Heinrich: Winning on Le Mans, LMP2 Debut a “Great Reward”

Photo: Fabrizio Boldoni/DPPI

Laurin Heinrich said taking a class win in the 24 Hours of Le Mans on both his race and LMP2 debut is a “great reward” after quickly coming to grips with both the legendary French circuit and the Oreca 07 Gibson for the first time.

The Porsche factory driver teamed with George Kurtz and Alex Quinn to claim a commanding one-lap victory in the LMP2 Pro-Am ranks, following a near-flawless race by the Stewart and Samantha Cox-led Algarve Pro Racing team.

It marked the second Le Mans class win for Kurtz, the founder and CEO of CrowdStrike, in only four starts, his first coming in his race debut in 2023 with co-drivers Colin Braun and James Allen.

Speaking with Sportscar365 post-race, Heinrich said the twice-around-the-clock endurance classic lived up to the hype and came without any drama.

“We didn’t have any major issues,” he said “We had no issues with track limits. We had no penalties. The pit stops were clean. The team did a great job. My teammates were amazing.

“That’s something really important in a 24-hour race. You have to trust your teammates and I think that worked pretty well this weekend.

“Coming here with CrowdStrike Racing by APR with George, who has won here previously, and with Alex, who is such a good experienced LMP2 driver, there’s expectations.

“I also have expectations for myself; I compete to win. For me it’s all about winning, so I wouldn’t come here if I said, ‘I just want to compete in the race.’

“That’s not my approach. But for sure you cannot come here and foresee winning is a given thing, because this is such a tough challenge, the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

“To win the race after such a long two days is a great reward. I’m so thankful to be given this chance. I hope it’s the first of many.”

It marked Heinrich’s second 24-hour race win this year after his overall triumph in January’s Rolex 24 at Daytona with Porsche Penske Motorsport, a race that Kurtz took LMP2 class honors at.

“It’s emotional,” said Heinrich. “It’s not only the race, it’s the whole event. You start soaking in the atmosphere and that makes you really realize over the days how special this race is, how special this atmosphere here is.

“It’s really the fans who make it that special because they’re so passionate about the sport, about sports car endurance racing.”

Heinrich said his biggest challenge was coming to grips with a LMP2 car, after only having limited time in the prototype from a test at Watkins Glen International earlier this month.

“The track was not as much of a challenge getting up to speed. It was more the car, which is very specific to drive,” he said.

“It’s like nothing I’ve experienced before. But I like challenges, I like to adapt. I think I learned that in the simulator in my previous sim days.

“I’m a driver who generally adapts pretty quickly. And I think it just makes you a better driver if you’re versatile.”

Additionally, Heinrich came out on top as the highest-placed Porsche IMSA GTP driver in the race, with the No. 04 Oreca finishing seventh within the overall LMP2 division.

Both Kevin Estre and Julien Andlauer took part in the race, with Estre’s TDS Racing entry finishing fifth in Pro-Am after rebounding from an accident at Indianapolis, while the Duqueine Team which Andlauer drove was on course to claim outright LMP2 class honors until the car suffered an explored brake rotor in the closing stages.

After also ending up as the unofficial ‘winner’ of the Porsche GTP driver subclass, Heinrich is already hoping to return.

A Hypercar effort appears for next year unlikely, given Porsche has no current plans to return to the WEC’s top class, although opportunities could again present themselves in LMP2, or if additional Porsche 911 GT3 R Evos are invited by the ACO selection commit.

“I definitely want to come back,” he said. “This is the place to be in June. There’s nothing like Le Mans in endurance racing. For sure I want to be back here in 2027 and hopefully score another win.”

Stephen Lickorish contributed to this report

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John