Kévin Estre (born 28 October 1988) is a French professional racing driver. He is currently competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Porsche in the Hypercar class.
| Kévin Estre | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Estre in 2024 | |
| Nationality |  French |
| Born | 28 October 1988 Lyon, France |
| FIA WEC – HyperCar career | |
| Debut season | 2015 |
| Current team | Porsche Penske Motorsport |
| Racing licence |  FIA Platinum |
| Car number | 6 |
| Previous series | |
| 2014–15 2014 2013 2011–14 2011–13 2009–10 2008–14 2007 2006 | United SportsCar Championship Blancpain Endurance Series FFSA GT Championship Porsche Supercup Porsche Carrera Cup Germany FIA GT3 European Championship Porsche Carrera Cup France French Formula Renault 2.0 Formula Renault Campus France |
| Championship titles | |
| 2024 2018–19 2013 2011 2006 | FIA World Endurance Championship World Endurance GTE Drivers' Championship Porsche Carrera Cup Germany Porsche Carrera Cup France Formula Renault Campus France |
Early career
editKarting
editBorn in Lyon, Estre began his racing career in karting, contesting the 2001 French Cadet Championship and taking his first title.[1] In 2004, he won the European ICA Championship, beating Jon Lancaster in the title competition.[2]
Formula Renault
editIn 2006, Estre began his graduation to single-seater racing by running in Formula Campus by Renault and Elf which he won comfortably at the first attempt, taking six wins and a total of twelve podium finishes from thirteen races.[3]
For the 2007 season, Estre graduated into the French Formula Renault 2.0 championship for Graff Racing. He finished ninth, taking nine point-scoring finishes from thirteen races.
Sportscar career
editEstre decided to switch to sportscars in 2008, continuing his collaboration with Graff Racing into the Porsche Carrera Cup France. He won a race at the final round of the season at Magny-Cours and scored another three podiums, finishing fifth overall.[4]
He remained in the series for 2009, but switched to Sofrev — ASP. This time he added race victories at Nogaro, Le Castellet and Circuit de Lédenon, improving to fourth position in the series standings.[5] As well as this, Estre competed in the Le Castellet round of the 2009 FIA GT3 European Championship season with MP Racing.[6]
In 2010, he continued his participation in the Porsche Carrera Cup France with Sofrev — ASP. He again scored five wins, with a total of twelve podium finishes. This allowed him to enter the title battle with Frédéric Makowiecki, but Estre finished the season as runner-up to Makowiecki, by two points.[7] Estre also raced with Mühlner Motorsport in the opening two rounds of the 2010 FIA GT3 European Championship season and the season-opening Oschersleben round of the 2010 ADAC GT Masters season.[8][9]
In 2011, Estre remained in the Porsche Carrera Cup France for a fourth successive year, but he joined the AS Events team. He dominated the season, amassing ten wins and took the championship title with an eventual margin of 113 points over his closest championship rival, Sylvain Noël.[10] Additionally he made his début in both the Porsche Supercup and the Porsche Carrera Cup Germany with Attempto Racing.[11] In the Supercup he raced on a full-time basis, finishing seventh with a win at Monza.[12] In the German series, he only competed at the Norisring.[13]
For 2012, Estre decided to concentrate on the Supercup and the German series, continuing with Attempto Racing.[14] In the Supercup, he finished as runner-up to René Rast, with one win at the Hungaroring.[15] In the German series, he finished fourth, winning the 24 Hours Nürburgring support race held on the Nordschleife.[16] He qualified on pole position for the 24 Hours with a laptime of 8:10.9, averaging 186.1 km/h.[17][18][19]
Estre also had a part-time schedule in the French series, contesting five races with Nourry Competition.[20]
In 2013, he prolonged his collaboration with Attempto Racing in the Supercup and German series. He scored three podium finishes to end the season fourth in the Supercup, while in the German series, he dominated from the start of the season, collecting eight race wins in seventeen races to take the championship title.[21]
In 2014, Estre became a McLaren GT factory driver, joining the ART Grand Prix squad in the Blancpain Endurance Series. He competed in the No. 99 McLaren MP4-12C GT3 with Kevin Korjus and Andy Soucek.[22] The crew achieved two podiums, finishing the season in eighth position in the Pro Cup standings.[23]
In 2015, Estre joined Chris Cumming and Laurens Vanthoor in OAK Racing in the LMP2 class of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.[24] Also, he will stay in the Blancpain Endurance Series, but will switch to Von Ryan Racing. He will race in the No. 58 McLaren 650S GT3 with Rob Bell and Shane van Gisbergen.[25] He also competes for McLaren at the Blancpain Sprint Series for Attempto Racing, partnering with Bell.
