IMSA Petit Le Mans: Ganassi wins on Cadillac swansong, GTP title for Nasr/Cameron

Saturday’s 27th edition of Petit Le Mans, the 10-hour brainchild of the late Dr. Don Panoz, was truly a classic. It had everything: a record-sized field (and crowd), intense competition, excitement aplenty, precious few yellow-flag interruptions, and a thrilling climax as Renger van der Zande performed a spectacular pass on Nick Tandy’s Penske Porsche in Turn 1 with 15 minutes remaining to secure an incredible come-from-behind victory for Chip Ganassi’s Cadillac Racing team.

There was plenty of trepidation as a total of 53 cars lined up on a gorgeous autumn morning, especially given the context of last year’s race which ended behind the Safety Car after a record 12 cautions. But after a trio of relatively minor interruptions during the first 100 minutes, there was only one more until just inside the final hour.

The lack of cautions proved frustrating for a few potential contenders in the four classes (GTP, LMP2, GTD Pro and GTD) who were unable to use their strategic nous to overcome some early issues.

Prime among them were the two Cadillacs. Jack Aitken qualified the Action Express car on pole and controlled the early stages until being assessed a penalty for overtaking under a local yellow flag. The car fell a lap off the lead lap after co-driver Tom Blomqvist also incurred the wrath of race officials having inadvertently tipped Jesse Krohn’s BMW into a spin at Turn 7.

Ganassi’s #01 also experienced early drama. The team thought it had rectified a torque-sensor issue that had reared its head during qualifying, but received a warning merely seven minutes into the race when IMSA’s monitoring system detected a “failure to adhere to the controlled powertrain parameters”. Just 10 minutes later, Sebastien Bourdais was called into the pits with what is termed a “mechanical black flag”.

Engineers from the team and Cadillac worked feverishly and diligently – along with IMSA’s technical team – to identify the problem, and were certainly fortunate that the three early caution periods ensured the car lost only one lap.

With both Cadillacs in catch-up mode, the pair of Porsche Penske Motorsport 963s crewed by Tandy/Mathieu Jaminet/Kevin Estre and Felipe Nasr/Dane Cameron/Matt Campbell took control of the proceedings, albeit unable to shake off the #10 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Acura ARX-06 of Filipe Albuquerque/Ricky Taylor/Brendon Hartley.

The #10 WTR crew was out of luck once again at Road Atlanta, when Taylor was unsighted and hit a stranded Mustang in the dark (Photo by: Michael L. Levitt / Motorsport Images)

The points-leading #7 Porsche of Nasr curiously did not make a pit stop at the first time of asking during a caution immediately after the four-hour mark. The ploy not only precluded an opportunity for several rival teams to gain a lap back, it also played into the hands of the sister Porsche, which took the lead at the restart.

Estre, however, was unable to take full advantage, since both the privateer #5 Proton Porsche of Alessio Piccariello and Blomqvist’s Cadillac had elected not to pit and therefore took the green flag directly in front of the leading Frenchman. Right behind, too, were Colton Herta, in the #40 WTR Acura, and the Ganassi Cadillac of Scott Dixon, both desperate to get back on the lead lap.

It took a while, but both were able to achieve their objective. Still, with half of the race remaining, they would require assistance to truly get themselves back into contention.

A drive-through penalty for Tandy after 242 laps following contact with an LMP2 car proved to be but a minor inconvenience as the fired-up Englishman charged hard to make up the lost ground.

With two hours remaining, the contest seemed to be boiling down to a straight fight between the Tandy/Jaminet/Estre Porsche and the WTR/Andretti Acura. The #7 Porsche also was in contention, albeit on a slightly different fuel strategy and having lost some time with an off on cold tyres for Campbell immediately after a pitstop on lap 319.

Tandy took advantage of some traffic to nip past Taylor for the lead on lap 369. At this stage it was nip and tuck. Both leaders pitted together with 392 laps in the books, but while the WTR Acura team managed to release Taylor in the lead, the American almost immediately became yet another victim of cold Michelin tyres as he slipped off the road at Turn 3. Tandy was back ahead.

The final caution was triggered when the GTD Proton Ford Mustang of Corey Lewis was left stranded in the road after heavy contact on the exit of Turn 5. A huge group of cars, including the overall leaders, were forced to take evasive action in the darkness. Taylor, unfortunately, collided with the stranded Ford, causing extensive damage to the left-front corner of the Acura.

Van der Zande was the primary beneficiary, his deficit of almost a lap instantly erased. The Dutchman was on a mission at the restart, especially after losing out in the closing stages one year ago. After 430 laps and with Tandy losing a little momentum through the final corner, van der Zande pulled of a breathtaking move to the inside at Turn 1. He was through and gone.

Nasr and Cameron collected the title by finishing third alongside Campbell (Photo by: Jake Galstad / Motorsport Images)

“I was all in,” he said later. “Win it or bin it. I’m just so overjoyed.”

‘This is the last big one that was missing from our trophy case,” added team owner Ganassi, reflecting upon several near misses in the endurance classic – and in his team’s final race with Cadillac, which will switch allegiance to WTR/Andretti in 2025.

