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Porsche Penske Motorsport finally took its first victory of the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship campaign in monsoon conditions at Circuit of The Americas yesterday in Texas. United Autosports put McLaren in the winners’ circle in LMGT3. Corvette got thumped. Unseasonable rain in Texas resulted in the early stages of the six-hour race taking place behind the safety car, and following a red flag interruption, the competitive action finally got underway just before one-third of the distance. At the start, the front row-sitting #83 and #51 Ferraris led the 18-car Hypercar class, but the #6 Porsche driven by Laurens Vanthoor clung to third place, which became second when Philip Hanson lost more than half-a-minute due to a pit-stop delay.*
The race winning moment came close to the four-hour mark, when Kévin Estre used a tentative safety car re-start by Alessandro Pier Guidi to assume a lead he would not relinquish. Thereafter, the Frenchman kept driving hard, and each time his advantage was wiped out by a neutralization, he immediately set about rebuilding it, going on to take the checkered flag just under ten seconds clear of his nearest pursuer.
“The conditions were very difficult, especially when the track began to dry,” Estre said. “The Ferrari behind was very strong towards the end and kept us under pressure, and it was a matter of deciding whether to put slicks on or not. It was tricky, but I was pretty confident the guys would make the right choice and it feels really good to be back on the top step, where we belong.”
“This feels so sweet,” echoed fellow reigning world champion Vanthoor. “We didn’t come here this weekend with the expectation of winning, but in the changeable conditions we showed that no matter our pace, we still know how to execute a race – and we did that perfectly.”
In races like this, raw pace on paper means very little,” said Jonathan Diuguid, Managing Director Porsche Penske Motorsport. “Laurens Vanthoor and Julien Andlauer did a fantastic job keeping both cars in the leading pack early on. The #5 car had some misfortune, while everything clicked with the winning car. Matt Campbell and Kévin Estre executed flawlessly, and the team was outstanding. This victory is incredibly sweet. Now we’re looking forward to Fuji.”
Rain and bad luck hit TF Sport hard on the Lone Star Le Mans at Circuit of The Americas. The team’s pair of Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs finished outside the top-10 and as a result the points in the lone North American stop of the FIA World Endurance Championship.
The No. 81 Corvette of Charlie Eastwood, Rui Andrade and Tom Van Rompuy was the highest-finishing TF Sport entry after six hours of rainy racing. Corvette gained eight spots during a nearly two hours of running behind the safety car and a red-flag stop due to an issue with one of the safety cars. However, the 81 trio saw its two-race podium streak end with a 13th-place finish. Van Rompuy led early following the early rainy-race turmoil, but the team lost time in the pit lane having to replace a sensor on the Corvette’s accident data recorder – an FIA-mandated and supplied device – that cost Andrade nearly a lap in the process once the driver change and service finished. The team had elected to run Van Rompuy deep into the stint in hopes of catching a virtual safety car period.
Problems also bit the No. 33 Z06 GT3.R of Daniel Juncadella, Jonny Edgar and Texan Ben Keating. Following a respectable qualifying effort and a gain of three spots under the early safety-car period, the Z06 GT3.R experienced fuel system and restart issues on the first driver change between Keating and Edgar.
From that point, both the TF Corvettes were in catch-up mode. The No. 33’s race ended inside the final two hours with a right-rear suspension problem that ground the car to a halt with Juncadella at the wheel. For the moment, the No. 81 was at a drivetime disadvantage due to the earlier sensor failure. Factory driver Eastwood was one of the last professional drivers to get in the race, and a switch to slick tires with 34 minutes left did nothing to close the gap to the field.
The No, 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R advanced nine positions from its starting spot – most in the 18-car Hypercar field. The No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R advanced eight positions to reap points and remain in the conversation for the Drivers Championship. The points haul also keeps Cadillac in contention for the Manufacturers Championship with two races left.
