Cadillac Whelen Action Express Racing capped off the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season in victory lane Saturday night holding off fierce late-race challenges to win the sold out 28th edition of the Motul Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta while Porsche Penske Motorsport secured the 2025 Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) championship.
Earl Bamber, Jack Aitken, and Frederik Vesti piloted the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R to a 5.182-second win over the No. 23 THOR Team Aston Martin Valkyrie of Roman De Angelis, Ross Gunn, and Alex Riberas. The victory marked Cadillac’s fifth Petit Le Mans triumph and the second straight win for Action Express Racing following its September success at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“It’s been a true pleasure the last couple of weekends,” said Aitken, who entered the race sixth in the GTP standings but climbed to second with the win. “We were knocking at the door all season. Everything finally came together.”
Bamber took the checkered flag after fuel and energy management dominated the final stint which saw the leading prototypes forced into a late race pit stop for additional fuel. Both the No. 31 Cadillac and the second-placed No. 6 Porsche 963 of Mathieu Jaminet stopped for fuel with 13 minutes to go, briefly handing the lead to Romain Grosjean in the No. 63 Lamborghini SC63.
Grosjean attempted to stretch his car’s remaining energy in what is possibly its final outing, but he was forced to pit again with five minutes remaining, allowing the Aston Martin Valkyrie to secure its first-ever endurance racing podium.. The fourth place finish by Grosjean and co-drivers Edoardo Mortara and former Red Bull F1 driver Daniil Kvyat, still marked the best finish for the Lamborghini prototype.
Earlier, Aitken and Bamber fought hard with Tom Blomqvist’s pole-sitting Acura ARX-06 in the opening hours of the race. But a mid-race puncture dropped the Cadillac to 12th, however good pit work and a consistent race pace brought the team back to the top of the standings hour six mark. From there, the trio controlled the race during an unusual almost 4 hours of green flag racing to the end of the ten hour race. “That was a true IMSA race,” said Bamber. “We had to dig deep after the puncture, but the team timed everything perfectly. Just a phenomenal job by everyone at Cadillac.”
Porsche Penske Motorsports Clinches GTP Title
Mathew Jaminet, Matt Campbell, and Laurens Vanthoor brought the No. 6 Porsche 963 of Porsche-Penske Motorsports home in third place to secure the GTP drivers’ and manufacturers’ titles for Porsche. Vanthoor did double duty in both his usal No. 6 Porsche as well as filled in for Julien Andlauer in the No.7 Team Penske Porsche who suffered a back injury that prevented him from competing in the race.
Vanthoor was only allowed to score points in the No. 6 car that he had originally been entered for. He also was required to meet minimum drive time requirements for both cars to be scored.
The result gave Porsche a 42-point championship margin over Acura and its second IMSA GTP Manufacturer’s title in three years.
The Championship comes in the same week as Porsche-Penske announced that it was ending its World Endurance Championship campaign of the 963 to focus on the IMSA Championship.
TDS Takes LMP2 Victory; AO Racing Captures Title
In LMP2, TDS Racing’s Steven Thomas, Mikkel Jensen, and Hunter McElrea delivered a commanding performance to take class honors despite starting from the rear due to a post-qualifying technical penalty. The result served as a farewell for Thomas, who confirmed Petit Le Mans was his final IMSA race.
AO Racing’s No. 99 ORECA 07 Gibson, nicknamed Spike, finished sixth but secured the LMP2 championship and Michelin Endurance Cup on a tiebreaker. Drivers PJ Hyett, Dane Cameron, and Jonny Edgar overcame early contact and multiple setbacks to close out the season. Hyett also earned the Jim Trueman Award, guaranteeing entry into the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Home Town Team Takes GTD Pro Win
In GTD PRO, the No. 48 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 EVO earned a commanding win, anchored by an outstanding closing stint from Dan Harper, who overtook Corvette’s Nicky Catsburg in the final hour to secure the class victory. Harper shared the car with Max Hesse and Connor De Phillippi, guiding the team to both the race win and the Michelin Endurance Cup title.
Based in Buford, Georgia, and considering Road Atlanta its home track, Paul Miller Racing’s victory carried extra significance. The team’s facility is located just minutes from the circuit, making Petit Le Mans one of its most meaningful event of the season.
While BMW claimed the race, the GTD PRO championships went to Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports, whose No. 3 Corvette Z06 GT3.R finished third to clinch the driver, team, and manufacturer titles. Antonio García, Alexander Sims, and Daniel Juncadella delivered Chevrolet its 16th IMSA title and Corvette Racing’s sixth in the modern GT era.
Corvette’s closest challenger, DragonSpeed’s No. 81 Ferrari 296 GT3, faded late after contact and a penalty, finishing seventh and conceding the title fight.
Winward Racing Takes GTD Title as Ferrari Claims Finale
The Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) finale mirrored the PRO class — one team taking the race, another taking the season.
The No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 secured its second consecutive championship just after the start, locking in the GTD drivers’ and manufacturer titles for Russell Ward, Philip Ellis, and Indy Dontje. It was an impressive result for Mercedes-AMG’s only full-season GTD entry in 2025.
On track, it was Af Corse that stole the spotlight. The Italian team’s No. 21 Ferrari 296 GT3, driven by Simon Mann, Alessandro Pier Guidi, and Lilou Wadoux, crossed the line just over four seconds ahead of the Triarsi Competizione Ferrari to claim the GTD race win. Wadoux made history as the first woman in 20 years to win Petit Le Mans.
Af Corse also wrapped up the Michelin Endurance Cup in GTD, with Vasser Sullivan’s No. 12 Lexus RC F GT3 rounding out the podium. A chaotic first-lap crash eliminated several contenders — including Ferraris, a Ford Mustang, and a Lamborghini.
Looking Ahead
With the 2025 season complete, IMSA teams will regroup next month for 2026 homologation testing at Daytona International Speedway, marking the start of preparations for the 2026 Season opener at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona.
