BRASELTON, Ga. — Endurance sports car races — like professional golf tournaments — don’t instantly achieve “major” status.
But 28 years since its creation by longtime friend of sports car racing Don Panoz, who was inducted into the IMSA Hall of Fame this year, the Motul Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta has truly earned its place among sports car racing’s majors.
That includes the first two IMSA “crown jewel” events to start the season, with the Rolex 24 At Daytona and the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. Of course, the race that inspired the name of the late Panoz’s signature event is the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Major Event
Between some 241 race transporters and all the cars and trucks that carried in thousands of week-long campers and daily ticket holders, the Road Atlanta infield appeared filled to capacity by early Thursday afternoon. Local landowners came to the rescue, renting their properties to IMSA to create additional parking areas outside the compact 2.54-mile circuit.
On Friday and Saturday, vehicles were lined up for more than two miles in each direction on the Winder Highway with spectators eager to enjoy the perfect Fall weather and a full slate of road racing action that included Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup by Michelin, Porsche Carrera Cup North America, IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge, the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, and of course the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s 10-hour season finale.
Post-race traffic went much smoother after IMSA took the unprecedented step of asking competitors to remain at the circuit and not start rolling their transporters until at least midnight (the race ended at 10:10 p.m.) to speed up the exit process for fans.
“We had a complete sellout,” said IMSA President John Doonan. “We had to stop selling tickets because we couldn’t fit any more people in.
“From the attendance to the racing, it was truly an epic weekend.”
Porsche’s Podium
Porsche Motorsport and Team Penske share a reputation for ordered perfection. That’s not how Motul Petit Le Mans race day started for Porsche Penske Motorsport, but it ended with Mathieu Jaminet and Matt Campbell standing on the podium after a third-place finish hoisting trophies for IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship driver’s, team and manufacturer titles – with a bit of unexpected help.
Jaminet revealed that he and Campbell nearly arrived late for the final reconnaissance lap prior to the grid walk and race start. And then they got some unwelcome news about their intended co-driver.
“It took us one hour, 40 minutes to get to the track – which is good news (for IMSA) because there is a lot of fans out there,” Jaminet recalled. “This is positive, but we nearly missed the recon lap, so managed to work and park on the side of the road to get there. Then we realized we had no third driver.”
Upon arrival, Campbell and Jaminet learned that third driver Julien Andlauer would be unable to participate in the race. Pressed for time, Porsche worked together with IMSA to come up with the instant solution of having Vanthoor – who was scheduled to co-drive the No. 7 Porsche with Nick Tandy and Felipe Nasr – pull double-duty in both Porsches.
“‘Larry’ (Vanthoor) stuck his hand up when it started going the wrong direction and said, ‘Hey, I’ll do whatever you guys need to do,’” said Team Penske President and Porsche Penske Motorsport Managing Director Jonathan Diuguid. “From that point, it was just management between the 6 and the 7 cars of the drive time.”
It was Porsche’s second consecutive championship in the three years of IMSA’s modern Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class era, and Porsche’s record 63rd manufacturer’s title in IMSA competition.
“Larry is well-paid, so it’s OK,” joked Porsche’s Director of LMDh Factory Racing, Urs Kuratle. “I couldn’t be prouder of the drivers. Having a back-to-back championship is quite remarkable, and I couldn’t be any prouder to be part of the team.”
Corvette Crowned
The old joke used to run something along the lines of “Death, taxes, and another championship for Corvette Racing.” But the Corvette factory team operated in partnership with Pratt Miller Motorsports had not achieved a title since Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor claimed the final GT Le Mans class championship in 2021.
That aberration ended Saturday night at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta as Garcia and Alexander Sims in the No. 3 Corvette Z06 GT3.R notched their first GTD PRO title with a third-place finish in the Motul Petit Le Mans – Corvette Racing’s 16th team and Chevrolet’s 15th manufacturer championship since 2001.
This was a title built on consistency and execution, bolstered by a single but timely victory at Virginia International Raceway.
“It’s just more proof that every car that Chevrolet and Corvette Racing builds is capable of winning,” said Garcia. “I was very lucky to win with many versions of the Corvette, but with the same key Pratt Miller team members. Even if we all evolve, the cars evolve.”
Garcia earned his sixth IMSA championship, while Sims has now carded a pair of his own.
“I was nervous today,” Garcia admitted. “Even if I’m as old as I am and the experience I have to date, I felt everything had to be perfect. So that’s why I was kind of with a little bit of that extra pressure in a way.
“But once the flag dropped, I think I forgot about everything. Another great day for Corvette Racing and Team Chevy.”
