Road America will be lit with nostalgia as Porsche Penske Motorsport unveils two retro liveries for its LMDh pairings this weekend.
Retro Payback: Sunoco LMDh on Road America
Number 6 will sport the iconic blue‑and‑yellow Sunoco palette that crowned the 1973 Porsche 917/30, a colour scheme that surprised American fans when Mark Donohue shattered the two‑minute barrier in qualifying. Kevin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor will sharpen that heritage on the 6.5 km circuit with fresh speed and fresh paint.
That 1973 tour de force dominated the defunct Can‑Am series, with Donohue claiming six of eight races and running the field down by three seconds on this exact track.
RS Spyder Revival in Bright Yellow
The second prototype, number 7, adopts the vivid yellow of the RS Spyder LMP2, the machine that captured three consecutive American Le Mans Series titles in the 2000s and two class wins at Le Mans 24 Hours.
Julien Andlauer and Felipe Nasr will bring that banner to life, recalling the 2008 Sebring 12‑Hours triumph where Bernhard, Dumas and Collard surprised the LMP1 field to claim overall victory.
Celebrating a 75/60‑Year Legacy
2026 marks a landmark year for both brands: Porsche commemorates 75 years in motorsport, while Roger Penske’s eponymous team celebrates 60 years of racing.
Tom Laudenbach, vice‑president of Porsche Motorsport, notes that the Road America round – now a six‑hour sprint rather than the usual 2 h 40 m – felt the perfect venue to honour these twin milestones and showcase the legendary vehicles that defined both partnerships.
The Historic Powerhouses Behind the Screens
Porsche’s RS Spyder and the 917/30 remain two of the most successful prototypes in the shared history of the team. These cars were built for endurance, propelled by top-tier drivers, and immortalised in a record‑setting partnership that echoed Porsche’s engineering excellence with Penske’s relentless racing pedigree.
Roger Penske himself stated that the foundation of Team Penske is sportscar competition, and that partnership with Porsche is among the most successful and enduring in racing history.
With the road to victory painted in the banners of champions, the Pit Lane at Road America will buzz with the glorious echo of those historic frequencies, as the modern LMDh proves that classic spirit still races fast and relentless.
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