USC – Wayne Taylor Racing winner at Petit Le Mans, Action Express crowned

At the end of ten hours of very lively racing in all categories of the final of the first season of the United Sportscar Championship, it was the Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette DP of the Taylor brothers and Max Angelelli which won on the track of Road Atlanta (Georgia) for the Petit event Le Mans. The No. 10 prototype battled throughout the race with the No. 5 Action Express Racing sister car of the Joao Barbosa – Christian Fittipaldi and Sébastien trio. Bourdais, who although she failed in 2nd place in the final, nevertheless won the Teams titles and especially the Drivers titles for Barbosa and Fittipaldi. The No. 01 Riley-Ford of Chip Ganassi with Felix Sabates of Scott Dixon – Memo Rojas and Scott Pruett completes the podium.

In PC, if the victory at Petit Le Mans went to Starworks Motorsports and the No. 09 Oreca FLM8, driven by Renger van der Zande, Mirco Schultis and Alex Popow, the Drivers' title rewarded a very good season for Colin Braun and Jon Bennett (Core Autosport). It was in GTLM that the adventures were the most numerous, both for race victory and for the final crowns.

On retiendra notamment de cette dernière manche, l’accrochage dans les stands entre la Porsche n°911 du trio Pilet – Tandy – Bergmeister, la Ferrari 458 Italia of the Risi Competizione of Pierre Kaffer and Giancarlo Fisichella and the Corvette n°3 of Antonio Garcia, Jan Magnussen and Ryan Briscoe. Pilet, visibly unfocused in his cockpit, was unable to avoid contact with Kaffer's 458 Italia stopped by a red light at the end of the pitlane, before being hit by Magnussen's Corvette. Suddenly, the championship was completely relaunched, and the leader before Petit Le Mans, Kuno Wittmer (Dodge – SRT Motorspots) came to pocket a coronation by finishing 3rd behind the victorious Porsche Falken Tire with Wolf Henzler, Bryan Sellers and Marco Holzer and the Porsche No. 912 of Chistensen – Long – Bamber.

Finally, the GTD title went to Dane Cameron (BMW – Turner Motorsports), 4th last night, at the end of a round dominated in the category by the Paul Miller Racing Audi R8 LMS Ultra of Christopher Haase, Matthew Bell and Bryce Miller. Porsche also won the Manufacturers' titles in GT.

Find the report from Petit Le Mans, the final round of the United Sportscar Championship, in issue 1981 of AUTOhebdo, available tomorrow evening in digital version, and on newsstands from Wednesday.