We are currently experiencing a Golden Age of Motorsports, and Petit Le Mans is evidence of this.

      **Adam Ismail**

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      One aspect of endurance racing that consistently astonishes me is how cars can race for six, ten, or even 24 hours, only to be separated by a few seconds as they reach the finish line. The Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta always maintains that suspense until the very end, and it did so once again in 2025.

      The race was claimed by the No. 31 Action Express Cadillac V-Series, driven by Earl Bamber, Jack Aitken, and Frederik Vesti, with The Heart Of Racing’s Aston Martin Valkyrie LMH finishing just 5.18 seconds behind, driven by Roman De Angelis, Ross Gunn, and Alex Riberas. This year marks Cadillac’s second consecutive victory at Petit, but the more compelling story is Aston’s impressive rise after a rocky start to their inaugural season, as Saturday marked the Valkyrie’s first-ever global endurance racing podium.

      Completing the top three was the Porsche 963 driven by Mathieu Jaminet, Matt Campbell, and Laurens Vanthoor—who juggled two Porsche entries to substitute for the unwell Julien Andlauer—finishing ahead of an Acura and securing a hard-fought manufacturer’s title for Stuttgart.

      However, this isn’t merely a race recap. If that’s what you seek, you’ve likely already read a piece from another journalist more deeply embedded in the IMSA community. This is about the atmosphere and experience of an event that certainly draws attention in the sports car racing world but merits more recognition beyond it. Perhaps that shift is already occurring, as IMSA reported a 20% increase in attendance for last weekend’s race compared to the previous year.

      **Scenes from the grid walk, including one of AO Racing’s mascots named Spike. Someone should analyze this team’s clever strategy of marketing their cars as characters. It seemed that half the children in attendance were wearing Rexy and Spike merchandise. Adam Ismail**

      This was my first encounter with Road Atlanta. I was familiar with the track, having raced on it virtually in various games—from 2001’s Le Mans 24 Hours on PlayStation 2 to the Xbox 360 Forza Motorsport series, and most recently, Gran Turismo 7—but I had never visited in person. Prior to this, my exposure to IMSA was limited to Lime Rock Park and Watkins Glen. While I enjoy those tracks, particularly Lime Rock, Petit holds a special prestige.

      Part of this prestige comes from the timing of the race: early October, when the leaves are vibrant in their autumn colors in my home region of the northeast, while at Braselton, Georgia, the landscape is mostly green. Nonetheless, the air was crisp, and the weather was ideal for this year’s 10-hour race, with temperatures never exceeding 75 degrees throughout the weekend.

      Despite Road Atlanta’s relatively short length of 2.54 miles, reaching the top of the iconic esses involves walking through a forest, as well as navigating Turns 6 and 7 at the track's far end. Some fans prefer speedways like Daytona, while others enjoy the lively atmosphere of the infield at Sebring. For me, the woods are precisely where I'd like to experience racing.

      **Adam Ismail**

      As with any celebrated, traditional road course, the first thing that strikes you about Road Atlanta is just how incredibly hilly it is. I've always appreciated those esses, but television and video games cannot convey the steep drop after Turn 4 or the climb up to Turn 5.

      I was invited to the race by Acura, and as part of my experience, I was fortunate enough to take a hot lap in an Integra Type S on Saturday morning before the race. Speeding into the esses, just as the sun began to rise and the shadows of the first sector lingered, was a beautiful experience. I can only imagine how thrilling that last corner must be, but unfortunately, the hot laps conclude before that point, sending passengers back to the pit lane.

      I was so focused on keeping my phone steady that I didn’t realize our Integra, filled with journalists, was hitting 117 mph on the back straight. **Adam Ismail**

      In addition to the track itself, now is a wonderful time to attend an IMSA race—arguably the best of my adult life. In the GTD class, there’s fierce competition among Acura, Aston Martin, BMW, Cadillac, and Porsche vying for supremacy. Lamborghini also had a prototype present, but Petit was its final race, as the brand is temporarily suspending that program. In 2027, the series will welcome Ford and Genesis, while McLaren has expressed interest in entering its forthcoming WEC hypercar into IMSA in 2028, although no decision has been reached yet.