Penske Porsche gained solace with Nasr/Cameron winning both the overall GTP championship and the Michelin Endurance Cup.

The other classes also provided tremendous excitement, with Steven Thomas/Hunter McElrea/Mikkel Jensen scooping LMP2 honours for TDS Racing, Franck Perera/Mirko Bortolotti/Jordan Pepper topping the GTD Pro field in their Iron Lynx Lamborghini and the Conquest Racing Ferrari of Manny Franco/Albert Costa/Cedric Sbirrazzuoli securing their first GTD win by less than a second.

Despite a faulty cable connection on the steering wheel, a disrupted run to 11th in GTD Pro was enough for Laurin Heinrich to secure the title in the AO Racing Porsche he shared with Michael Christensen and Julien Andlauer.

Philip Ellis and Russell Ward's Winward Mercedes collected the pro-am GTD class crown by finishing eighth with Indy Dontje, as LMP2 glory was secured by the Inter Europol by PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports entry of Nick Boulle and Tom Dillmann.

IMSA Petit Le Mans Race Results

Main Information Additional Data Additional Data Driver Info

1

 - 

4

Main Information Additional Data 1  -  2
Cla	Drivers	#		Chassis	Laps	Time	Interval	Pits	Points	Retirement
1	R. van der Zande S. Bourdais S. Dixon Cadillac Racing	01		Cadillac V-Series.R	443	10:00'36.290		10	378
2	N. Tandy M. Jaminet K. Estre Porsche Penske Motorsport	6		Porsche 963	443	+2.948 10:00'39.238	2.948	12	343
3	D. Cameron F. Nasr M. Campbell Porsche Penske Motorsport	7		Porsche 963	443	+13.832 10:00'50.122	10.884	8	332
4	J. Krohn P. Eng A. Farfus BMW M Team RLL	24		BMW M Hybrid V8	442	+1 Lap 10:00'45.294	1 Lap	11	302
5	P. Derani J. Aitken T. Blomqvist Whelen Cadillac Racing	31		Cadillac V-Series.R	442	+1 Lap 10:01'29.054	43.760	11	295
6	G. Bruni B. Viscaal A. Picariello Proton Competition	5		Porsche 963	441	+2 Laps 10:01'17.736	1 Lap	10	271
7	J. Taylor L. Deletraz C. Herta Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti	40		Acura ARX-06	440	+3 Laps 10:00'59.739	1 Lap	11	264
8	T. Steven M. Jensen H. McElrea TDS Racing	11		ORECA 07	435	+8 Laps 10:01'12.942	5 Laps	15	382
9	G. Robinson F. Fraga J. Burdon Riley	74		ORECA 07	435	+8 Laps 10:01'30.039	17.097	13	345
10	D. Merriman R. Dalziel C. Zilisch Era Motorsport	18		ORECA 07	435	+8 Laps 10:01'37.959	7.920	13	322
11	N. Boulle J. Smiechowski T. Dillmann Inter Europol by PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports	52		ORECA 07	435	+8 Laps 10:01'42.652	4.693	13	308
12	J. Farano S. Alvarez F. Vesti Tower Motorsports	8		ORECA 07	435	+8 Laps 10:01'45.431	2.779	12	281
13	L. Perez Companc N. Nielsen L. Wadoux Richard Mille AF Corse	88		ORECA 07	434	+9 Laps 10:01'01.410	1 Lap	14	273
14	P. Hyett P. Chatin M. Brabham AO Racing	99		ORECA 07	432	+11 Laps 10:01'51.854	2 Laps	12	270
15	M. Cairoli A. Caldarelli R. Grosjean Lamborghini Iron Lynx	63		Lamborghini SC63	430	+13 Laps 10:01'33.639	2 Laps	11	250
16	D. Andersen S. Lucas S. Huffaker MDK by High Class Racing	20		ORECA 07	417	+26 Laps 10:00'37.042	13 Laps	16	254
17	F. Perera J. Pepper M. Bortolotti Iron Lynx	19		Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2	413	+30 Laps 10:01'14.785	4 Laps	9	374
18	D. Serra D. Rigon A. Pier Guidi Risi Competizione	62		Ferrari 296 GT3	413	+30 Laps 10:01'17.146	2.361	8	338
19	R. Gunn A. Riberas R. De Angelis Heart Of Racing Team	23		Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo	413	+30 Laps 10:01'18.991	1.845	8	330
20	M. Farnbacher Z. Robichon M. Sorensen Heart Of Racing Team	027		Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo	413	+30 Laps 10:01'42.130	23.139	8	303
21	A. Garcia A. Sims D. Juncadella Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports	3		Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R	413	+30 Laps 10:01'48.961	6.831	8	288
22	J. Hand D. Muller F. Vervisch Ford Multimatic Motorsports	65		Ford Mustang GT3	412	+31 Laps 10:01'44.092	1 Lap	8	276
23	B. Sellers M. Snow N. Verhagen Paul Miller Racing	1		BMW M4 GT3	412	+31 Laps 10:01'54.231	10.139	8	261
