In an electrifying and edge-of-your-seat finish, Chip Ganassi Racing’s No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R pulled off what can only be described as a miracle comeback at the 10-hour Petit Le Mans, shaking up the motorsport world in a nail-biting thriller. Sebastien Bourdais, Renger van der Zande, and Scott Dixon turned what seemed like a catastrophic day into an unforgettable victory that has already become the stuff of legends.
The No. 01 car, which limped through the race with seemingly no hope, roared back to life in a dramatic last-ditch effort. The decisive moment came when van der Zande, fueled by sheer determination, made a jaw-dropping, high-speed dive inside Nick Tandy’s No. 6 Porsche Penske 963 with just 15 minutes left on the clock. In a daring maneuver in Turn 1, van der Zande claimed the lead and changed the narrative in a race that seemed lost.
But the drama didn’t end there. As if the motorsport gods wanted to test Cadillac’s resolve, the car’s headlights mysteriously flickered off with just 5 minutes remaining—a sure recipe for a mechanical black flag that would end their fairy-tale resurgence. Miraculously, the lights came back on just in time, albeit sporadically, enough to ensure the team held onto their lead and clinched a jaw-dropping victory in the final IMSA race before Ganassi’s exit.
While the Porsche Penske Motorsports duo of Tandy and the No. 7 963 team (Dane Cameron and Felipe Nasr) were left licking their wounds, the latter squad managed to salvage the GTP championship and Michelin Endurance Cup. It wasn’t enough to spoil Cadillac’s moment of glory, but it did seal Porsche’s dominant one-two finish in the championship standings.
The LMP2 class was another stage for dominance, with the No. 11 TDS Racing ORECA, led by Steven Thomas, Mikkel Jensen, and Hunter McElrea, putting on a clinic. After United Autosports’ early exit, TDS crushed the competition and secured a commanding victory. They also left Riley Motorsports and the No. 74 car of Gar Robinson, Felipe Fraga, and Josh Burdon scrambling for second, while Inter Europol by PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports clung to their slim championship lead.
Not to be outdone, GTD PRO served up its own slice of high-octane drama, with the Iron Lynx Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo2, driven by Jordan Pepper, defying the odds to hold off the ferocious Ferrari 296 GT3 of Daniel Serra. The battle saw Lamborghini seize victory, but the No. 23 Heart of Racing Aston Martin’s third-place finish meant that Laurin Heinrich and AO Racing snatched the championship in a razor-thin points race.
AO Racing’s day, however, was far from smooth sailing. Their No. 77 Porsche 911 GT3R was hampered by electrical gremlins that sabotaged their race, pushing them down six laps as they battled shifting issues. Heinrich, who qualified on pole, had to settle for 11th place, and narrowly escaped losing the championship thanks to those precious qualifying points.
In a final twist of fate, Conquest Racing shocked the field by storming to victory in the GTD class. Albert Costa Balboa’s audacious late-race attack on Loris Spinelli’s Lamborghini Huracan, following a caution, sealed the win for Ferrari. Meanwhile, Winward Racing’s ninth-place finish was enough for Russell Ward, Philip Ellis, and Indy Dontje to secure both the championship and the Michelin Endurance Cup.
In the annals of motorsport, the 2024 Petit Le Mans will forever be remembered as a high-stakes showdown, packed with breathtaking moments, shocking twists, and a comeback story for the ages. Chip Ganassi Racing’s final chapter in IMSA couldn’t have been scripted any better.
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