Motorsports team Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) dominated the second day of the Long Beach Grand Prix, notching both a victory in the IMSA race and the pole position for Sunday’s NTT IndyCar race.
Leading the way for Meyer Shank Racing’s IMSA team were drivers Nick Yelloly and Renger Van Der Zande, who pursued through an action packed race, full of cautions.
“The risk I took in traffic was high to get the gap and when I was through traffic, the yellow came, so that wasn’t very good,” Van Der Zande said.
Driver Renger Van Der Zande and his son celebrate his win following the IMSA race on Saturday at the Long Beach Grand Prix. (Liam Hollon)
The team’s aggressive driving paid off in the end, as Van Der Zande managed to hold off the rest of the pack through all of the restarts in the final 45 minutes and secured a much needed victory.
This win is also a crucial step in the hunt to meet the Porsches at the top of the leader board, who have been dominating early in the IMSA season.
MSA driver in the GTP class, Renger Van Der Zande, hoists the checkered flag at the winners’ circle on Saturday after he and his teammate, Nick Yelloly, won the race. (Liam Hollon)
The other standout performance of the day for the MSR team was in the IndyCar circuit, where Felix Rosenqvist qualified for the pole position for Sunday’s race.
“It’s amazing how we went into this weekend saying we need a little turnaround because we haven’t been quick and we came out better than expected,” Rosenqvist said.
IndyCar driver Felix Rosenqvist drives his car around the circuit during qualifying at the Long Beach Grand Prix on Saturday. Rosenqvist had the fastest lap, earning himself pole position for Sunday’s race. (Liam Hollon)
Rosenqvist also noted the difficulty that comes with racing on a demanding street course like Long Beach.
“It’s just so tight. One little mistake and you’re out of the mix,” Rosenqvist said.
During the qualifying session, a new fast 6 format was introduced, in which the six fastest qualifiers would each drive one lap to determine who would win the pole.
“I think it turned out pretty cool. It feels like you’re on ice which is kind of cool because it’s the same for everyone,” Rosenqvist said.
The race for poll position was very close, Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward placing second and Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou qualifying third, both one tenth of a second behind Rosenqvist.
On a course like Long Beach, the pole position is key as passing can come quite sparingly on such a tight race track.
The IndyCar race will begin at 2:45 p.m. on Sunday, where the rest of the IndyCar field will fight to steal back the spotlight from the Meyer Shank Racing team.
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