World Endurance Championship: 24 Hours of Le Mans LM GTE Pro/Am rundown

From car liveries inspired by a butcher’s diagram of a pig to post-race penalties, the LM GTE Pro and Am classes provided a slew of excitement during the 86th 24 Hours of Le Mans.

This year’s running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans had one of the largest GT fields with the LM GTE Pro category fielding 17 cars from six different manufacturers, and the LM GTE Am fielding 13 cars from three different manufacturers.

Porsche dominated both classes in numbers and wins, as both Pro and Am classes were won by Porsches that were able to lead from early on and maintain leads through the race.

Porsche captured the draw of many longtime fans with the introduction of two vintage-liveried 911s. The #92 Porsche GT Team 911 RSR had a tribute to the 1971 Porsche 917/20 and the “pink pig” design, which imitated the lines and names of a butcher’s selection of a pig.

The #91 Porsche GT Team 911 RSR dawned the Rothmans International cigarette design, which was made famous on the Porsche 956. The German team even went as far as decorating the Porsche pit stalls in a vintage-looking brick facade to replicate the full experience of celebrating the 70th anniversary of Porsche.

Battles raged throughout each field for the entirety of the race, with Porches becoming near dominant in both classes. Even still, the Grand Touring cars displayed high levels of competition throughout each respective field throughout the entire competition.

In the Pro class, the large operations of Porsche and Ford were able to lock out many of the top spots with an advantage in numbers, while in the Am class, a more diverse crowd of teams were able to compete for the top positions.