Estre, Vanthoor, and Campbell Triumph at 29th Motul Petit Le Mans
Porsche Penske Motorsport clinched victory in the 29th running of the Motul Petit Le Mans, held at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, with Kévin Estre, Laurens Vanthoor, and Matt Campbell driving the #6 Porsche 963. This win marked a significant achievement, completing a sweep of IMSA’s three major endurance races for both the team and the manufacturer.
The race featured an unprecedented 16 Full Course Yellow flags, alongside one red flag due to severe weather, underscoring the challenging conditions. Vanthoor regained the lead with just over an hour remaining, overtaking Filipe Albuquerque’s #10 WTR Cadillac after a competitive exchange. Although he briefly lost the lead to Earl Bamber in the #31 Whelen Cadillac during the final round of pit stops, Vanthoor reclaimed his position with a critical maneuver through traffic exiting the Turn 10 chicane.
The decisive final sprint saw Vanthoor fend off strong challenges from BMW’s Sheldon van der Linde and Acura’s Tom Blomqvist, ultimately securing the win by a narrow 1.205 seconds after a grueling 368 laps. For Campbell, this victory was especially meaningful as it was his final race with Porsche, while Estre celebrated his first IMSA WeatherTech Championship win.
“It’s awesome to win with Laurens and Kevin,” Campbell reflected on the achievement. Estre emphasized the collective effort, stating, “A big thanks to the whole team; we needed 50 people behind us to get that win.”
The #24 BMW M Team WRT Hybrid V8 finished second, followed by the Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing #40 in third and the #10 in fourth, solidifying the competitiveness of the field.
In a distressing incident, Felipe Nasr was involved in a severe crash while attempting to navigate through GTD traffic, ending the race for his #31 Cadillac team. Concurrently, the #23 Aston Martin, driven by Roman de Angelis, faced a setback after entangling with the #31 Cadillac, tarnishing a previously promising season.
In LMP2, the #04 CrowdStrike Racing by APR ORECA 07-Gibson, driven by George Kurtz, Alex Quinn, and Toby Sowery, emerged victorious after recovering from a puncture. This win also secured the team the 2026 LMP2 championship.
Notably, in GTD Pro, the Car Blanche team achieved a breakthrough victory with their #68 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo, driven by Mattia Drudi. The AO Racing #77 Porsche claimed second, while Paul Miller Racing secured the GTD Pro championship with their third-place finish.
The #57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO sealed another championship in GTD, marking a strong close to their season with their fifth win.
The Petit Le Mans concluded a thrilling season for IMSA, showcasing the high-stakes drama, technical prowess, and competitive spirit that defines endurance racing.
