As Motorsport.com reports, the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship grid is getting a massive shake-up as Renger van der Zande makes a permanent jump to the LMP2 class, linking up with Tower Motorsports for a full-season campaign.
That is right: van der Zande is stepping away from a decade spent tearing up IMSA's premier prototype division, a stretch that saw him race for organizations including Spirit of Daytona Racing, Wayne Taylor Racing, Chip Ganassi-run Cadillac Racing, and Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian. The Dutch veteran brings an incredible resume to his new home—133 WeatherTech Championship starts, 23 victories, five pole positions, and a streak of winning at least once every single season since the modern era kicked off in 2014. Having previously grabbed the 2016 Prototype Challenge title and made occasional LMP2 appearances, he is now diving into the class headfirst.
He will share the #8 ORECA LMP2 07 machine with team mainstay John Farano, marking a proper full-time partnership after the Canadian driver spent the 2026 season sharing the car with a rotating cast that mostly featured Tristan Vautier and Sebastian Alvarez. That 2026 season brought a sixth-place finish in the standings and a third-place podium at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. But the chemistry between the new pairing is already proven, as van der Zande and Farano previously teamed up for IMSA LMP2 outings at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in both 2024 and 2025, alongside a run under the DKR Engineering banner at the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans. Farano enters the upcoming Rolex 24 At Daytona poised to make his 50th career start in what will be his seventh consecutive full-time campaign since 2021, backed by five career victories and the 2002 LMP2 class title.
Tower Motorsports is looking to break a winless drought that stretches all the way back to the 2023 Twelve Hours of Sebring—when Farano, Scott McLaughlin, and Kyffin Simpson took the LMP2 win—and Rick Capone believes this roster is the missing piece of the puzzle.
For the longer Michelin Endurance Cup rounds, series rookie Griffin Peebles joins the squad. The Australian teenager arrives fresh off a massive European Le Mans Series campaign where he secured the LMP2 championship with a rival outfit alongside ELMS Top Performer and Golden Wingfoot honors. Meanwhile, seasoned campaigner Tristan Vautier steps in as the fourth driver strictly for the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona, rounding out a squad that Team Manager Rick Capone calls a great combination of talent and experience built to fight for wins.
