The 2024 Motul Petit Le Mans reminded lots of people why they love this model of racing a lot. A ten-hour race that comes right down to the ultimate minutes in a method that nobody expects completely embodies what makes the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship so interesting.
Saturday lacked, this yr — no less than within the high prototype class — the championship drama that’s change into the norm, however that didn’t make the race any much less loopy. Dane Cameron and Felipe Nasr got here in with sufficient of a margin that the probabilities of them dropping the GTP championship was nearly nil. Then once more, whenever you assume it’s within the bag, something can occur at Petit Le Mans — simply ask AO Racing.
Porsche Penske Motorsport as a group and Porsche as a producer had the GTP championship wrapped up as quickly as the 2 PPM 963s moist beneath the inexperienced flag, however that didn’t diminish the drama.
Whereas warning intervals and restarts ignite motion and pleasure, on this yr’s Petit Le Mans it was the dearth of yellows that heightened the present. Solely 5 cautions for 1h22m of slowed tempo stored the motion going (final yr’s race had a dozen). For an unimaginable four-and-a-half hours till the ultimate yellow, the race ran beneath inexperienced. In that prolonged interval of inexperienced working, there have been clearly two sturdy contenders for the win, no less than on outright tempo – the No. 6 PPM 963 of Nick Tandy, Mathieu Jaminet and Kevin Estre, and the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Acura ARX-06 pushed by Filipe Albuquerque, Ricky Taylor and Brendon Hartley. Within the ultimate race of the partnership between WTRAndretti and Acura, it appeared like they could lastly get the win that’s eluded them for the final a number of years.
Including to the plot was the truth that the No. 7 PPM 963 was on a unique pit sequence. Had the race run to the top with out one other warning, they wanted one full cease from the lead whereas the others would want a splash of gas to make it to the top, particularly since they wanted to race one another flat-out. Would which were sufficient handy the win to champions-elect Cameron and Nasr, plus endurance addition Matt Campbell?
Pit cycles left us scratching our heads all day lengthy. PPM could have been on technique collectively right here, however that didn’t final lengthy. Richard Dole/Lumen
We didn’t get to search out out. With just below an hour, a two-GTD-car crash left a stranded Mustang GT3 on the observe on the exit of Flip 5 — a blind nook. Ricky Taylor couldn’t keep away from it and ripped off a superb chunk of the left aspect of the Acura. The heartbreak was palpable because the TV cameras confirmed Albuquerque attempting to console his teammate.
It ended one act of the drama, however the subsequent act was even wilder. The No. 01 Cadillac Racing V-Collection.R was working its final race beneath Chip Ganassi Racing. The Cadillac operation is transferring over to Wayne Taylor Racing, and CGR will probably be sitting no less than the subsequent yr of sports activities automobile racing out. Sebastien Bourdais and Renger van der Zande have confronted an unsure future for a lot of the season. They wished to exit on a excessive, however a sensor concern and a number of journeys by the pits to resolve it left them a lap down. Even after they acquired the lap they misplaced again, the lengthy interval of caution-free racing made it troublesome for them to make up any floor on the leaders.
Then got here that ultimate yellow, the 01 was again within the battle, and it arrange a wild journey to the end. Van der Zande stalked Tandy for 15m earlier than he discovered his opening, and made a dramatic move into Flip 1 to take the lead. Behind them, Philipp Eng within the No. 24 BMW M Crew RLL M Hybrid V8 was attacking Tandy within the No. 7, however it acquired slightly too bodily because the BMW punted the Porsche, damaging the BMW and incomes Eng a drive-through.
Cadillac was within the lead, and had the tempo to remain there. You didn’t assume that was the top of it, did you? No, with 5 minutes to go, the Cadillac, which had had just one headlight a lot of the night, all of the sudden had none, and there was no method IMSA officers have been going to permit it to maintain circulating with no lights. Flashing the lights and fumbling with switches furiously contained in the cockpit whereas attempting to maintain the Caddy on the observe, van der Zande lastly discovered the answer after a number of minutes of on-off-on-off.
So Chip Ganassi Racing had its stunning swan track and rides off into the sundown with a Petit Le Mans victory. Bourdais and van der Zande finish their very long time as companions on a excessive. Oh, yeah … and Scott Dixon will get one other PLM victory.
What a narrative. However that doesn’t even have in mind the emotional curler coaster of the GTD PRO championship. Laurin Heinrich and AO Racing got here into the race with a 104-point margin within the championship standings after taking pole on Friday. The additional 5 factors earned in qualifying would show essential.
You need enduro drama? AO Racing introduced it at Petit. However from a lap down, additionally they introduced the battle — and it labored. Richard Dole/Lumen
The No. 77 Porsche 911 GT3 R, although, hit hassle early with a foul steering wheel electrical connection inflicting shifting points which noticed Julien Andlauer drop to the again of the sector, and at one level stopped on observe. The repair left Rexy six laps down in ninth place. Barring any retirements, ninth was one of the best they may do.
So far as the championship was involved, that wasn’t an issue as lengthy the No. 23 Coronary heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo completed third or worse. If it completed second, the title went to the group and driver Ross Gunn. After all, HoR and drivers Gunn, Alex Riberas and Roman De Angelis have been bouncing between second and third all race lengthy. One second the title was Heinrich’s, the subsequent it was Gunn’s. It went on for hours.
Within the ultimate half-hour, Gunn was giving all of it, reeling off his quickest laps of the day, half a second higher than every other GTD PRO automobile did all race, however he couldn’t get the Aston Martin into second, and Heinrich, in his first season of IMSA racing, took the title by 4 factors.
The sort of thrilling back-and-forth is why followers and drivers love this model of racing, the place wins and championships typically come right down to the ultimate minutes of a 10-hour race or a 66-hour season. And – that is about to get private – it’s why it’s a lot enjoyable to cowl.
As a author, I need to get the story to readers as shortly as doable, so there’s a sure satisfaction in having the ability to get a superb little bit of the report accomplished earlier than the checkered flag falls. What number of instances have I been ready to do this with the WeatherTech Championship within the final three years? Precisely as soon as. One day out of 36 races I’ve been sure sufficient concerning the consequence of the race to get a superb chunk of the report written earlier than the race was over. (In the event you’re curious, that race was Lengthy Seashore in 2022.)
IMSA racing is wild. It’s melodramatic. A race like this yr’s Petit Le Mans was heartbreaking and heartwarming on the identical time. This race, like so many others, will go down as an instantaneous traditional. Followers and drivers – and yours really – can’t await the subsequent one.
Carry on Daytona.
