Porsche Penske Triumphs at Petit Le Mans; Estre, Campbell, and Vanthoor Celebrate Major Milestones
In a gripping finale to the IMSA season, the #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport team clinched their first-ever Petit Le Mans victory, ending a drought since their last win at Sebring. This race, marked by intense competition and strategic challenges, provided significant personal milestones for drivers Kevin Estre, Matt Campbell, and Laurens Vanthoor.
For Estre, this marked his maiden IMSA win. “[This victory] means a lot, definitely. I’m starting to get old. Finally, it’s good to get this first victory,” he remarked after the race, acknowledging previous near-misses. Despite initial setbacks, including penalties and unfavorable race conditions, Estre emphasized the strength of their car in clean air and praised Vanthoor’s performance in the closing stages.
Campbell described a challenging middle stint, juggling fuel savings and navigating a red flag situation, ultimately setting Vanthoor up for a dramatic finish. Vanthoor, under pressure from the #24 WRT BMW, secured the win by a slim margin of 1.2 seconds, indicating, “At the end, we had to save fuel… but the car was good.”
The sister #7 car from Penske crashed out of contention, thwarting their aspirations for a Triple Crown victory encompassing Daytona, Sebring, and Petit Le Mans wins this season. The BMW Team WRT’s #24, piloted by Sheldon van der Linde, Dries Vanthoor, and Robin Frijns, finished second, expressing frustration at their missed opportunity for victory.
Reflecting on their performance, van der Linde noted the difficulties in making a race-winning pass: “I thought I got lucky… but Laurens didn’t see me coming.” Despite the disappointment, WRT leaves the race with valuable lessons, showing promise for their sophomore season in GTP.
The Petit Le Mans concluded with six cars finishing, underscoring the brutal reality of endurance racing. Porsche and Penske’s emotional win signals a bright future as they build towards the next season, with ambitions of further success in Daytona and beyond.
