Porsche Penske Motorsport will sport two iconic throwback liveries for IMSA’s Road America round, paying homage to both teams’ rich history of success.
Both Porsche and Penske celebrate landmark anniversaries in 2026: Porsche is celebrating 75 Years of Porsche Motorsport, while Team Penske is marking its 60th anniversary.
The Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, race on August 2 will run for six-hours this year as it joins the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s Michelin Endurance Cup.
For the first time, the #6 and #7 cars will feature different liveries. The #6 will run the blue-and-yellow Sunoco livery of the 1973 Porsche 917/30, in which Mark Donohue dominated the 200-mile Can-Am event.
The sister car will feature the yellow livery of the Porsche RS Spyder, with Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas taking the LMP2 prototype to an overall victory in 2007.
The factory team’s two Porsche 963 already sported special liveries at the IMSA races in Sebring, Long Beach, and Laguna Seca, as both brands commemorate their history.
“Road America has been the scene of special successes in the shared history of Porsche and Penske,” says Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Porsche Motorsport.
“In 1973, the Porsche 917/30 dominated the scene. During qualifying, Mark Donohue became the first driver on this track to break the two-minute lap time barrier. Starting in 2006, the RS Spyder marked Porsche’s return to prototype racing across several championships.
“I personally remember the success of 2007: I was there when Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas drove to overall victory against the nominally more powerful LMP1 race cars.”
Roger Penske, Founder and Chairman of Penske Corporation, added: “Sports car competition has been the foundation of Team Penske since the very beginning.
"As we continue to celebrate our team’s 60 years in motorsports alongside 75 years of Porsche Motorsport in 2026, we are excited to honour the heritage and legacy of both organisations.
"These two iconic car liveries pay tribute to championship-winning eras, legendary cars and the people who helped build our success. Team Penske’s partnership with Porsche is one of the most successful and enduring relationships in racing, and we are proud to celebrate our winning tradition together.”
The liveries
1973 Porsche 917/30
The Porsche 917/30 was unstoppable during the 1973 Can-Am season.
Racing driver and engineer Mark Donohue dominated the championship, winning six out of the season’s eight races on his way to the title.
At Road America, he put in a qualifying lap of 1m57.51, more than three seconds ahead of his closest competitor.
The blue-and-yellow Sunoco was one of the strongest racing cars of all time, with an advanced 12-cylinder, 1,100bhp engine.
It was so dominant that after the 1973 season, the Can-Am rules were changed, and the car was excluded from the following season.
Kévin Estre, driver of the #6 Porsche 963, said: “I’m really looking forward to Road America. I haven’t raced there in ten years - and never in a prototype.
“We all have many memories associated with the Sunoco colours of the Porsche 917/30 from back then. That car was a real beast.
“I hope we’ll be just as successful. I have a special yellow helmet design. With it, I’m following in the footsteps of Mark Donohue. It’s an honour for me.”
2007 Porsche RS Spyder
Just over three decades later, another yellow Porsche proved its dominance.
The Porsche RS Spyder was a force to be reckoned with in the LMP2 class of the American Le Mans Series from late 2005 through 2008.
By August 11, 2007, it had racked up 14 class victories. But then came the four-hour race at Road America.
In a huge upset, Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas defeated the more powerful LMP1 prototypes to claim the car’s first ALMS overall victory.
Over 96 laps, run in tricky conditions, the #7 car beat the Audi LMP1 cars to take the top spot on the podium.
Bernhard and Dumas went on to win that year’s ALMS LMP2 championship, with team-mates Sascha Maassen and Ryan Briscoe in second place.
By the end of the joint Porsche-Penske program, the team had secured three manufacturers’ championships as well as three titles each in the drivers’ and teams’ standings.
The race
The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship travels north to Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin for its eighth round of the season at Road America on August 2.
The Motul SportsCar Grand Prix was previously run as a two-hour and forty-minute sprint race, but this year’s event has been extended to six hours.
It will now be a part of the Michelin Endurance Cup alongside the 24 Hours of Daytona, 12 Hours of Sebring, 6 Hours of the Glen and Petit Le Mans.
All the championship’s classes will take on the 4 mile / 6.4 kilometre track, featuring 14 turns. This scenic circuit - still maintaining its original layout from the 1950s - includes a trademark long front stretch, where speeds can reach nearly 200mph / 320 km/h.
With 17 victories, Porsche is the most successful manufacturer at Road America. The Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 last won there during the 2024 season.
The full list of IMSA Road America Porsche entries
GTP (Porsche 963): Porsche Penske Motorsport #6: Kévin Estre (FRA) / Laurens Vanthoor (BEL) Porsche Penske Motorsport #7: Julien Andlauer (FRA) / Felipe Nasr (BRA) JDC-Miller MotorSports #5: Laurin Heinrich (DEU) / Tijmen van der Helm (NLD) / Kaylen Frederick (USA)
GTD Pro (Porsche 911 GT3 R): AO Racing #77: Harry King (GBR) / Nick Tandy (GBR) Manthey #911: Thomas Preining (AUT) / Klaus Bachler (AUT) / Riccardo Feller (CHE)
GTD (Porsche 911 GT3 R): RS1 #28: Eric Lux (USA) / Jan Heylen (BEL) / Dillon Machavern (USA) Wright Motorsports #120: Adam Adelson (USA), Callum Ilott (GBR), Tom Sargent (AUS) Manthey 1st Phorm #912: Ryan Hardwick (USA) / Riccardo Pera (ITA) / Morris Schuring (NLD)
