| Laurens Vanthoor | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Vanthoor in 2024 | |
| Nationality |  Belgian |
| Born | (1991-05-08)8 May 1991 (age 34) Hasselt, Belgium |
| Related to | Dries Vanthoor (brother) |
| WEC career | |
| Debut season | 2015 |
| Current team | Porsche Penske Motorsport |
| Racing licence |  FIA Platinum |
| Car number | 6 |
| Former teams | Porsche GT Team,OAK Racing |
| Starts | 28 |
| Wins | 4 |
| Poles | 1 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| Best finish | 1st in2024 |
| Previous series | |
| 2009 2008–09 2010–11 2012–2016 2012–2016 2016 | Belgian Touring Car Series German Formula Three Formula 3 Euro Series Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup Intercontinental GT Challenge |
| Championship titles | |
| 2024 2021 2019 2016 2014 2014 2013 2009 | FIA World Endurance Championship - Hypercar IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTLM Intercontinental GT Challenge Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup Blancpain GT Series FIA GT Series German Formula Three |
Laurens Vanthoor (Dutch pronunciation:[ˈlʌurənsfɑnˈtoːr];[a] born 8 May 1991) is aBelgian professional racing driver currently racing forPorsche Motorsport as afactory driver in theFIA World Endurance Championship. He currently resides inWaiblingen outside ofStuttgart.[1]
Laurens is the older brother ofBMW factory driverDries Vanthoor.
Born inHasselt, Vanthoor began hiskart racing career at an early age. In 2005 he became French and Belgian Champion in theICA-J class and he also finished fourth in the European Championship.
In 2007, Vanthoor become an official factory driver for theCRG racing team in theKF2 category. He ended up being out of action for five months out due to an accident, resulting in six fractures.[2] His best result in the season was a runner-up position in the North European Championship.
Vanthoor began his formula racing career in the2008 German Formula Three season, jumping from karting directly intoFormula Three. He finished fourth overall in the championship, with two wins and three poles. Following his successes, the Belgian Automobile Club (RACB) made him a member of their "National Team" initiative andVolkswagen Motorsport made him an official driver.[3][4] Vanthoor also became the youngest driver ever in the history of theMacau Grand Prix and he finished in sixth position.[5]
WithFrédéric Vervisch andSebastián Saavedra both movingStateside andJohnny Cecotto Jr. moving up to theF3 Euroseries andGP2, Vanthoor became the main title contender for the2009 season. Vanthoor followed Vervisch's lead of 2008 by dominating the field, wrapping up the title at theNürburgring.[6]
Vanthoor moved into theFormula Three Euroseries for the2010 season withSignature[7] and stayed with the team for the2011 season. He scored several podium finishes but never won a race.
In 2012, Vanthoor switched to theFIA GT1 World Championship withWRT. Together withStéphane Ortelli, he won both the qualifying and championship races at the first round atNogaro.
In2013, Vanthoor won the FIA GT Series together with Ortelli for Audi and WRT. In 2014 he competed in theBlancpain Sprint Series andBlancpain Endurance Series, winning the latter as well as the overallBlancpain GT Series. He also won the2014 24 Hours of Spa for WRT together with fellow Audi Sport factory driversRené Rast andMarkus Winkelhock
In 2015, Vanthoor started his season in theBathurst 12 Hour withPhoenix Racing. He took the pole with a new lap record and ended 2nd. He also drove in Brazil for the 1st round of theStock Car Brasil together withValdeno Brito for Shell Racing atGoiania. Together withBelgian Audi Club Team WRT he won the24 Hours of Nürburgring in the newAudi R8 LMS 2015 specification. On 3 October, during the event atMisano for theBlancpain Sprint Series, he was involved in a major crash which led to a serious injury. Therefore, he missed the last race of the season as well as the race atMacau, where he was replaced byRené Rast. He made his comeback at theSepang 12 Hours, which he won withStéphane Ortelli andStuart Leonard.
In 2016, Vanthoor started his season with a win in theDubai 24 Hour withBelgian Audi Club Team WRT. On 21 November 2016 Vanthoor won theFIA GT World Cup, crowning himself as World Champion on the streets ofMacau. On 3 December 2016, it was announced that Vanthoor would change fromAudi toPorsche and the focus would be on theWeatherTech SportsCar Championship where he will drive aPorsche 911 RSR together withKévin Estre.[8] During his last race with Audi, he won theSepang 12 Hours together withRobin Frijns,Christopher Haase andPhoenix Racing. With this he crowned himself as the first winner of theIntercontinental GT Challenge.[9]
In 2017, Vanhoor started his season at theDaytona 24 Hours with his new employer Porsche, in theWeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Together withKevin Estre andRichard Lietz, he finished 10th overall and 6th in the GTLM-class with the new 2017-specificationPorsche 911 RSR. After a relatively difficult first season, Vanthoor took his first win at the 2018Mid-Ohio round.
