Motul Back at IMSA Long Beach Grand Prix

Motul Back at IMSA Long Beach Grand Prix

An estimated 200,000 fans descended on the historic streets of the Long Beach circuit to witness Round 3 of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The weekend kicked off Friday with practice and qualifying sessions for the GTP and GTD classes. By the end of the day, the Motul Pole Award winners had been decided, with Nick Yelloly securing the GTP pole position for Acura Meyer Shank Racing. In GTD, Frankie Montecalvo initially claimed pole for Lexus and Vasser Sullivan Racing, but the result was overturned following a post-qualifying technical inspection, handing the top spot to Robert Wickens and the DXDT Racing Chevrolet Corvette. Motul USA VIPs were on hand throughout the weekend to present the Motul Pole Awards and congratulate the drivers.

Throughout the weekend, more than 3,000 race fans visited the Motul booth to learn more about the brand and check out the three special vehicles on display. Featured vehicles included 2026 Formula Drift Hall of Fame inductee Dai Yoshihara’s Subaru BRZ drift car, Milan Geis’ Motul-liveried Ducati Panigale V4S, and Ciaran Naran’s Hero Racing Ducati Desmo 450, fresh off its Mint 400 victory. Fans also had the opportunity to pick up a limited-edition Motul Long Beach GP poster featuring the six Motul partner GTD cars entered in the race.

Motul also surprised fans with three autograph sessions during Friday’s Family Day, featuring drivers from the Gradient Racing Ford Mustang and the Pfaff Motorsports Lamborghini Temerario, who greeted attendees and signed hero cards and Motul posters. Dai Yoshihara joined the festivities later in the afternoon, spending time with fans and signing autographs at the Motul booth.

When the green flag flew Saturday afternoon, the Motul partner entries quickly established themselves as contenders for podium positions in the GTD class. However, with only minutes remaining in the race, the Pfaff Motorsports Lamborghini and Gradient Racing Mustang made contact, sending both cars down the order. The incident opened the door for Conquest Racing to secure its first podium finish of the 2026 season, with Manny Franco and Albert Costa finishing in third place. Motul guests were on hand to celebrate the strong result with the Ferrari team.

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