Vanthoor: Full-Time WEC, IMSA Enduros the “Ideal Program”

Laurens Vanthoor has opened the door to the idea of ending his driving career with a return to full-time competition in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship but added that he remains committed to the FIA World Endurance Championship for the foreseeable future.

The Belgian driver competed full-time in the WeatherTech Championship between 2017 and 2021, taking championship honors twice.

He won the GTLM title with Earl Bamber in 2019 and again in 2021, when he joined Zach Robichon and Pfaff Motorsports in the GTD class.

This year, Vanthoor was selected for Porsche Penske Motorsport’s WEC program with the Porsche 963, while he was recently confirmed as the third driver for the No. 6 car at Motul Petit Le Mans.

He told Sportscar365 that he currently considers the combined roles of a WEC seat with a Michelin Endurance Cup drive his “ideal program” as it allows him to compete at both the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Rolex 24 at Daytona.

“That’s what I wanted,” said Vanthoor. “Unfortunately, it didn’t [work] at the beginning of the year but now they changed it.

“A lot of people know that my dream is to win Daytona and Le Mans overall in this car. Therefore, I obviously need to be [in] a third driver role in IMSA.

“I think they’ve given me the opportunity now for Petit Le Mans. I’m quite confident that things will go well and I can stay aboard for the next season and get a role in Daytona.

“I love racing in IMSA and I love being in the States. It’s something I really enjoy being a part of.”

Vanthoor said that he hopes to one day return to race in IMSA on a full-time schedule, but added that he still has ‘boxes to tick’ in WEC.

“My first goal or target is to be successful in WEC and Le Mans. That’s something I have not achieved yet in my career,” he said.

“I’m not saying for this year but it’s a box that I want to have ticked off. It’s a world championship and it’s the best opportunity to win Le Mans and be there for the full season.

“That’s something I want to achieve in my career. But in all honesty, once I’ve done that, I wouldn’t mind returning to the States and spend the end of my career there.

“It’s definitely a place where I enjoy being and enjoying living. My wife, my family and myself have considered multiple times to move there. It’s never happened yet. But who knows in a couple of years.

“First I have two boxes to tick on the program that I’m doing. If I’ve achieved that, then we can look further at what the next step is.”

Vanthoor: Newgarden a “Hard, Passionate Worker”

In addition to Vanthoor, reigning Indianapolis 500 winner Josef Newgarden is also joining Porsche at Petit Le Mans as the third driver alongside Matt Campbell and Felipe Nasr in the No. 7 car.

Vanthoor revealed he recently met Newgarden on a trip to the U.S., notably attending the NTT IndyCar Series round at World Wide Technology Raceway.

“He’s very motivated to do this well,” Vanthoor said of Newgarden. “I think it’s a dream of his to eventually end up doing stuff like Le Mans.

“He’s not an Indy 500 winner for nothing. He’s a hard, passionate worker. To be honest, he was up to speed quite quickly.

“Obviously, from the things he won, but it’s not always that easy coming from a completely different car. He did well and I’m quite sure he will do well at the race.

“It’s also nice to see somebody new coming from the outside. To try and see how they work, how they approach things, what their mindset is.

“I always find it interesting to see that and also try and learn a thing or two. Therefore, it’s quite cool to have somebody from another world, let’s say, being involved.”