LONG BEACH, Calif. (April 12, 2025) – AO Racing continued its winning streak in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship on Saturday, claiming victory in the 100-minute Grand Prix of Long Beach. The team behind the Porsche 911 GT3 “Rawr” executed a flawless pit strategy and kept the car clean, leaping ahead of the competition in pit lane to take the win.
“Rexy loves Long Beach,” said Team Principal Gunnar Jeannette. “I can’t say much more than that. It’s been a fantastic weekend. Both Laurens and Jonny did an amazing job as ‘fill-ins’ for our usual drivers, and I hope we get the chance to put them back in Rexy and keep their win streak alive.”
Making his Porsche debut, Edgar delivered a standout performance in qualifying, securing a second-place starting position. Focused on preserving the car and avoiding the concrete-lined street circuit, he settled into third at the start and kept the car clean for Vanthoor’s closing stint. The team’s strategic advantage came during the lone pit stop, when Rexy pitted one lap later than the leaders, taking on only fuel and a driver change, skipping the tire swap. While the competition rejoined the race on cold tires and in traffic, Rexy took advantage of warm tires and clear air to vault into the GTD class lead. From there, Vanthoor maintained the gap, driving Rexy to the top step of the podium for the team’s second win of the 2025 season.
Rexy’s victory tour kicks off immediately, making an appearance at Morning Shift, a Porsche-focused car show, at the Porsche Experience Center Los Angeles on Sunday from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM. AO Racing will return to competition May 9–11 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, the site of Rexy’s first-ever win.
DRIVER QUOTES
Laurens Vanthoor
It was a perfect race. We had good strategy calls, and the car was good. It was a joy to be here. I love Long Beach and driving this car. My daughter was very happy about that, and then we won. It doesn’t get much better than this.
Jonny Edgar
I’m very happy to win my first weekend at Long Beach, and my first weekend in a Porsche. The team did a great job all weekend. I’m grateful for the opportunity to race Rexy here. The strategy in the race was amazing. We managed to get the lead, and Laurens did a great job holding on in the end. He made no mistakes and kept a gap. The Lexus was close, but we never had too much pressure. It was a great job from everyone.