During the 2018 season, Vanthoor also completed the Porsche Le Mans line-up for the #92 car together withKévin Estre andMichael Christensen in the iconic “pink pig” livery. After taking the lead early on the team went on to win the GTE Pro class at the2018 Le Mans 24 Hours. The following season, Vanthoor won the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in the GTLM class for Porsche together withEarl Bamber. The duo took a total of three wins and seven podiums in eleven races. Porsche eventually decided to end its factory involvement in the GTLM class at the end of the2020 season, leaving Vanthoor out of a factory program for the following season.
However, Vanthoor was kept as a Porsche factory driver and loaned out to customer teamPfaff Motorsports for the 2021 IMSA season. He and his teammateZacharie Robichon won the championship in the GTD class. Vanthoor also won the24 Hours of Spa a second time in2020 driving aPorsche 911 GT3 R entered byRowe Racing.
In 2022, Vanthoor participated in theDeutsche Tourenwagen Masters for SSR Performance, driving aPorsche 911 GT3 R.
For the 2023 season, Vanthoor moved into theHypercar class of theFIA World Endurance Championship, partneringKévin Estre andAndré Lotterer at thePorsche Penske Motorsport works team.[10] The trio finished took their first podium atPortimão and finished third again inFuji, where Vanthoor impressed by taking the lead at the start before holding it for the subsequent two hours against theToyotas.[11] Vanthoor and his teammates finished sixth in the standings, beating the sister car by ten points.
In 2024, Vanthoor, Estre, and Lotterer returned to theWEC in Porsche's #6.[12] At the season-openingQatar 1812 km race, the team took their first victory with the 963 in a podium lockout for the chassis.[13] Throughout the season, the team scored four more podiums, including another race win at the2024 6 Hours of Fuji, all contributing to winning the2024 FIA WEC Hypercar World Endurance Drivers' Championship overall.
In 2025, Vanthoor won the2025 24 Hours of Daytona withFelipe Nasr andNick Tandy after starting the endurance race in 3rd.
† As Vanthoor was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points.
†† No. 16 Scherer Sport PHX is ineligible for points.
(key)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Signature | Dallara F308/033 | Volkswagen | LEC 1 Ret | LEC 2 5 | HOC 1 Ret | HOC 2 Ret | VAL 1 5 | VAL 2 3 | NOR 1 9 | NOR 2 5 | NÜR 1 2 | NÜR 2 11 | ZAN 1 7 | ZAN 2 2 | BRH 1 2 | BRH 2 7 | OSC 1 13 | OSC 2 4 | HOC 1 6 | HOC 2 DSQ | 6th | 42 | |||||||||
| 2011 | Signature | Dallara F309/023 | Volkswagen | LEC 1 8 | LEC 2 7 | LEC 3 5 | HOC 1 3 | HOC 2 6 | HOC 3 15 | ZAN 1 4 | ZAN 2 5 | ZAN 3 6 | RBR 1 7 | RBR 2 2 | RBR 3 7 | NOR 1 2 | NOR 2 8 | NOR 3 4 | NÜR 1 5 | NÜR 2 3 | NÜR 3 5 | SIL 1 6 | SIL 2 6 | SIL 3 4 | VAL 1 11 | VAL 2 11 | VAL 3 6 | HOC 1 3 | HOC 2 9 | HOC 3 12 | 6th | 189 |
| Source:[14] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Year | Team | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Belgian Audi Club Team WRT | Audi R8 LMS ultra | NOG QR 1 | NOG CR 1 | ZOL QR 12 | ZOL CR 6 | NAV QR 9 | NAV QR 10 | SVK QR 11 | SVK CR 6 | ALG QR 10 | ALG CR 6 | SVK QR 5 | SVK CR 5 | MOS QR 1 | MOS CR 4 | NUR QR 2 | NUR CR 6 | DON QR 2 | DON CR 4 | 4th | 122 |
