Belgian · Born 1993 · #6 Porsche 963 · Porsche Penske Motorsport
Laurens drives the #6 Porsche 963 for Porsche Penske. His brother Dries Vanthoor drives the #24 BMW M Hybrid for BMW M Team WRT. Two brothers, two rival manufacturers, competing simultaneously at the same race — one of endurance racing's most compelling sibling storylines.
Laurens Vanthoor was born in Hasselt, Belgium in 1993, into a family with deep motorsport connections. Belgium has produced a remarkable cluster of world-class racing drivers, and Vanthoor is among the finest of his generation. He came through karting and single-seater categories before committing fully to GT and sportscar racing — a decision that has proven spectacularly correct.
Vanthoor signed with Porsche's factory program and became one of their most trusted and successful drivers. His ability to extract the maximum from Porsche machinery in long-distance races — managing tires, reading traffic, adapting to changing conditions — made him a natural fit for endurance racing at the highest level.
He has won the Spa 24 Hours multiple times — one of European GT racing's most prestigious events and a race that demands both outright pace and strategic intelligence over a full day and night of competition. Those Spa victories cemented his reputation as a genuine elite endurance driver.
The 2025 12 Hours of Sebring was Vanthoor's crowning achievement at this specific event. Sharing the #6 Porsche 963 with Felipe Nasr and Nick Tandy, the trio managed the race perfectly — balancing pace with reliability, handling traffic, and executing a flawless strategy to take the GTP class win and the overall victory.
Returning in 2026 with the #6 car — now alongside Kévin Estre and Matt Campbell instead of the 2025 lineup — Vanthoor will be one of the most dangerous drivers in the field. His Sebring track knowledge from victory conditions, combined with Porsche's continued development of the 963, makes the #6 a pre-race favorite for GTP class honors.
Vanthoor's schedule spans two major championships — IMSA's WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in North America and the FIA World Endurance Championship in Europe and Asia. Managing two global programs is demanding: different time zones, different car specifications for different circuits, different team personnel and engineering approaches. Vanthoor navigates this complexity while maintaining elite performance in both series.
This dual-series career means Vanthoor arrives at Sebring with a broader range of recent race experience than many single-series competitors. The variety of circuits, conditions, and traffic management scenarios in WEC complement and reinforce his IMSA skills.
The Spa-Francorchamps 24 Hours is the most prestigious GT endurance event in Europe, run on Belgium's iconic circuit in the Ardennes forest. Vanthoor's multiple victories there — in his home country, on one of the world's most challenging tracks — established him as a generational talent. Winning at Spa is validation at the highest GT level, and it preceded his IMSA success naturally.
The Porsche 963 Laurens drives is the same car that won the 2025 IMSA championship. Porsche's investment in the car's development — ongoing since its 2023 debut — means the 963 continues to evolve. Vanthoor's feedback from both WEC and IMSA campaigns directly informs that development, giving him a car that partly reflects his own input.