IMSA Petit Le Mans: Estre and Vanthoor's Porsche 963 wins
The newsroomUpdated on October 5, 20264 minKevin Estre, Laurens Vanthoor and Matt Campbell give Porsche Penske victory in the 2026 Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta, ahead of BMW and Cadillac, after 10 hours.
Key point
Porsche Penske wins the 2026 Petit Le Mans by 1.205 seconds over BMW, and Kevin Estre takes his first IMSA victory in his 32nd start.
Kevin Estre, Laurens Vanthoor and Matt Campbell won the 2026 Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta (Braselton, Georgia), the final round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, run on 3 October 2026. Their No. 6 Porsche 963, entered by Porsche Penske Motorsport, won after 10 hours and 368 laps, finishing 1.205 seconds ahead of the No. 24 BMW M Hybrid V8 of BMW M Team WRT.
The GTP podium
- 1. No. 6 Porsche 963 (Porsche Penske Motorsport): Kevin Estre, Laurens Vanthoor, Matt Campbell
- 2. No. 24 BMW M Hybrid V8 (BMW M Team WRT): Sheldon van der Linde, Dries Vanthoor, Robin Frijns, 1.205 behind
- 3. No. 40 Cadillac V-Series.R (Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing): Jordan Taylor, Louis Delétraz, Colton Herta, 8.630 behind the winner
A historic win for Porsche and Penske
Porsche had never won overall at Road Atlanta in the top class: its 2015 success came with a GT car. It is the marque's second overall Petit Le Mans win and the first with a prototype. For Team Penske it is the first outright endurance victory; its previous successes were three LMP2 class wins between 2006 and 2008.
Kevin Estre finally wins in IMSA
The Frenchman takes his first IMSA victory in his 32nd start. Until now he had 11 podiums without a win, 5 in GT and 6 in the top class, including three runner-up finishes. At Petit Le Mans he already had three class podiums, including second overall in 2024. His season had been turbulent: race director Beaux Barfield put him on probation after a collision with Jack Aitken at Road America.
A race chopped up by cautions
The event set a record with 16 full-course cautions, and a 30-minute red flag was needed because of lightning. Nearly half the race was run behind the safety car or stopped.
The other classes
- LMP2: George Kurtz, Alex Quinn and Toby Sowery (CrowdStrike Racing by APR, ORECA 07) won by 0.666 seconds over Tom Dillmann (Inter Europol Competition) and took the LMP2 title, the first IMSA title for each of them. Sowery stayed on slick tyres in the rain, a gamble that paid off.
- GTD: Winward Racing's No. 57 Mercedes-AMG GT3 (Philip Ellis, Russell Ward, Indy Dontje) won and secured a third straight GTD title.
- GTD Pro: the Car Blanche entry won.
Frequently asked questions
Who won the 2026 Petit Le Mans?
The No. 6 Porsche 963 of Porsche Penske Motorsport, driven by Kevin Estre, Laurens Vanthoor and Matt Campbell, ahead of the No. 24 BMW (1.205 behind) and the No. 40 Cadillac (8.630 behind).
Why is this win historic?
It is Porsche's first overall win at Road Atlanta with a prototype (the 2015 success came in a GT car) and Team Penske's first outright endurance victory.
What were the race conditions?
The 10-hour race had a record 16 full-course cautions and a 30-minute red flag because of lightning.
Sources
- Motorsport.com — Vanthoor holds off BMW to give Porsche a historic Petit Le Mans win
- Motorsport.com — Kevin Estre breaks his IMSA victory curse at Petit Le Mans
- Motorsport.com — CrowdStrike wins Petit Le Mans and the IMSA LMP2 title
- Motorsport.com — Winward wins Petit Le Mans for a third straight GTD title
Written by the Karrazmotorsport newsroom, proofread before publication. For settings, always refer to your vehicle's manual. Our charter.
Newsletter · free
The Friday paddock
The essentials of motorsport, every Friday in your inbox. Free, one email a week.
Choose my categories