24	H. Tincknell M. Rockenfeller C. Mies Ford Multimatic Motorsports	64		Ford Mustang GT3	411	+32 Laps 10:01'44.880	1 Lap	9	255
25	M. Franco A. Costa C. Sbirrazzuoli Conquest Racing	34		Ferrari 296 GT3	411	+32 Laps 10:01'47.779	2.899	8	373
26	M. Goikhberg L. Spinelli D. DeFrancesco Forte Racing	78		Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2	411	+32 Laps 10:01'48.497	0.718	8	341
27	F. Montecalvo P. Thompson A. Telitz Vasser Sullivan	12		Lexus RC F GT3	410	+33 Laps 10:00'39.068	1 Lap	9	314
28	O. Triarsi C. Scardina A. Rovera Triarsi Competizione	023		Ferrari 296 GT3	410	+33 Laps 10:00'43.286	4.218	10	280
29	K. Marcelli D. Formal G. Doyle Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti	45		Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2	410	+33 Laps 10:00'47.882	4.596	9	286
30	S. Mann F. Heriau M. Molina Af Corse	21		Ferrari 296 GT3	410	+33 Laps 10:00'48.509	0.627	9	275
31	B. Iribe F. Schandorff O. Millroy Inception Racing	70		Ferrari 296 GT3	410	+33 Laps 10:01'18.084	29.575	13	260
32	R. Ward P. Ellis I. Dontje Winward Racing	57		Mercedes AMG GT3	410	+33 Laps 10:01'46.482	28.398	9	260
33	R. Foley P. Gallagher J. Walker Turner Motorsport	96		BMW M4 GT3	409	+34 Laps 10:00'47.169	1 Lap	11	252
34	M. Kirchhofer O. Jarvis J. Hinchcliffe Pfaff Motorsports	9		McLaren 720S GT3 EVO	408	+35 Laps 10:00'44.857	1 Lap	11	242
35	S. Yoluc R. Andrade S. Andrews Lone Star Racing	80		Mercedes AMG GT3	408	+35 Laps 10:00'58.802	13.945	10	245
36	T. Vilander T. Neubauer V. Abril DragonSpeed	82		Ferrari 296 GT3	408	+35 Laps 10:01'04.013	5.211	8	229
37	L. Heinrich M. Christensen J. Andlauer AO Racing	77		Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)	408	+35 Laps 10:01'43.458	39.445	9	235
38	O. Fidani M. Bell L. Kern AWA	13		Chevrolet Corvette C8.R GTD	407	+36 Laps 10:00'51.100	1 Lap	8	200
39	S. Monk T. Calderon S. McAleer Gradient Racing	66		Acura NSX GT3	406	+37 Laps 10:01'03.454	1 Lap	9	207
dnf	R. Taylor F. Albuquerque B. Hartley Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti	10		Acura ARX-06	405	+38 Laps 9:04'52.234	1 Lap	9	246	Retirement
41	R. Frey M. Gatting S. Bovy Iron Dames	83		Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2	404	+39 Laps 10:01'04.595	1 Lap	9	204
42	R. Lacorte G. Sernagiotto A. Fuoco Cetilar Racing	47		Ferrari 296 GT3	402	+41 Laps 10:01'05.115	2 Laps	15	192
dnf	K. Li A. Fjordbach K. Bachler MDK Motorsports	86		Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)	397	+46 Laps 9:44'39.836	5 Laps	10	175	Retirement
dnf	A. Adelson E. Skeer J. Heylen Wright Motorsports	120		Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)	373	+70 Laps 9:04'24.581	24 Laps	8	168	Retirement
dnf	R. Hardwick G. Levorato C. Lewis Proton Competition	55		Ford Mustang GT3	372	+71 Laps 9:01'09.687	1 Lap	7	159	Retirement
46	T. Milner N. Catsburg E. Bamber Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports	4		Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R	357	+86 Laps 10:01'41.000	15 Laps	9	222
dnf	D. Goldburg P. di Resta B. Garg United Autosports USA	22		ORECA 07	248	+195 Laps 6:21'53.487	109 Laps	7	246	Retirement
dnf	C. de Phillippi N. Yelloly M. Martin BMW M Team RLL	25		BMW M Hybrid V8	170	+273 Laps 3:53'54.936	78 Laps	4	240	Retirement
dnf	T. van der Helm R. Westbrook P. Hanson JDC/Miller Motorsports	85		Porsche 963	160	+283 Laps 3:41'09.393	10 Laps	3	225	Retirement
dnf	B. Keating B. Hanley N. Pino United Autosports USA	2		ORECA 07	116	+327 Laps 3:59'37.507	44 Laps	2	245	Retirement
dnf	J. Hawksworth B. Barnicoat K. Kirkwood Vasser Sullivan	14		Lexus RC F GT3	113	+330 Laps 2:50'14.815	3 Laps	2	200	Retirement
dnf	J. Potter A. Lally S. Pumpelly Magnus Racing	44		Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo	14	+429 Laps 20'17.424	99 Laps		146	Retirement
dq	M. Grenier K. Koch M. Skeen Korthoff/Preston Motorsports	32		Mercedes AMG GT3	410	+33 Laps 10:00'42.431	9:40'25.007	9	148
View full results