For the first time since 2017, Laurens Vanthoor has no plans to race in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Following Porsche Penske Motorsport’s withdrawal from the FIA World Endurance Championship, Vanthoor admits that it’s more likely he’ll be watching the race from home, instead of following IMSA teammates Kévin Estre and Julien Andlauer into LMP2 drives.
“I do admit – sorry for the language – it sucks a bit. I was also watching (the 6 Hours of) Imola on TV. Not gonna hide it, I would have loved to have been there,” Vanthoor said during a media conference ahead of this weekend’s StubHub Monterey SportsCar Championship.
“I’m not saying that I would trade frames or whatever, but, you know, I’ve been there the last couple of years. Especially Le Mans is something which is very close to my heart, but I’m not planning to go there this year, not in a race car. Maybe I’ll be there for whatever, this sometimes comes last-minute.”
Andlauer will drive for Duqueine Team in a car he’ll share with Richard Verschoor and Doriane Pin, and Vanthoor’s co-driver Estre will drive for TDS Racing alongside Tobias Lütke and Mathias Beche.
But an LMP2 one-off didn’t appeal to Vanthoor as much. “I understand why Kévin does it, and Julien, for example – but I didn’t see the added value for myself. I like to work with a team long-term and build toward that race. And you know, showing up for one event is not easy.
“Without it sounding stupid or cocky, we were that close to the victory last year, and I’ve won it in class in the past. My only dream left is to win it overall, and that’s the only thing I feel I’ve left to achieve there. So unless it’s for that, I don’t see the added value for me to go there.
“I guess I’ll be watching on TV…but that’s the way it goes sometimes.”
Last year, Vanthoor nearly accomplished the unpredecented feat of winning all three Triple Crown of Endurance Racing events – Daytona, Sebring, and Le Mans – in the same calendar year. He, along with Estre and Matt Campbell, finished second at Le Mans for Porsche Penske.
The rumor mill has been buzzing with speculation as to whether the current crop of Porsche works drivers will stick around: New manufacturers like Genesis, McLaren, and Ford have just entered or are planning to enter the FIA World Endurance Championship, offering a more immediate ticket back to Le Mans in the wake of Porsche’s absence.
But although overall victory at Le Mans remains a goal for Vanthoor, he stated his desire to continue as a Porsche factory driver as he’s been for nearly a decade. “I’ve been dreaming to be part of this project with Porsche and Penske since the beginning, I don’t think there’s any driver in the paddock who doesn’t dream to be part of two names like this.
“It’s, for sure, unfortunate that we stopped racing at Le Mans. But I’m almost now ten years at Porsche, and I will be at Porsche for longer,” Vanthoor declared.
“We’ll see what the future brings if plans change or anything else, but that’s the situation at the moment.”
Feature image © Dailysportscar.com