Get ready for an adrenaline-fueled journey as we dive into the thrilling world of motorsports! The 2025 Petit Le Mans left fans on the edge of their seats with an intense battle between Cadillac and Porsche. But here's where it gets controversial... while Porsche claimed the IMSA GTP title, it was Cadillac that stole the show and took home the Petit Le Mans victory!
The race, a showcase of IMSA's four diverse classes, delivered an action-packed 10 hours of racing around Road Atlanta. Action Express Racing's trio, Jack Aitken, Earl Bamber, and Frederik Vesti, piloted the Cadillac V-Series.R LMDh to a dramatic win, echoing the victory of the Chip Ganassi Racing squad in 2024.
On the other hand, Porsche's Matt Campbell and Mathieu Jaminet secured the IMSA SportsCar Championship drivers' title with a third-place finish. But the story doesn't end there. Porsche dominated the GTP class, sweeping the manufacturers', teams', and IMSA Endurance Cup titles as well.
The Action Express Cadillac, the fastest car for most of the race, had to fight back from an early delay to retain its Petit Le Mans crown. Aitken, who qualified second, took the lead after shadowing pole winner Tom Blomqvist in the Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-06 LMDh for the first two and a half hours.
Bamber, who had to pit with a right rear puncture after running over debris, fought his way back to second place. The Action Express entry then jumped the Porsche in the pits during the final safety car period, with four hours remaining.
Vesti built an advantage over the #24 Rahal BMW M Hybrid V8 LMDh, shared by Philipp Eng and Kevin Magnussen, which had also overtaken the Shank Acura. Campbell moved past the BMW and closed in on Bamber in the penultimate hour, but after the final round of pit stops, the Caddy driver reasserted his advantage over the Porsche, now driven by Jaminet.
All cars needed a splash-and-dash fuel stop in the final hour, with the THOR team opting for an early extra pit call. This strategy promoted De Angelis to third behind the Cadillac and the factory Lamborghini SC63 LMDh.
The LMP2 class honors went to the #11 TDS Racing ORECA-Gibson 07, while PJ Hyett and Dane Cameron took the class title in their AO Racing ORECA. In the GTD Pro category, BMW took the victory with the Paul Miller Racing M4 GT3 EVO, followed by the Corvette Racing/Pratt & Miller Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs.
The 2025 Petit Le Mans was a thrilling display of skill, strategy, and endurance. And this is the part most people miss: it's not just about the win, but the journey and the battles along the way. So, what do you think? Was Cadillac's victory a well-deserved comeback, or did Porsche's dominance deserve more recognition? Let's discuss in the comments!
