Van der Zande: CGR Has to “Play it Smart” at Long Beach

Photo: Jake Galstad/IMSA

Renger van der Zande believes that Chip Ganassi Racing has to “play it smart” in order to come out on top of this weekend’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, with numerous variables at play in the 100-minute IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship contest.

The Dutchman and co-driver Sebastien Bourdais, who won the race in 2022 in a remarkable come-from-behind drive, are seeking a return to victory lane for the first time in nearly 12 months.

The duo, along with Scott Dixon, finished runner-up in last month’s hard-fought Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, while Bourdais suffered a brake lock-up at the start of last year’s Long Beach race that took the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R out of the race.

“It will be good if we survive the first corner and then take it from there,” van der Zande told Sportscar365.

“These races, you can expect a lot and you cannot expect anything. That’s the thing in IMSA racing.

“When does the yellow come? Is it going to be a fuel saving race? Is it going to be a pit stop race?

“We’re not completely in the back [of pit lane] anymore. If you look at the position in the pits, I think that’s going to be very decisive.

“The other thing is if you look at the timing for the fueling, I think it might actually be a very busy with GTs and prototypes at the same time.

“Going into that first couple of laps in the first stint when the gentlemen [drivers] are in the GTD cars… who is going to cause the yellow and how are you going to play it as a team?

“I’ve won it before, I’ve been second a few times. You have to hang in there. If you want to finish first, you have to finish.

“So we need to play it smart and stay out of the walls.”

When asked if there’s any extra motivation considering their result at Sebring, in narrowly missing out on the win, van der Zande said he believes the entire team has been on top form all year.

Yet their position in the GTP points standings — fourth — does not reflect the effort that’s gone into the first two races.

Van der Zande said: “I think we did a lot right in Sebring. But also in Daytona we did a lot right until the engine blew.

“I think we’re on a strong package. This team is a very strong team right now, as strong as I’ve seen in the last couple of years from Ganassi.

“This is the year for us to use that in our advantage.

“It’s about staying clean in this championship, so that’s what we first we try to do.

“We’re fourth in the championship. [It’s] all to play for the championship-wise.”

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John