The two-hour race was neutralized three times. The first time the safety car was deployed was unusual - one of the tyres used in the safety barrier protection piles ended up in the middle of the track in the famous Corkscrew curve.

The other two neutralizations were caused by a mechanical failure for one of the Mazdas and a collision between Christian Fittipaldi, who was unable to control Action Express Racing's No. 5 Corvette DP and made contact with Wayne Taylor Racing's No. 10 Corvette DP at the time driven by Ricky Taylor, who will be one of third men with Corvette Racing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

That second yellow flag allowed Scuderia Corsa's No. 68 Ferrari 488, competitor in the GTLM class, to lead the race for several minutes before ceding to the DeltaWing, which made its debut in competition in Garage 56 reserved for innovative projects at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2012.

Logic then prevailed and Michael Shank Racing's No. 60 Ligier JS P2, which will participate in the 24 Hours for the first time in June, crossed the finish line the winner thanks to John Pew and Oswaldo "Ozz" Negri. They were ahead of the No. 90 Corvette DP, which had started last, of Marc Goossens and Ryan Dalziel, who had incurred a penalty for taking the start from pit lane. The No. 31 Corvette DP rounded out the podium thanks to Dane Cameron and Eric Curran.

In addition to the duo Dalziel/Goossens who made up their delay, the intervention by the safety car also allowed Ford to try a gamble that had worked for Ryan Briscoe and Richard Westbrook who made history by scoring the very first win for a Ford GT. The Anglo-Australian pair managed to economize enough fuel to the finish line, unlike its teammates Joey Hand and Dirk Müller, who had to return to pit lane for a "splash & dash" not far from the finish.

Falling short of a one-two by very little, Ford Chip Ganassi Racing can be content with one victory, especially since it experienced gearbox problems. No problems however for Scuderia Corsa's No. 68 Ferrari 488 who finished 12 seconds from the winners with Daniel Serra and Alessandro Pier Guidi, started from the pole. Porsche North America's No. 912 Porsche 911 finished one lap behind with Frédéric Makowiecki and Earl Bamber, overall winner at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2015 in the Porsche 919 Hybrid.

The players in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship will go from the west coast of the U.S. to the east for the next round which will take place June 3rd and 4th at Detroit, Michigan, hometown of most American auto manufacturers.

Results

Cécile Bonardel / ACO - Translation by Nikki Ehrhardt / ACO

PHOTO: SALINAS (CALIFORNIA, U.S.), MAZDA RACEWAY LAGUNA SECA, WEATHERTECH SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP, FRIDAY APRIL 29 2016, FREE PRACTICE. Michael Shank Racing's Ligier JS P2 won its first victory of the season, the third for a Ligier.