The 27th Petit Le Mans edition went underway at Road Atlanta, marking the eleventh and final round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in 2024 and the Michelin Endurance Cup. Matteo Cairoli competed at the wheel of the Iron Lynx Lamborghini #63 in the GTP class alongside Andrea Caldarelli and Romain Grosjean – his teammates throughout the whole star striped season. On the challenging “rollercoaster track” of Road Atlanta, Cairoli faced an uphill weekend due to various issues that arose during the race. Nevertheless he still demonstrated great determination and grit during the most difficult phases.
Matteo entered the track during the third hour of the race, taking over from Andrea Caldarelli and immediately set impressive lap times, fighting for crucial positions. However, the situation became more complicated when Cairoli was hit from the back by another competitor, forcing the Lamborghini to enter the box for an emergency pit-stop. The Iron Lynx team tried its best to repair the damages quickly, but in the heat of the moment, they exceeded the number of personnel allowed to work on the car, violating the regulations. For that reason, the race direction issued a heavy penalty causing the car to fall four laps behind.
Despite these setbacks, Cairoli didn’t give up and got back at the wheel at sunset, determined to regain time and positions as the race transitioned into the night. Thanks to the car’s excellent pace and issues faced by some competitors, Cairoli managed to make up for the time lost by bringing the car into the Top 10. He then handed the car over to Romain Grosjean, who was ultimately able to cross the finish line eighth.
With Petit Le Mans now complete, Matteo Cairoli’s 2024 American season has officially come to an end. It was also the first year with Lamborghini and at the wheel of the SC63 LMDh, the Italian prototype he helped develop during the year on some of the most technical and challenging circuits.
