Petit Le Mans GTD Pro Decider: Corvette Tops BMW in Seven-Way Title Race

With just 179 points separating the top seven contenders in the GTD Pro class, Saturday’s 29th Motul Petit Le Mans is set for a dramatic finale. As the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship closes its season with 10 hours of racing at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, attention will focus on the fiercely contested GTD Pro title and Michelin Endurance Cup honors.

Nicky Catsburg and Tommy Milner lead the GTD Pro standings in the #4 Corvette Z06 GT3.R, operated by Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports. A runner-up finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway gave the pair a 47-point advantage over their closest rivals.

For Milner, the event marks his 221st IMSA championship-level start — third among active drivers — and his 21st start at Road Atlanta. The weekend offers him a chance to claim a third IMSA championship title, following GT honors in 2012 under the American Le Mans Series banner and a WeatherTech GTLM title in 2016. Nico Varrone joins Catsburg and Milner for the finale, and Milner enters the event with four podiums from nine starts this season.

“Of course, it’s great to be in the points lead going into the final race,” Milner said. “That’s the position you want to be in, but everything is still very close. Ultimately, we need a strong result no matter what. Many teams remain mathematically in the championship hunt, so they will all be doing everything they can to win.”

“Our approach is the same as in every race this year: we need to score good points, and we won’t worry about all the points scenarios until the race gets under way. We’ve had a good season with some highs and lows, and it’s great to be P1 heading into the final round.”

“It’s also great to have Nico back. He’s a very talented young driver and has been very fast this year. For us, it will be business as usual in many respects: focus on ourselves, prepare the best possible Corvette, and see how the race unfolds.”

#4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Tommy Milner, Nicky Catsburg, #3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Antonio Garcia, Alexander Sims

Photo by: Michael L. Levitt / Lumen via Getty Images

Connor De Phillippi and Neil Verhagen chase the Corvette squad in the #1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 EVO, sitting 47 points behind in second place. Sandy Mitchell and Andrea Caldarelli, driving the #9 Pfaff Motorsports Lamborghini Temerario GT3, are third, 53 points off the lead.

De Phillippi and Verhagen, joined by third driver Dan Harper, are also targeting Paul Miller Racing and BMW’s fourth Michelin Endurance Cup title. They currently lead the Endurance Cup by six points over the #4 Corvette team. De Phillippi has a strong record at Road Atlanta, with three victories in 11 previous starts at the circuit, including a GTD Pro win in 2025 in the #48 entry. After opening the season with a win at the Rolex 24 At Daytona, he is seeking his first overall WeatherTech Championship title and embraces the role of challenger.

“Road Atlanta is generally a strong circuit for us as a team, for the car, and for me personally,” De Phillippi said. “I’ve always enjoyed racing there, and I like the overall dynamic of multi-class competition at that track.”

“We are going in as the hunters this weekend rather than the hunted, which should be a refreshing position in terms of how we race. It’s simply about going out and doing our job.”

“We had a really good test about a week or a week and a half ago, and the car felt good. We hope that translates into race week. We still have the Endurance Cup to try to win, but the overall endurance and driver championships are also big priorities. It will be great to have Dan join us again as the third driver, especially after a good result at Daytona. We would like to close the season with a win, and hopefully that is enough for the title.”

The manufacturer battle is just as intense. Chevrolet leads Ford by 68 points in the main championship chase thanks to strong two-car, factory-backed efforts. In the Endurance Cup manufacturer standings, BMW holds a narrow three-point lead over Chevrolet and a four-point lead over Porsche, while the #77 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R [992] driven by Harry King and Nick Tandy sits just seven points behind the Endurance Cup team leader.

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