The season finale of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship at Road Atlanta lived up to its reputation as a long-distance classic. After ten hours of racing, Porsche prevailed in the battle for the overall victory. Kévin Estre, Laurens Vanthoor and Matt Campbell brought the Porsche 963 with the starting number 6 over the finish line as winners after a thrilling final duel. Only 1.205 seconds separated Porsche from the second-placed BMW M Hybrid V8.
Even in the early stages of the race, changeable conditions created additional tension. Heavy rain, numerous neutralizations, and a total of 16 safety car phases made strategy a crucial factor. An additional interruption with a red flag meant that the race constantly evolved anew.
The decision was finally made in the final minutes. After ten hours, the race turned into a short sprint to the finish line, in which Laurens Vanthoor in the Porsche 963 was able to fend off all of the BMW’s attacks. The Belgian brought the car to the finish with controlled risk and at the same time maximum pressure, securing Porsche with a particularly important success for the season finale.
For Porsche, it was also a historic triumph. For the first time, a manufacturer managed to win the three major endurance races – the Daytona, Sebring and Petit Le Mans – within a single season. Moreover, Porsche secured the titles in the manufacturer, team and driver classifications of the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup.
BMW pushes on until the last lap
The BMW M Hybrid V8 with the starting number 24 delivered a tough fight to the eventual winner until the end. Dries Vanthoor, Sheldon van der Linde and Robin Frijns had already established themselves in the top group during the ten hours. Despite a late move by Frijns, the BMW trio remained in the fight for the victory.
In the final phase, a direct duel finally developed between Sheldon van der Linde and Laurens Vanthoor. The BMW driver tried to catch up with the Porsche until the last lap. In the end, however, the crucial opportunity for a overtaking attempt was missed. However, second place still meant a strong finish to the first IMSA season for BMW M Team WRT.
The WRT debut program can certainly be considered impressive: In addition to the victory in Indianapolis, four more podium finishes were added. In Road Atlanta and Detroit, the team achieved second place each time, while in Daytona and Laguna Seca, two third places were recorded.
The second BMW M Hybrid V8 was less fortunate. Car number 25, driven by Philipp Eng, Marco Wittmann and Kevin Magnussen, had to prematurely end the race after an accident. Kevin Magnussen remained uninjured in the incident.
Paul Miller Racing wins the GTD PRO title
The decision in the GTD-PRO class was also made only at the season finale. Paul Miller Racing secured the championship title with the BMW M4 GT3 EVO and the regular drivers Connor De Phillippi and Neil Verhagen.
The starting position was anything but comfortable. The BMW duo traveled to the season finale with a significant 47-point deficit. However, a strong race and the necessary results of the competition made it possible to catch up on the title race. Together with Dan Harper, De Phillippi and Verhagen achieved third place in their class in Road Atlanta – enough to win the championship.
For Paul Miller Racing, it is the first title in the overall standings of the GTD-PRO class since their rise to this category three years ago. This success crowns a season that for the team had already started strongly with the triumph at the 24 Hours of Daytona.
Bad luck for Turner Motorsport
For Turner Motorsport, the season finale took a completely different turn. The team had traveled to Road Atlanta with Robby Foley and Patrick Gallagher, with realistic chances of winning the GTD title. However, an early technical defect in the BMW M4 GT3 EVO dashed those hopes.
This ended a strong season for Turner Motorsport without the hoped-for championship victory.
Porsche is also strong in the GT classes
The Porsche customer teams also managed to impress at Road Atlanta. In the GTD PRO category, the Porsche 911 GT3 R from AO Racing and Manthey engaged in a close battle with the competition for long stretches of the race.
The Porsche 911 GT3 R known as „Rexy“ from AO Racing with Harry King, Nick Tandy and Alessio Picariello eventually finished in second place. The sister car from Manthey, however, fell back to seventh place just before the finish due to a lack of fuel.
In the GTD class, Manthey 1st Phorm completed the podium with the Porsche 911 GT3 R. Riccardo Pera, Ryan Hardwick and their teammates narrowly missed out on winning the class.
A season finale with many twists and turns
For Porsche, this marks the end of a varied IMSA season with a particularly important success. After a difficult season, the Porsche 963 number 6 managed to bounce back at the prestigious Petit Le Mans.
At the same time, BMW emphasized the positive development of its new IMSA program with second place in the WRT team. While Porsche celebrated a historic success with the overall victory, BMW secured another highlight with the GTD PRO title won by Paul Miller Racing.
The 2026 season ended at Road Atlanta with two different but equally remarkable stories: a Porsche triumph after a dramatic final duel and a surprising championship victory for Paul Miller Racing after an impressive comeback.