Off to conquer America!

After nine years in the FIA World Endurance Championship and two world titles, Kévin Estre will dedicate himself full-time to the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship in 2026. It’s a significant change of direction for the Frenchman who, however, will continue his endurance racing adventure in a technical and human environment he knows well and really appreciates: the #6 Porsche 963, the Porsche Penske Motorsport team, and his teammate of the last three seasons, Laurens Vanthoor. An exciting challenge lies ahead, with the goal of adding the most famous American endurance races and a first title across the Atlantic to his laurels!

So ten years after being named a works driver, Kevin remains loyal to Porsche. The Stuttgart-based manufacturer announced its withdrawal from the FIA WEC a few weeks ago, but it will continue its involvement in the North American IMSA championship, of which it is the two-time defending champion.

“I’m both a little disappointed not to be continuing in the FIA WEC after all these years and very excited about competing in my first full IMSA season in the top category,” says the former French, European, and World champion. “It’s an interesting new challenge, with races of a different format on old-school circuits that suit me well and generate a lot of adrenaline!”

Kevin is very familiar with the unique atmosphere of IMSA. He made it onto the podium in his 10th outing in the Rolex 24 at Daytona and his 6th start in the Twelve Hours of Sebring last year. “I competed in almost the entire championship in 2014, in a Porsche GT, before moving on to another American series in 2015.” The upcoming season will nonetheless bring a significant amount of new experiences. “I’ll be returning to circuits I haven’t raced on for over ten years, with a much more powerful car. Watkins Glen and Detroit will be completely new to me!”