2025 Petit Le Mans Race Review: Whelen Cadillac Takes Victory as Porsche Secures GTP Championship Glory
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The 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season came to a dramatic close under the Georgia sunset at Road Atlanta, with the Motul Petit Le Mans delivering the kind of chaos, heartbreak, and brilliance that defines endurance racing. After ten hours of relentless competition, it was the #31 Whelen Motorsports Cadillac V-Series.R that crossed the line first, taking a hard-fought victory in the GTP class and the overall race.
While Whelen celebrated on the top step, it was Porsche Penske Motorsport who clinched the ultimate prize. The #6 Porsche 963 secured the 2025 GTP Championship, capping off a season marked by consistency, strategy, and precision — the defining elements of a title-winning campaign.
Heart of Racing Aston Martin Earns First Podium in GTP
The Heart of Racing Aston Martin Valkyrie continued to demonstrate its impressive development, showing remarkable late-race pace that had many wondering if an upset could be on the cards. In the final two hours, the Valkyrie surged into contention, running strongly in 3rd overall before a late pit stop by the #63 Automobili Lamborghini Squadra Corse GTP — who were just short on fuel — opened the door for the Aston Martin to move up to 2nd overall and 2nd in class.
The result marked a historic first podium for Aston Martin’s Valkyrie program in IMSA competition, underscoring the team’s persistence and technical progress throughout the season. For Lamborghini, however, the late stop dropped them from 2nd to 4th, bringing a bittersweet close to the final race of their GTP program for the foreseeable future. Despite the disappointment, the #63 Squadra Corse crew showed front-running pace all race long, proving their potential on the biggest stage.
LMP2: TDS Racing Takes the Win, AO Racing Claims the Title
In LMP2, the competition was as fierce as ever, with strategy and precision pit work defining the class battle. The #11 TDS Racing Oreca 07 emerged victorious after a flawless run through traffic and strong closing pace in the final stint. However, it was the #99 AO Racing entry that walked away with the 2025 LMP2 Championship, rewarding the team’s season-long consistency and resilience across America’s toughest endurance circuits.
GTD Pro: Paul Miller BMW Wins, Corvette Secures the Championship
In GTD Pro, the #1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 claimed victory after a clean and commanding performance throughout the 10-hour endurance test. The team’s well-timed pit calls and balanced pace in both day and night conditions proved decisive.
The #14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 finished a strong 2nd in class, continuing its reputation as one of the most consistently competitive GTD Pro entries in the field. Rounding out the podium, the #3 Corvette Racing Z06 GT3.R, run by Pratt Miller Motorsports, took 3rd in class — enough to seal the 2025 GTD Pro Championship. The title marks a major milestone for the first full-season campaign of the Z06 GT3.R, proving its competitiveness in IMSA’s top GT category.
GTD: AF Corse Ferrari Wins as Winward Mercedes Claims the Title
In the GTD class, the #21 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 took home the final victory of the year, delivering a well-executed performance through heavy traffic and capitalizing on late-race pit strategy to secure the top step of the podium.
The #57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 clinched the 2025 GTD Championship, closing out another dominant season for the Texas-based squad. Their blend of speed, strategy, and consistency made them the team to beat across both endurance and sprint formats throughout the year.
A Fitting End to the 2025 IMSA Season
The 2025 Petit Le Mans once again lived up to its reputation as one of North America’s most demanding endurance races — a fitting finale to an era that saw the convergence of some of the most advanced hybrid prototypes and GT machinery in motorsport.
As IMSA prepares for the 2026 season, several major changes are already shaping the grid. With Lamborghini’s GTP program ending, BMW Team RLL will also exit the championship as Team WRT assumes responsibility for BMW’s factory GTP entries. Proton Competition is not expected to return for a full-season IMSA effort either, as Porsche re-evaluates its global prototype commitments following its withdrawal from the WEC factory program. Under current WEC regulations requiring two cars per manufacturer, Proton Competition may make the switch from running a car in both the IMSA and WEC series to run both cars in WEC to meet the regulation requirements—though no official statement has been made as of this writing.
Additionally, several privateer and customer GT teams, including Forte Racing and Cetilar Racing, will not return in 2026. Random Vandals Racing remains unconfirmed, with sources indicating their return is still under review ahead of the new season.
The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship will officially return with pre-season testing at the Roar Before the Rolex 24, scheduled for January 16–18, followed by the legendary Rolex 24 at Daytona the following weekend, January 21–25.
A new season, a new grid, and new stories await — but for now, the 2025 Petit Le Mans will be remembered as a thrilling and emotional finale to another incredible year of American endurance racing.