When Porsche claims its first top-class victory in one of sports car racing’s crown jewel events, it’s a historic day. 

That’s what unfolded Saturday at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta as Laurens Vanthoor, Kevin Estre, and Matt Campbell guided the No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963 to the top spot in the 29th annual Motul Petit Le Mans. The victory represented overall and Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class triumphs in the 2026 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season finale. 

Porsche famously took the overall Motul Petit Le Mans win in 2015 with a GT Le Mans class Porsche 911 RSR entry on a day when torrential rain and bespoke tires were key determining factors in nullifying the speed advantage typically enjoyed by faster prototype classes.

Wet weather impacted the proceedings again this year, contributing to a record 16 full course cautions and a 27-minute stoppage due to nearby lightning. But there was no anomaly in terms of the result.

The Penske-prepared factory Porsches took control of the second half of the race, but Felipe Nasr suffered a heavy crash in the No. 7 car he shared with Julien Andlauer and Laurin Heinrich with 90 minutes remaining in the 10-hour endurance contest.

Vanthoor in the No. 6 passed Earl Bamber (No. 31 Cadillac Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R) for the lead with 49 minutes on the clock, then bested Sheldon van der Linde in the No. 24 BMW M Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8 in a tense duel over the final half hour.

Vanthoor crossed the line 1.205 seconds ahead of van der Linde, whose co-drivers were Dries Vanthoor and Robin Frijns. The No. 40 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac V-Series.R driven by Jordan Taylor, Louis Deletraz, and Colton Herta moved up to the final podium position on the final lap. Tom Blomqvist had to pit the Motul Pole Award-winning No. 60 Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian Acura ARX-06 for energy replenishment at the white flag, dropping the entry that also featured Colin Braun and Scott Dixon to fourth. Watch the Race Highlights here. (Thank you to John Oreovicz/IMSA Wire Service)

In a race and championship with more plot twists than an Agatha Christie “whodunit” thriller, Mattia Drudi and the No. 68 Car Blanche Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo charged to the lead in the final hour of the Motul Petit Le Mans and claimed their first IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship victory. Drudi shared the car with Valentin Hasse Clot and Marco Sorensen as one of IMSA’s newest teams stepped up to Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) midseason and made its first IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup race start in GTD PRO at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. The race plot twist came alongside the battle for the GTD PRO championship, which went the way of Connor De Phillippi and Neil Verhagen in the No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 EVO. They finished third, co-driving with Dan Harper, to secure the full-season driver and team championships and IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup GTD PRO titles. (Thank you to David Phillips and Dylan Spaulding/IMSA Wire Service)

All eyes in Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) fixated on the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 and its slim championship lead entering the 2026 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship finale. By day’s end, Philip Ellis, Russell Ward and Indy Dontje had delivered Winward’s first Motul Petit Le Mans victory and a third consecutive GTD championship.

(MotoGP.com)

The master of Motegi for the fourth time. And now, just two points away from the championship lead. The 2026 Motul Grand Prix of Japan delivered a scintillating double victory for Marc Marquez (No. 93 Ducati Lenovo Team), who battled past title rival Jorge Martin (No. 89 Aprilia Racing) on Sunday afternoon to chop the standings lead back down to that ultra-slim margin ahead of a trip to Indonesia. It was the 2024 World Champion, Martin, who collected a vital 20 points to hold onto the title race lead, while teammate Marco Bezzecchi (No. 71 Aprilia Racing) kept his cool under intense late pressure from a charging Enea Bastianini (No. 23 Red Bull KTM Tech3) to pick up a podium. Watch the Race Highlights here. (Thank you to MotoGP.com)

(Formula1.com)

Max Verstappen (No. 3 Oracle Red Bull Racing) converted pole position into victory during Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, which was impacted by heavy rain, featured an entertaining crossover from intermediate tires to slicks, and saw overtaking from start to finish – as well as a dramatic late retirement for George Russell (No. 63 Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team). Kimi Antonelli (No. 12 Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team) was second and Lewis Hamilton (No. 44 Scuderia Ferrari) stormed from the back to finish third. Watch the Race Highlights here. (Thank you to Formula1.com)

Editor's Note: This is our dearly departed billboard, which we had at Road America for several years. Peter gifted the phrase "America's National Park of Speed" to the track, which now uses it proudly in all of its communications. -WG

 

 

 

Editor's Note: Click on "Next 1 Entries" at the bottom of this page to see previous issues. - WG