Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta

Founded in 1998 by Road Atlanta owner Don Panoz, Petit Le Mans is a 10-hour endurance epic, widely regarded as one of endurance racing’s crown jewels. Its inaugural edition was part of the IMSA GT Championship, but it helped kickstart the creation of the American Le Mans Series the following year. It has been a part of the IMSA calendar since its inception. The race was previously held over 1,000-miles, before a rules tweak in 2014, which led to the distance being changed to a timed race.

Petit Le Mans’ name was inspired by the most iconic endurance race of them all: The 24 Hours of Le Mans. With sportscar racing having been left without a global series after the World Sportscar Championship ended in 1992, Panoz wanted to reestablish the spirit of the world’s greatest race in North America. He collaborated with the 24 Hours of Le Mans organisers, the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, to adapt its rules and establish Petit Le Mans - literally “little Le Mans”.

Around 35 miles from downtown Atlanta, Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta is just north of Braselton, Georgia. Opened in 1970, the 2.5-mile circuit has 12 turns, including the famous esses from corners three to five. Its first ever race, a 300km Can-Am event, was won by Tony Dean in a Porsche 908/02. MotoAmerica and the Trans-Am Series also race at the circuit, which has also hosted GT World Challenge America and NASCAR in the past.

Five rounds of the IMSA calendar, including Petit Le Mans, make up the Michelin Endurance Cup: The Daytona 24 Hours, the 12 Hours of Sebring, the Six Hours of The Glen, the Battle on the Bricks and Petit Le Mans. Points are awarded at various intervals throughout the races for position at that time, and whichever team ends the season with the most points wins the coveted Cup.

Porsche has claimed overall victory at Petit Le Mans once, in 2015, with the Porsche 911 RSR driven by Nick Tandy, Patrick Pilet and Richard Lietz in an historic, rain-soaked win marking the first time a GT car had won overall. Porsche also has a total of 23 class wins across nine variations of the GT and LMP classes. Plenty more success has also come at the storied venue in the Grand Prix of Atlanta, with 15 wins - the most of any manufacturer.