| Year | Team | Car | Class | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Pos. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Belgian Audi Club Team WRT | Audi R8 LMS ultra | Pro | NOG QR 16 | NOG CR 2 | ZOL QR 1 | ZOL CR 2 | ZAN QR 1 | ZAN CR 2 | SVK QR 2 | SVK CR 3 | NAV QR 7 | NAV CR 15 | BAK QR 2 | BAK CR 1 | 1st | 132 |
| Year | Team | Car | Class | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Pos. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Belgian Audi Club Team WRT | Audi R8 LMS ultra | Pro | NOG QR 1 | NOG CR Ret | BRH QR 6 | BRH CR 4 | ZAN QR 3 | ZAN CR 10 | SVK QR 1 | SVK CR 11 | ALG QR 4 | ALG CR 8 | ZOL QR 1 | ZOL CR 3 | BAK QR 1 | BAK CR 1 | 4th | 100 |
| 2015 | Belgian Audi Club Team WRT | Audi R8 LMS ultra | Pro | NOG QR DNS | NOG CR DNS | BRH QR 1 | BRH CR 1 | ZOL QR 1 | ZOL CR 1 | MOS QR Ret | MOS CR 5 | ALG QR 2 | ALG CR 1 | MIS QR Ret | MIS CR DNS | ZAN QR | ZAN CR | 3rd | 109 |
| 2016 | Belgian Audi Club Team WRT | Audi R8 LMS | Pro | MIS QR 3 | MIS CR 1 | BRH QR 5 | BRH CR 15 | NÜR QR 24 | NÜR CR 7 | HUN QR 3 | HUN CR 8 | CAT QR 13 | CAT CR 4 | 5th | 58 |
| Year | Team | Co-drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Ovr. Pos. | Cla. Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 |  Phoenix Racing |  Rahel FreyRené Rast | Audi R8 LMS Ultra | A | 296 | 5th | 5th |
| 2015 | Phoenix Racing |  Marco MapelliMarkus Winkelhock | Audi R8 LMS Ultra | Pro | 269 | 2nd | 1st |
| 2016 | Phoenix Racing |  Alex DavisonMarkus Winkelhock | Audi R8 LMS | Pro | 297 | 4th | 4th |
| 2017 | Walkinshaw Racing |  Earl Bamber Kévin Estre | Porsche 911 GT3 R (991) | Pro | 44 | DNF | DNF |
| 2018 |  Craft-Bamboo Racing | Earl BamberKévin Estre | Porsche 911 GT3 R (991) | Pro | 271 | 5th | 3rd |
| 2020 | Earl Bamber Motorsport | Earl BamberCraig Lowndes | Porsche 911 GT3 R (991.2) | Pro | 312 | 9th | 8th |
| 2024 | Manthey Racing / EMA Motorsport | Matthew Campbell Ayhancan Güven | Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) | Pro | 275 | 1st | 1st |
| Year | Manufacturer | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Pos. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Audi | Audi R8 LMS | BAT 3 | SPA 2 | SEP 1 | 1st | 58 | ||
| 2017 | Porsche | Porsche 911 GT3 R | BAT Ret | SPA 4 | LAG DNS | 10th | 12 | ||
| 2018 | Porsche | Porsche 911 GT3 R | BAT 5 | SPA Ret | SUZ 10 | LAG | 19th | 12 | |
| 2019 | Porsche | Porsche 911 GT3 R | BAT | LAG | SPA 7 | SUZ | KYA 8 | 25th | 10 |
| 2020 | Porsche | Porsche 911 GT3 R | BAT 7 | IND | SPA 1 | KYA 7 | 3rd | 37 | |
| 2021 | Porsche | Porsche 911 GT3 R | SPA 5 | IND | KYA | 15th | 12 | ||
| 2022 | Porsche | Porsche 911 GT3 R | BAT | SPA 5 | IND | GUL | 16th | 10 | |
| 2023 | Porsche | Porsche 911 GT3 R | BAT | KYA | SPA 3 | IND | GUL | 21st | 15 |
| 2024 | Porsche | Porsche 911 GT3 R | BAT 1 | NUR 1 | SPA Ret | IND | 2nd | 50 | |
| 2025 | Porsche | Porsche 911 GT3 R | NUR WD |
* Season still in progress.
| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | OAK Racing |  Chris CummingKévin Estre | Ligier JS P2-Honda | LMP2 | 329 | DNF | DNF |
| 2016 |  Michael Shank Racing |  Oswaldo NegriJohn Pew | Ligier JS P2-Honda | LMP2 | 345 | 14th | 9th |
| 2018 | Porsche GT Team |  Michael ChristensenKévin Estre | Porsche 911 RSR | GTE Pro | 344 | 15th | 1st |
| 2019 | Porsche GT Team | Michael ChristensenKévin Estre | Porsche 911 RSR | GTE Pro | 337 | 29th | 9th |
| 2020 | Porsche GT Team | Michael ChristensenKévin Estre | Porsche 911 RSR-19 | GTE Pro | 331 | 35th | 6th |
| 2021 | WeatherTech Racing | Earl BamberCooper MacNeil | Porsche 911 RSR-19 | GTE Pro | 139 | DNF | DNF |
| 2022 | Porsche GT Team | Michael ChristensenKévin Estre | Porsche 911 RSR-19 | GTE Pro | 348 | 31st | 4th |
| 2023 | Porsche Penske Motorsport | Kévin EstreAndré Lotterer | Porsche 963 | Hypercar | 320 | 22nd | 11th |
| 2024 | Porsche Penske Motorsport | Kévin EstreAndré Lotterer | Porsche 963 | Hypercar | 311 | 4th | 4th |
| 2025 | Porsche Penske Motorsport | Matt CampbellKévin Estre | Porsche 963 | Hypercar | 387 | 2nd | 2nd |
| Sources:[14][15] | |||||||
| Year | Entrant | Class | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | OAK Racing | LMP2 | Ligier JS P2 | Honda HR28TT 2.8 L Turbo V6 | SIL | SPA | LMS Ret | NÜR | COA | FUJ | SHA | BHR | 19th | 0 |
| 2018–19 | Porsche GT Team | LMGTE Pro | Porsche 911 RSR | Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | SPA | LMS 1 | SIL | FUJ | SHA | SEB | SPA | LMS 5 | 13th | 353 |
| 2019–20 | Porsche GT Team | LMGTE Pro | Porsche 911 RSR-19 | Porsche 4.2 L Flat-6 | SIL | FUJ | SHA | BHR | COA | SPA | LMS 11 | BHR | 38th | 1 |
| 2022 | Porsche GT Team | LMGTE Pro | Porsche 911 RSR-19 | Porsche 4.2 L Flat-6 | SEB | SPA | LMS 4 | MNZ | FUJ | BHR | 13th | 24 | ||
| 2023 | Porsche Penske Motorsport | Hypercar | Porsche 963 | Porsche 4.6 L Turbo V8 | SEB 6 | ALG 3 | SPA Ret | LMS 8 | MNZ 7 | FUJ 3 | BHR 5 | 6th | 71 | |
| 2024 | Porsche Penske Motorsport | Hypercar | Porsche 963 | Porsche 4.6 L Turbo V8 | QAT 1 | IMO 2 | SPA 2 | LMS 4 | SÃO 2 | COA 6 | FUJ 1 | BHR 10 | 1st | 152 |
| 2025 | Porsche Penske Motorsport | Hypercar | Porsche 963 | Porsche 4.6 L Turbo V8 | QAT 11 | IMO 8 | SPA 9 | LMS 2 | SÃO 4 | COA 1 | FUJ 3 | BHR 13 | 4th | 94 |
| Sources:[14][16] | ||||||||||||||
| Year | Entrant | Class | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Team WRT | LMP2 | Ligier JS P2 | Judd HK 3.6 L V8 | SIL | IMO | RBR | LEC | SPA 2 | EST | 19th | 18 |
| Source:[14] | ||||||||||||
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
† As Vanthoor was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points.
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | SSR Performance | Porsche 911 GT3 R | ALG 1 8 | ALG 2 7 | LAU 1 7 | LAU 2 9 | IMO 1 13 | IMO 2 Ret | NOR 1 4 | NOR 2 16 | NÜR 1 Ret | NÜR 2 11 | SPA 1 Ret | SPA 2 12 | RBR 1 Ret | RBR 2 16 | HOC 1 | HOC 2 | 18th | 30 |
| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Team WRT | Marco BonanomiAnthony Kumpen Edward Sandström | Audi R8 LMS | GT | 860 | 1st | 1st |
| 2013 | Team WRT | Enzo Ide Bert LonginAnthony Kumpen | Audi R8 LMS | GT | 765 | 4th | 3rd |
| 2024 | RedAnt Racing | Ayhancan Güven Dirk Van Rompuy Tom Van Rompuy | Porsche 992 GT3 Cup | GTA | 778 | 5th | 5th |
| 2025 | D’Ieteren Luxury Performance by NGT | Bertrand Baguette Robin Knutsson Glenn Van Parijs Cédric Wauters | Porsche 992 GT3 Cup | GT Cup | 818 | 2nd | 2nd |
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | German Formula 3 Championship Champion 2009 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | FIA GT Series Champion 2013 With:Stéphane Ortelli | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Blancpain Endurance Series Champion 2014 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Inaugural | Blancpain GT Series Champion 2014 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Inaugural | Intercontinental GT Challenge Champion 2016 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | IMSA SportsCar Championship GTLM Champion 2019 With:Earl Bamber | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | IMSA SportsCar Championship GTD Champion 2021 With: Zach Robichon | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Winner of theBathurst 12 Hour 2024 With:Matthew Campbell &Ayhancan Güven | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | World Endurance Championship Champion 2024 With:André Lotterer &Kévin Estre | Succeeded by |
| Awards | ||
| Preceded by | RACB Rookie Driver of the Year 2008 | Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Records | ||
| Preceded by (Macau Grand Prix) | Youngest driver to compete in theMacau Grand Prix 17 years, 192 days (2008) | Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Preceded by Carlo van Dam 21 years, 202 days | Youngest driver to win the German Formula 3 Championship 18 years, 108 days (2009) | Succeeded by Incumbent |
