Petit Le Mans
 | |
 | |
| IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship | |
|---|---|
| Venue | Road Atlanta |
| Corporatesponsor | Motul |
| First race | 1998 |
| First USCC race | 2014 |
| Laps | 394 |
| Duration | 1998–2013: 1,000 miles (1,600 km) or 10 hours[a] 2014–present: 10 hours |
| Most wins (driver) | Rinaldo Capello(5) |
| Most wins (team) | Audi Sport North America(6) |
| Most wins (manufacturer) | Audi(9) |
ThePetit Le Mans(Frenchforlittle Le Mans) is asports carendurancerace held annually atRoad AtlantainBraselton, Georgia,United States. It has often used the rules established for the24 Hours of Le Mansby theAutomobile Club de l'Ouest(ACO), which are slightly modified if necessary, mainly to allow additional cars to compete.
The race was founded by Road Atlanta ownerDon Panozand first run on October 10, 1998 as part of theIMSAseason. The1999 editionwas one of the original events of theAmerican Le Mans Series.The 2010 and 2011 editions were also part of theIntercontinental Le Mans Cup,but the 2012 race for the brand-newWorld Endurance Championshipwas controversially dropped in favour of Bahrain. Since 2014 the race has been one of the crown jewel events of theIMSA SportsCar Championship.
From 1998 until 2013, Petit Le Mans covered a maximum of 1,000 miles (1,600 km) (which is approximately 394 laps) or a maximum of 10 hours, whichever came first; only once, in the rain-stopped 2009 race, had the leading team failed to complete 1,000 miles (1,600 km). Since 2014, the duration is 10 hours, without distance limitations.[1][2]In addition to the overall race, teams of two or three drivers per car compete for class victories in different categories, divided intoprototypesandgrand tourers.Class winners of the event originally received an automatic invitation to the following year's24 Hours of Le Mans,however this was removed in 2012.
The race is regarded as one of the major endurance races in the world and is among the biggest sports car races in North America alongside the24 Hours of Daytonaand12 Hours of Sebring.[3][4]Rinaldo Capelloholds the record of most race wins, having won in2000,2002,2006,2007and2008.
History
[edit]
The 2009 and 2015 races were shortened due to heavy rains making the track impassable. The 2015 race featured the first time aGTcar won overall against the faster prototypes. Rain created a flooded track the entire race causing multiple cautions and a red flag, allowing GTLM cars to leap-frog the prototypes that were struggling for grip in the conditions.[5]Nick Tandy, winner of the2015 24 Hours of Le Mans,and co-driver Patrick Pilet took the checkered flag when officials called the race with a little over two hours remaining.
Overall winners
[edit]
Statistics
[edit]Multiple wins by driver
[edit]| Rank | Driver | Wins | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Rinaldo Capello |
5 | 2000, 2002, 2006–2008 |
| 2 |  Allan McNish |
4 | 2000, 2006–2008 |
| 3 | Emanuele Pirro |
3 | 2001, 2005, 2008 |
 Franck Montagny |
2009–2011 | ||
| Stéphane Sarrazin |
2009–2011 | ||
| 6 |  JJ Lehto |
2 | 2003–2004 |
 Frank Biela |
2001, 2005 | ||
 Neel Jani |
2012–2013 | ||
| Nicolas Prost |
2012–2013 | ||
 Jordan Taylor |
2014, 2018 | ||
| Tom Blomqvist |
2022–2023 | ||
 Hélio Castroneves |
2022–2023 |
Wins by manufacturer
[edit]| Rank | Manufacturer | Wins | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Audi
|
9 | 2000–2008 |
| 2 | Peugeot
|
3 | 2009–2011 |
| Cadillac
|
2018–2020 | ||
| 3 | Lola
|
2 | 2012–2013 |
 Acura
|
2022–2023 | ||
| 4 | Ferrari
|
1 | 1998 |
| Panoz
|
1999 | ||
| Chevrolet
|
2014 | ||
| Porsche
|
2015 | ||
| Honda
|
2016 | ||
| Nissan
|
2017 | ||
| Mazda
|
2021 |
Multiple wins by team
[edit]| Rank | Maker | Wins | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peugeot SportTotal
|
3 | 2009–2011 |
| Audi Sport North America
|
2000–2002 | ||
| Audi Sport North America
|
2006–2008 | ||
| ADTChampion Racing
|
2003–2005 | ||
| Wayne Taylor Racing
|
2014, 2018, 2020 | ||
| Meyer Shank Racing
|
2016, 2022–2023 | ||
| 2 | Rebellion Racing
|
2 | 2012–2013 |
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^From 1998 to 2013, the race was held for whichever of the two durations came first.
References
[edit]- ^"IMSA | TUDOR United SportsCar Championship | Petit le Mans".IMSA.Archivedfrom the original on 2014-10-06.Retrieved2 October2014.
- ^Dagys, John."Sportscar365 su Twitter:" #DidYouKnow that the Petit le Mans is no longer a 1,000-mile race? It's 10 hours, not 1,000-mile/10-hour (Whichever came first). "".Twitter.Archivedfrom the original on 2015-01-29.Retrieved2 October2014.
- ^"24 Hours of Le Mans and Petit Le Mans | A French connection in the U.S."24h-lemans.Retrieved2023-02-14.
- ^Staff, Sportscar365 (2014-10-01)."Scrogham (GB Autosport):" I've Seen Petit Le Mans Change Over Time "– Sportscar365".sportscar365.Retrieved2024-01-06.
{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^Dagys, John (20 January 2018)."Michelin Memories: 2015, Porsche's Overall Petit Le Mans Triumph – Sportscar365".sportscar365.Retrieved2023-02-14.
- ^"Official Race Results"(PDF).International Motor Sports Association.2018-10-15. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2018-12-09.Retrieved2018-12-09.
External links
[edit]