Laurens Vanthoor secured Team Penske’s overall victory at the Motul Petit Le Mans on Saturday, surviving a 10-hour endurance race at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta that set a record with 16 full-course cautions, sportscar365.com reported. Vanthoor held off BMW driver Sheldon van der Linde by 1.205 seconds during a frantic final 10-minute shootout after late-race contact eliminated the contending Cadillac entry.
Porsche Secures Historic Prototype Victory at Road Atlanta
Driving the No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963 alongside longtime co-driver Kévin Estre and Matt Campbell, Vanthoor completed 368 laps to claim the overall and Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class triumphs. Campbell achieved the win in his final start, while Estre secured his long-awaited first career IMSA victory after competing in the championship since 2014.
Late-Race Carnage Shakes Up the GTP Podium
The race hinged on a frantic sequence of late-race incidents and yellow flags. Vanthoor retained the lead following a final pit stop with 50 minutes remaining for energy and fresh left-side Michelin tires, though he briefly ran off course in the Esses and later through several corners. Those excursions handed the top spot temporarily to Earl Bamber in the No. 31 Action Express Racing Cadillac V-Series.R, before Vanthoor fought back through traffic. With 19 minutes remaining, contact between Roman De Angelis and Bamber sent the Action Express Cadillac hard into the Turn 1 barriers, bringing out the final full-course caution. That crash sealed the GTP drivers’ title for the No. 31 Action Express Racing Cadillac V-Series.R, alongside team and manufacturer titles for Action Express and Cadillac, respectively.
Battles to the Finish in WTR and LMP2 Classes
On the final-lap restart, Vanthoor fended off heavy pressure from Sheldon van der Linde, who shared the No. 24 Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8 with Dries Vanthoor and Robin Frijns. Meanwhile, pole-sitter Tom Blomqvist was forced to pit the No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-06 for energy on the final lap, dropping to sixth in the final outing for both the team and manufacturer. That last-lap stop promoted the No. 40 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac of Louis Delétraz, Jordan Taylor, and Colton Herta to the final step of the podium. In LMP2, CrowdStrike Racing by APR claimed both the race victory and class title after a dramatic comeback orchestrated by Alex Quinn and George Kurtz, overcoming a rear-deck collision and a one-lap deficit to finish 0.666 seconds ahead of Tom Dillmann’s recovering United Autosports entry.
Frequently Asked Questions About Petit Le Mans
How many cautions occurred during the race?
The 10-hour endurance race set a record with 16 full-course cautions, accompanied by a 30-minute red flag period for lightning and rainstorms in the area.
Who won the GTP championship?
The GTP drivers’ championship was secured by the No. 31 Action Express Racing Cadillac V-Series.R, alongside team and manufacturer honors for Action Express and Cadillac.
What was significant about Porsche’s overall victory?
The win marked Porsche’s first overall prototype victory in the 29-year history of Petit Le Mans, and the first overall triumph at the event for the manufacturer since 2015.
Estre Recounts Tense Final Stints with Limited Fresh Tires
“Laurens was forced to attack for a very long time, and we only had two new tires on the left, like car #24,” Estre recounted regarding the tense final stints.
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