*Full results and championship standings – Click Here
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
WEC – Porsche Penske Motorsport Finally Win
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Porsche Penske Motorsport finally took its first victory of the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship campaign in monsoon conditions at Circuit of The Americas yesterday in Texas. United Autosports put McLaren in the winners’ circle in LMGT3. Corvette got thumped. Unseasonable rain in Texas resulted in the early stages of the six-hour race taking place behind the safety car, and following a red flag interruption, the competitive action finally got underway just before one-third of the distance. At the start, the front row-sitting #83 and #51 Ferraris led the 18-car Hypercar class, but the #6 Porsche driven by Laurens Vanthoor clung to third place, which became second when Philip Hanson lost more than half-a-minute due to a pit-stop delay.*
The race winning moment came close to the four-hour mark, when Kévin Estre used a tentative safety car re-start by Alessandro Pier Guidi to assume a lead he would not relinquish. Thereafter, the Frenchman kept driving hard, and each time his advantage was wiped out by a neutralization, he immediately set about rebuilding it, going on to take the checkered flag just under ten seconds clear of his nearest pursuer.
“The conditions were very difficult, especially when the track began to dry,” Estre said. “The Ferrari behind was very strong towards the end and kept us under pressure, and it was a matter of deciding whether to put slicks on or not. It was tricky, but I was pretty confident the guys would make the right choice and it feels really good to be back on the top step, where we belong.”
“This feels so sweet,” echoed fellow reigning world champion Vanthoor. “We didn’t come here this weekend with the expectation of winning, but in the changeable conditions we showed that no matter our pace, we still know how to execute a race – and we did that perfectly.”
In races like this, raw pace on paper means very little,” said Jonathan Diuguid, Managing Director Porsche Penske Motorsport. “Laurens Vanthoor and Julien Andlauer did a fantastic job keeping both cars in the leading pack early on. The #5 car had some misfortune, while everything clicked with the winning car. Matt Campbell and Kévin Estre executed flawlessly, and the team was outstanding. This victory is incredibly sweet. Now we’re looking forward to Fuji.”
Rain and bad luck hit TF Sport hard on the Lone Star Le Mans at Circuit of The Americas. The team’s pair of Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs finished outside the top-10 and as a result the points in the lone North American stop of the FIA World Endurance Championship.
The No. 81 Corvette of Charlie Eastwood, Rui Andrade and Tom Van Rompuy was the highest-finishing TF Sport entry after six hours of rainy racing. Corvette gained eight spots during a nearly two hours of running behind the safety car and a red-flag stop due to an issue with one of the safety cars. However, the 81 trio saw its two-race podium streak end with a 13th-place finish. Van Rompuy led early following the early rainy-race turmoil, but the team lost time in the pit lane having to replace a sensor on the Corvette’s accident data recorder – an FIA-mandated and supplied device – that cost Andrade nearly a lap in the process once the driver change and service finished. The team had elected to run Van Rompuy deep into the stint in hopes of catching a virtual safety car period.
Problems also bit the No. 33 Z06 GT3.R of Daniel Juncadella, Jonny Edgar and Texan Ben Keating. Following a respectable qualifying effort and a gain of three spots under the early safety-car period, the Z06 GT3.R experienced fuel system and restart issues on the first driver change between Keating and Edgar.
From that point, both the TF Corvettes were in catch-up mode. The No. 33’s race ended inside the final two hours with a right-rear suspension problem that ground the car to a halt with Juncadella at the wheel. For the moment, the No. 81 was at a drivetime disadvantage due to the earlier sensor failure. Factory driver Eastwood was one of the last professional drivers to get in the race, and a switch to slick tires with 34 minutes left did nothing to close the gap to the field.
The No, 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R advanced nine positions from its starting spot – most in the 18-car Hypercar field. The No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R advanced eight positions to reap points and remain in the conversation for the Drivers Championship. The points haul also keeps Cadillac in contention for the Manufacturers Championship with two races left.
*Full results and championship standings – Click Here
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.