Newcomers Heinrich and Vesti soaking up the vibe at Long Beach

They may be new to racing at Long Beach, but Cadillac Whelen’s Frederik Vesti and JDC-Miller MotorSports’ Laurin Heinrich aren’t just here to take in the atmosphere, they both feel confident of a strong result in today’s race.

Vesti and co-driver Jack Aitken will start fourth in today’s IMSA Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. The Danish driver is standing in for Earl Bamber, who is on duty for Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA in the FIA World Endurance Championship 6 Hours of Imola this weekend.

He’s never raced on a street circuit in his brief sports car racing career, but as a once highly touted single-seater prospect, Vesti proudly boasts a solid track record in Formula 2 where he’s won the street races at Monaco, Baku and Jeddah.

“It’s actually very great to be back on a street track,” Vesti said. “I’ve won every street race on the F2 calendar, so I was looking forward to be back on the street track. Huge smile on my face in the car.

“I’ve heard a lot about Long Beach, but it’s definitely exceeded my expectations of the event, and also the track. It’s actually a very cool, reachable track. It’s tight for sure, with GTs and other GTPs, but I think if you have the pace and you’re brave, you can do overtakes there, and that’s cool.”

Vesti marked himself as a street circuit ace in F2, and is glad to get another chance on one. Joe Portlock/Formula Motorsport Limited via Getty Images

Aitken and Vesti have been the only non-Porsche drivers with a podium finish in each of the first two rounds this year, second at the Rolex 24 At Daytona, and third at the Twelve Hours of Sebring following a post-race penalty.

The drivers of the No. 31 Cadillac V-Series.R entered the weekend second in the GTP drivers’ standings, and will be looking to close the gap this weekend for the sake of Aitken’s championship bid.

One of the other drivers who’s been on the podium at every race is Heinrich, and of course, he’s been on the top step both times for Porsche Penske Motorsport. The German driver was recently confirmed to a four-race deal with JDC-Miller MotorSports to supplement his initial slate of Michelin Endurance Cup races for Porsche Penske.

“I was planning to be just the endurance driver for three races in the 963, which obviously leaves me with very little track time in a prototype,” Heinrich said. “But then the JDC thing came up, which is, for me, a great opportunity to gain more track time, work with a new team, and also drive the 963 on the IMSA circuit. And also, experience Long Beach for the first time, which I’ve never driven before.

“At the same time, I also truly believe the team can profit from me being there; obviously, I have some experience racing for the factory team. Hopefully I can bring some interesting insights.”

To Heinrich’s point, in his first session behind the wheel of the black and gold No. 5 Porsche 963, Heinrich turned in the fastest lap of the opening practice session.

“I think it’s a very mutual share of benefits, I would call it, and I’m really thankful for JDC and Porsche to give me this chance,” he said.

A street circuit with plenty of overtaking spots? Heinrich's a fan. Jake Galstad/Lumen via Getty Images

Like Vesti, Heinrich is new to Long Beach, and enjoys the elements that make this circuit distinct.

“I would say Long Beach is more of a racetrack than Detroit; there’s more grip, the track is generally wider, you also have some curbs also on the apexes, which makes it a little bit easier for new drivers to get up to speed," he said. "You’re not constantly millimeters away from the wall, like you are at Detroit. So it’s something that I really enjoyed.

The addition of Heinrich boosts JDC-Miller’s chances of grabbing the first IMSA win for a privateer Porsche 963. But he and co-driver Tijmen van der Helm will have a tough challenge to push their way forward from 10th on the GTP starting grid on a course where overtaking within one’s own class is often difficult.

“Obviously, we are competing to win – anything other than that would be wrong. But we have to be realistic,” he admitted. “The field is extremely tight, especially on a short circuit like here, so in the end, execution matters. We only have a single pit stop here, and it all comes down to that. Because passing, especially in prototypes in a street circuit, is pretty difficult.

“But I’m confident in the team; I’m confident we will do a good job. And in the end, we will also try to build a strong basis for the upcoming races.”

In addition to running all four sprint races with JDC-Miller, driving a Porsche 963 in the six-hour race at Road America remains a possibility for Heinrich. In that scenario, he will only miss the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen in June, owing to a potential drive at the 24 Hours of Spa that same weekend.