Action Express and Wayne Taylor Racing—hasn’t started the season as strongly as hoped, Cadillac remains a threat, especially at this venue.

Acura may be the biggest wild card this weekend, while Aston Martin continues to treat 2025 as a developmental year for the new Valkyrie program.

All signs point to BMW as the top contender to reach the top step of the podium. However, don’t count Cadillac out in the fight to become the first non-Porsche winner in the GTP class this season.

Here for Support

Following their season openers at Sebring in March, the Mustang Challenge and Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America return to action this weekend, alongside Round 3 of the Michelin Pilot Challenge.

Wayne Taylor Racing dominated the last outing in Super Trofeo, with Danny Formal and Hampus Eriksson sweeping the weekend in the Pro division. In ProAm, Anthony McIntosh and Brendon Leitch claimed victory in Round 1 for WTR, while Rearden Racing took the win in Round 2. In the Am class, Graham Doyle and Glenn McGhee also swept the weekend for WTR, while Noah Groat picked up both wins in LB Cup. This weekend, 47 cars will hit the grid, making for a jam-packed Super Trofeo schedule.

In Mustang Challenge, Robert Noaker claimed both wins in the DH class, while Alex Bachoura swept Sebring in the Dark Horse Legends category. Twenty cars are set to compete at Laguna Seca, including a notable entrant—Ford CEO Jim Farley.

In the Michelin Pilot Challenge, Jeff Westphal and Sean McAllister earned the GS class win at Sebring for CarBahn with Peregrine Racing’s BMW M4 GT4 EVO, during a weekend that marked the 50th anniversary of BMW’s 1975 Sebring victory. In TCR, Harry Gottsacker and Mason Filippi took the class win in the No. 98 Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai Elantra N, following a post-race disqualification for one of their sister cars. Forty entries are slated to take the green flag for Saturday’s Michelin Pilot Challenge race.