The 2023 Motul Petit Le Mans 10 hour race and the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Season is over. Meyer Shank Racing won the race after drama ensued with 1 hour to go in the race. The race for some was a winner takes all situation. Earlier this season Meyer Shank Racing announced that they would be taking a step back from the championship next year. To start the season with a win at the Rolex 24 and to end with a win at Petit Le Mans is an accomplishment the team can be proud of. They finished third overall in the championship after fighting out of the hold associated with penalties the team was handed associated with their win at Rolex at the start of the season.
Entering the race 6 cars had the potential to win the GTP class championship. The race started off with multiple positions being traded after pit stops were triggered. Weather conditions continued to improve throughout the day. With 2 hours left in the race the No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura Arx-06 was 24 seconds behind the race leader at the time; the No. 01 Cadillac Racing V-Series.R. The No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 was in second poised to secure the GTP championship if they could hold position.
Heartbreak for Konica Minolta
The demise of the No. 10 car would come with about 1 hour left in the race as Felipe Albuquerque attempted to make a pass on the outside of the final turn. At this point in the race the No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing car was leading the race. Albuquerque had to take the long way around and ran out of track. The No. 10 and No. 60 made brief contact and the Konica Minolta Acura was sent into the wall. Given the stage of the race the move felt a bit ambitious to take such a risk with so much time left. The No. 10 Acura was not able to continue the race which effectively eliminated them from championship contention. The race was flagged to clear the crashed No. 10.
While Meyer Shank Racing won the race, it was the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac that took the 2023 GTP crown finishing in P6.
Corwdstrike wins LMP2, PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports Secures LMP2 Title
The LMP2 win was decided by less than one second with the No. 04 Crowdstrike P2 taking the win and LMP2 Michelin Endurance Cup. The Michelin Endurance Cup is awarded to the team who is most successful in the endrance portion of the IMSA WeatherTech Season. Crowdstrike driver George Kurtz also won the Jim Trueman Bronze Cup. The prestigious award is awarded annually to the top-placed Bronze-rated driver in the LMP2 class. The criteria takes into account race results but excludes qualifying points. The winner gets an official invitation to the 24 Hours of Le Mans next year.
The No. 04 Crowdstrike LMP2 won the LMP2 class and Michelin Endurance Cup titles. Photo by Ramon Jones/Chroma VisualGeorge Kurtz Was Thrilled After the Result
“The big implication was Le Mans,” Kurtz said. “That was really the prize for us. We would’ve had to have a lot go right to win the championship, but the two things we were focused on was the endurance championship and Le Mans. At the end of the race with 20 minutes left, you never think it’s going to be a green flag to the end. So many emotions go through your mind.”
However, the win alone was not enough to dethrone the No. 52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports P2 who secured the 2023 LMP2 championship. The No. 52 car’s day did not start out under ideal circumstances after the team found themselves traveling through the gravel trap early in the race from the lead. However, the team was able to bounce back and over the course of the race took advantage optimal pitstop timing where it benefitted due to multiple yellow flags.
Three cars finished on the lead lap logging 391 laps in the 10 hours stent. Due to the No. 11 TDS Racing LMP2 car retiring at lap 262. Their championship hopes were eliminated in a heartbreaking finish to what was an amazing season. The sister No. 35 car finished second in the race which is a small consolation for the team.
LMP3/GTD/GTD Pro
The LMP3 Championship was decided at the start of the race. The No. 74 Riley Motorsports Ligier JS P320 secured the championship after 4 season wins this year. This didn’t stop them from racing until the checkered flag however. With about 45 minutes to go in the race the No. 74 car caught a puncture and had to come in for a lap pit stop. The pit stop ultimately resulted in the car losing track position from the front of the class. The team had to settle for third int he race. The No. 30 Jr III Racing Ligier JS P320 took the win logging 379 laps.
The No. 74 Riley Motorsport Ligier JS P320 traded the lead for the majority of the 10 hour race. Photo by Ramon Jones/Chroma VisualThe GTD championship was also decided at the start of the race. Paul Miller already had the championship wrapped up but would not finish the season as race winners. The car was retired on lap 207 but the team still celebrated a very successful season.
The WeatherTech racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 won the GTD Pro class race. However, the lead built up by the No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus was too big to overcome in the standings. The No. 14 car only needed to start the race to secure the title. Ultimately it was retired on lap 153. This was about half of the in class maximum race distance of 350 laps.
Full Race Results are Below
Final IMSA WeatherTech Championship Standings