Samwise Sportscar & Endurance Newsletter
Wednesday, June 17, 2026
Toyota Ends Four-Year Le Mans Drought as Kobayashi, Conway and De Vries Win 94th Edition
Toyota Racing's No. 7 GR010 Hybrid of Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Conway and Nyck de Vries claimed victory at the 94th 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 14, ending the Japanese manufacturer's four-year drought at the Circuit de la Sarthe. The trio crossed the line 10.913 seconds clear of the No. 20 BMW M Hybrid V8 of Robin Frijns, René Rast and Sheldon van der Linde after 381 laps. The No. 8 sister Toyota of Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa completed a one-three finish. De Vries claimed his first Le Mans win, while Kobayashi and Conway each took their second. Toyota's sixth overall victory equals Bentley's tally.
Sources: Motorsport.com
BMW Misses Historic Le Mans Upset by 10.9 Seconds as Frijns, Rast and Van der Linde Finish Second
The No. 20 BMW M Hybrid V8 of Robin Frijns, René Rast and Sheldon van der Linde came within 10.913 seconds of victory at the 2026 Le Mans 24 Hours, finishing second after the car led through portions of the race before momentum shifted toward the No. 7 Toyota in the closing stages. A late Full Course Yellow period emerged with the Toyota in control, sealing the result for Kobayashi, Conway and de Vries. The sister No. 15 BMW of Kevin Magnussen, Raffaele Marciello and Dries Vanthoor had taken Hyperpole but fell further back in the final classification. BMW sits second in the Manufacturers' Championship with 96 points.
Sources: Pit Debrief
TF Sport Corvette Ends Porsche's Le Mans LMGT3 Stranglehold with Comeback from P17
The No. 33 TF Sport Corvette Z06 of Nicky Catsburg, Jonny Edgar and Ben Keating won the LMGT3 class at the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans, ending Porsche's stranglehold on the category. Starting 17th on the LMGT3 grid, TF Sport employed an unconventional strategy by placing Bronze-rated Keating in the car for the opening phase, completing his mandatory driving time early while keeping Catsburg and Edgar fresh for the decisive stages. The No. 78 Akkodis ASP Lexus finished second, with the No. 23 Heart of Racing Aston Martin completing the podium. The result gave Corvette its first LMGT3 win and its tenth class victory at Le Mans.
Sources: Sportscar365
Inter Europol Competition Locks Out LMP2 Podium for Third Le Mans Victory in Four Editions
Inter Europol Competition sealed a dominant one-two finish in the LMP2 class at the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans. The No. 43 Oreca 07 Gibson of Tom Dillmann, Kuba Smiechowski and Nick Yelloly won class honours, with the sister No. 343 car of Nico Müller, Reshad de Gerus and Bijoy Garg completing the lockout in second. The result marks Inter Europol's third LMP2 victory at Le Mans in the last four editions, giving the Polish team more Le Mans LMP2 wins than any other outfit in the current era of the championship, which dates to 2017.
Sources: Sportscar365
Genesis Magma Racing Completes Historic Le Mans Debut in 13th Despite Overnight Mechanical Issues
Genesis Magma Racing completed a landmark Le Mans debut at the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans, finishing 13th overall with drivers Paul-Loup Chatin, Mathieu Jaminet and Dani Juncadella. The team became the first South Korean car manufacturer to start and finish the race in the Hypercar class. Despite the GMR-001-Hypercar stopping twice during the night with mechanical issues before continuing, the car completed 372 laps over 24 hours. Genesis had contested only three WEC races before Le Mans. The team also unveiled the Genesis Magma GT3 concept car at the race, outlining plans for further motorsport involvement in the coming decade.
Sources: 24h-lemans.com
Toyota Surges to Top of WEC Manufacturers' Championship with 132 Points after Le Mans Haul
Toyota leads the 2026 WEC Manufacturers' Championship with 132 points following its Le Mans one-three result, ahead of BMW with 96 and Porsche with 62. Alpine holds 38, Cadillac 32, Aston Martin 26, Peugeot 15 and Genesis 6. In the Drivers' Championship, the No. 7 Toyota crew of Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Conway and Nyck de Vries lead with 75 points. The No. 20 BMW trio of René Rast, Robin Frijns and Sheldon van der Linde are second with 71, with the No. 8 Toyota of Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa fourth with 56 points. The next round is the Rolex 6 Hours of São Paulo on July 12.
Sources: AutoHebdo
WEC Hypercar — Drivers
1. K. Kobayashi / M. Conway / N. de Vries — 75 pts
2. R. Rast / R. Frijns / S. van der Linde — 71 pts
3. S. Buemi / B. Hartley / R. Hirakawa — 56 pts
4. A. Pier Guidi / A. Giovinazzi / J. Calado — 39 pts
5. A.F. da Costa / C. Milesi / F. Habsburg — 28 pts
6. L. Delétraz / N. Nato / W. Stevens — 26 pts
7. K. Magnussen / R. Marciello / D. Vanthoor — 25 pts
WEC Hypercar — Manufacturers
1. Toyota — 132 pts
2. BMW — 96 pts
3. Porsche — 62 pts
4. Alpine — 38 pts
5. Cadillac — 32 pts
6. Aston Martin — 26 pts
7. Peugeot — 15 pts
8. Genesis — 6 pts
IMSA GTP — Drivers
1. J. Aitken — 1760 pts
2. L. Heinrich — 1616 pts
3. J. Andlauer — 1606 pts
4. F. Nasr — 1606 pts
5. R. van der Zande — 1552 pts
6. N. Yelloly — 1552 pts
IMSA GTP — Teams
1. Porsche Penske Motorsport (#7) — 755 pts
2. Cadillac Whelen (#31) — 675 pts
3. Porsche Penske Motorsport (#6) — 654 pts
4. BMW M Team WRT (#24) — 606 pts
5. Acura Meyer Shank Racing (#93) — 567 pts
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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