Porsche Penske Motorsport took its first overall win of the season with the Petit Le Mans victory on Saturday as the #6 Porsche 963 of Laurens Vanthoor, Kévin Estre and Matt Campbell won a chaotic 10-hour IMSA season finale at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
Laurens Vanthoor held off the #24 BMW M Hybrid V8 of Sheldon van der Linde, Dries Vanthoor and Robin Frijns by just 1.205 seconds after a late restart, securing Porsche’s first overall victory at Petit Le Mans with a prototype.
The race featured 16 full-course cautions, a red-flag interruption and heavy rain in the early stages, with the GTP order repeatedly reshuffled throughout the 10 hours.
The #6 Porsche moved into contention in the closing stages and made its final pit stop with around 50 minutes remaining, taking on energy and fresh left-side Michelin tires. Vanthoor briefly ran off track on his out lap but recovered to retain the lead.
The #7 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 had also been running at the front for much of the race, but its challenge ended with around 90 minutes remaining. Felipe Nasr made contact while following Vanthoor and the #77 Porsche 911 GT3 R, sending the #7 into an airborne crash on the front straight. Nasr was able to climb from the car on his own.
The #31 Action Express Racing Cadillac V-Series.R, meanwhile, remained in contention for the overall victory deep into the race before Earl Bamber was involved in contact with the #23 Aston Martin with 19 minutes remaining. The Cadillac was sent into the Turn 1 barriers, ending its race.
Aitken had already secured the GTP drivers’ championship by starting the race, while Action Express and Cadillac had also clinched the teams’ and manufacturers’ titles. That left the final battle for the race win between Vanthoor and van der Linde. Vanthoor managed the final laps while saving fuel and navigating traffic to secure the victory.
“I have no idea how we pulled this off. We all did a perfect job: Porsche, the Porsche Penske Motorsport team, and us drivers in the cockpit,” Vanthoor said. “A difficult season is thus coming to an end with an absolute highlight. After this nail-biter at Road Atlanta, I’m exhausted and very happy.”
The victory was particularly significant for Estre, who claimed his first IMSA win, while Campbell ended his Porsche factory career with the victory.
“What a wonderful evening! We in the #6 car have had so much bad luck this season. We’ve finally secured a big win,” Estre said. “My teammates were absolutely incredible today. A special thank you to Laurens Vanthoor, who put up a great fight during the final stint. As far as I’m concerned, he’s the man of the race!”
For Porsche, the victory completed an endurance-race sweep of Daytona, Sebring and Road Atlanta in 2026. The manufacturer also secured the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup manufacturers’, teams’ and drivers’ championships.
The #24 BMW finished second, while the #40 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac of Louis Deletraz, Jordan Taylor and Colton Herta completed the GTP podium after the #60 Acura was forced to pit for energy on the final lap.
Only 6 of the 11 GTP entries finished the race.
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