Multi-Class Warfare: Why Watkins Glen is the Real Test for Estre and Van Der Linde
There is something beautifully raw about North American endurance racing. While Formula 1 spends its weekend managing hybrid batteries in the Styrian mountains, across the pond, the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is currently tackling one of the most brutal, unforgiving circuits on the planet: Watkins Glen International.
The Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen is the halfway point of the 2026 season and the third round of the Michelin Endurance Cup. With a massive 54-car grid squeezed onto a narrow, high-speed ribbon of New York tarmac, the top-tier Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class faces six hours of absolute multi-class chaos.
If you want to watch masterclasses in heavy traffic management, keep your eyes firmly glued to two titans of the sport this weekend: Kevin Éstre and Sheldon van der Linde.
Kevin Éstre: The No. 6 Porsche Penske Rocket
Sitting 5th in the drivers' standings, French ace Kevin Éstre shares the iconic No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963.
If you’ve ever watched Éstre drive, you know he treats a racing car with zero hesitation. He is a driver who thrives on the absolute limit of adhesion, famous for pulling off breathtaking, paint-trading overtakes in high-speed traffic.
The twin-turbo V6 Porsche 963 is a formidable weapon, but it has a finicky operating window. At Watkins Glen, the high-speed outer loop and the terrifyingly fast "Esses" require a car that inspires total confidence. Éstre’s job today isn't just about outright pace; it’s about slicing past slower GT Daytona (GTD) traffic with millimetre precision. Drop a single wheel offline onto the grass here, and the blue armco barriers will claim the car instantly.
Sheldon van der Linde: The No. 24 BMW M Team WRT Threat
Right behind the Porsche in the championship table sits South African star Sheldon van der Linde, anchoring the No. 24 BMW M Team WRT squad alongside Dries Vanthoor.
The BMW M Hybrid V8 has shown immense flashes of speed this season, but the team has often had to fight tooth and nail just to recover points on days when the car wasn’t the absolute class of the field. Van der Linde is widely regarded as one of the smoothest, most tactically astute endurance drivers in the business—a perfect analytical counterweight to Éstre’s aggressive, heavy-metal style.
BMW is hungry for its first GTP win of the 2026 season, and the heavy braking zones at The Glen provide the exact kind of heavy energy-regeneration platforms where the BMW's hybrid powertrain excels.
The Ultimate Grid Overview: GTP Heavyweights
To see where Éstre and van der Linde stack up against the rest of the field, here is a snapshot of the elite GTP entries they are fighting through the traffic today:
| Team | Car | Key Drivers | Strategy Strength |
| Porsche Penske (No. 6) | Porsche 963 | Kevin Éstre / Laurens Vanthoor | Aerodynamic stability in high-speed sweeps |
| BMW M Team WRT (No. 24) | BMW M Hybrid V8 | Sheldon van der Linde / Dries Vanthoor | Exceptional low-end torque out of slow corners |
| Whelen Cadillac (No. 31) | Cadillac V-Series.R | Jack Aitken / Earl Bamber | Thunderous 5.5L naturally aspirated V8 reliability |
| Meyer Shank Acura (No. 60) | Acura ARX-06 | Tom Blomqvist / Colin Braun | Raw qualifying pace and high-RPM turbo power |
The Verdict: Six Hours of Concrete and Traffic
Unlike European tracks with vast asphalt run-off areas, Watkins Glen features old-school grass and concrete walls. With 11 high-tech prototypes trying to lap over 40 production-based GT cars on a track that barely fits two wide, the race won't be won by the outright fastest lap time.
It will be won by the driver who can navigate the traffic without tearing the carbon fibre off their front splitter. Whether it's Éstre dragging his Porsche past a backmarker on the absolute limit or van der Linde executing a flawless undercut strategy on the pit wall, this is multi-class endurance racing at its finest.
Grab a coffee, fire up the IMSA stream, and enjoy the show.