Porsche Penske Victorious in Thrilling Wet-Weather WEC Lone Star Le Mans at COTA
In a gripping display of endurance racing, Porsche Penske Motorsport clinched their first World Endurance Championship (WEC) Hypercar victory of the current season at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA). The #6 Porsche 963 LMDh, steered by the formidable trio of Laurens Vanthoor, Matt Campbell, and Kevin Estre, navigated through treacherous wet conditions to secure a well-deserved win. The race was a testament to strategic prowess and driver skill, as drying track conditions in the final hour transformed the event into a thrilling dash to the finish line, keeping spectators on the edge of their seats.
Kevin Estre, taking the helm of the #6 Porsche, seized the lead with just under two hours remaining. Following the sixth safety car deployment, Estre made a decisive move, positioning his Porsche alongside Alessandro Pier Guidi's #51 factory Ferrari 499P Le Mans Hypercar at Turn 1. A minimal contact during the overtake resulted in a front-left puncture for the Ferrari, shared by Pier Guidi, James Calado, and Antonio Giovinazzi. While the incident was reviewed, Estre received only a warning for contact made shortly after the safety car departed, indicating the intense nature of the battle.
Estre's performance in this phase of the race was exceptional, as he quickly opened a significant gap over the #50 factory 499P, driven by Miguel Molina. Despite subsequent safety car periods, Estre consistently re-established his advantage, ultimately crossing the finish line with an 8.6-second lead after all frontrunners made late fuel stops. The #50 Ferrari, co-piloted by Molina, Nicklas Nielsen, and Antonio Fuoco, secured the runner-up position, but Molina faced an arduous task to reclaim second place from Stoffel Vandoorne's #94 Peugeot 9X8 2024 LMH during the final splash-and-dash pit stops for fuel, eventually succeeding with only six laps remaining. This marked a strong showing for Peugeot, nearly achieving their best WEC result since their 2022 entry.
The #94 Peugeot, with Vandoorne, Loic Duval, and Malthe Jakobsen at the wheel, narrowly missed a podium finish, while the sister #93 car, driven by Jean-Eric Vergne, Paul di Resta, and Mikkel Jensen, secured fourth. The #51 Ferrari, despite its earlier setback, recovered to fifth place, allowing Pier Guidi and his teammates to extend their championship lead. Cadillac, rebounding from a challenging qualifying session due to a wet tire gamble, saw Earl Bamber make significant early gains in the car shared with Sébastien Bourdais and Jenson Button, eventually finishing sixth despite a dramatic spin and an unscheduled stop for a windscreen wiper replacement. The other Cadillac, driven by Will Stevens, Alex Lynn, and Norman Nato, showed strong potential, battling for second place in the penultimate hour before dropping to eighth after an early final stop.
In the LMGT3 category, McLaren and United Autosports celebrated their first victory, with Marino Sato, Sean Gelael, and Darren Leung triumphing in a fiercely contested finale. Sato initially finished second in the #95 McLaren 720S GT3 EVO, trailing the #54 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 of Davide Rigon, Francesco Castellacci, and Thomas Flohr. However, a five-second post-race penalty for contact in the closing stages dropped the Ferrari to third, elevating the McLaren to victory and the #46 WRT BMW M4 GT3 Evo, shared by Valentino Rossi, Kelvin van der Linde, and Ahmad Al Harthy, to second place. The strategic shift to slick tires on a drying track proved crucial for the McLaren and BMW, allowing them to overcome competitors who remained on wet tires.
The race experienced a red flag after just one hour due to an operational mix-up involving the safety car. A second safety car was deployed when the first required refueling, leading some cars to mistakenly follow it into the pits. Race control subsequently halted the event to re-establish the correct order. Toyota faced another challenging weekend, with both of their GR010 HYBRID LMH cars experiencing multiple spins. The #8 car, driven by Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley, and Ryo Hirakawa, managed to finish ninth, while the #7 entry, with Jose Maria Lopez substituting for the injured Mike Conway, dropped to fourteenth after an off-track excursion. The Aston Martin Valkyrie LMH cars, run by The Heart of Racing team, demonstrated competitive pace but ultimately retired in the final hour due to engine issues caused by debris obstructing their radiators, highlighting the unpredictable nature of endurance racing.