In addition, the Frenchman competed at the Pirelli World Challenge, where he drove a K-Pax Racing McLaren to fifth place in the GT drivers standings. Also, he drove a Porsche 911 GT America at the 24 Hours of Daytona for Park Place Motorsports, and competed for the Porsche factory team at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps on a Porsche 911 RSR.
Hypercar career
edit
Estre would move to the Porsche Penske Motorsport Hypercar programme for the 2023 season of the World Endurance Championship, competing alongside André Lotterer and Laurens Vanthoor in a Porsche 963.[26] The trio scored two podiums, finishing third at Portimão and Fuji respectively to end up sixth in the standings.[27]
For the 2024 season, Estre, Vanthoor, and Lotterer were retained as part of the No. 6's lineup.[28] At the season opener in Qatar a controlling performance earned the team their first victory with the 963.[29]
Racing record
editCareer summary
edit† Estre was a guest driver, therefore ineligible to score points.
Complete Porsche Supercup results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Pos. | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Attempto Racing | TUR 8 |
ESP 4 |
MON Ret |
GER 5 |
GBR 4 |
GER Ret |
HUN 5 |
BEL 9 |
ITA 1 |
UAE 3 |
UAE 2 |
7th | 127 |
| 2012 | Hermes Attempto Racing | BHR 9 |
BHR 4 |
MON 2 |
ESP 8 |
GBR 6 |
GER 3 |
HUN 1 |
HUN 5 |
BEL 4 |
ITA 2 |
2nd | 139 | |
| 2013 | Attempto Racing | ESP DNS |
MON 6 |
GBR 6 |
GER 3 |
HUN 4 |
BEL 7 |
ITA 3 |
UAE 5 |
UAE 2 |
4th | 107 | ||
| 2014 | McGregor powered by Attempto Racing | ESP | MON | AUT | GBR 11 |
GER 3 |
HUN | BEL | ITA Ret |
USA | USA | 17th | 21 |
Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
† Full points not awarded due to exceeding maximum drive time limitation.
Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results
edit| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 |  OAK Racing
|
 Chris Cumming Laurens Vanthoor
|
Ligier JS P2-Honda | LMP2 | 329 | DNF | DNF |
| 2016 |  Porsche Motorsport
|
Patrick Pilet Nick Tandy
|
Porsche 911 RSR | GTE Pro |
135 | DNF | DNF |
| 2017 | Porsche GT Team
|
 Michael Christensen Dirk Werner
|
Porsche 911 RSR | GTE Pro |
179 | DNF | DNF |
| 2018 | Porsche GT Team
|
Michael Christensen Laurens Vanthoor
|
Porsche 911 RSR | GTE Pro |
344 | 15th | 1st |
| 2019 | Porsche GT Team
|
Michael Christensen Laurens Vanthoor
|
Porsche 911 RSR | GTE Pro |
337 | 29th | 9th |
| 2020 | Porsche GT Team
|
Michael Christensen Laurens Vanthoor
|
Porsche 911 RSR-19 | GTE Pro |
331 | 35th | 6th |
| 2021 | Porsche GT Team
|
Michael Christensen Neel Jani
|
Porsche 911 RSR-19 | GTE Pro |
344 | 22nd | 3rd |
| 2022 | Porsche GT Team
|
Michael Christensen Laurens Vanthoor
|
Porsche 911 RSR-19 | GTE Pro |
348 | 31st | 4th |
| 2023 | Porsche Penske Motorsport
|
André Lotterer Laurens Vanthoor
|
Porsche 963 | Hypercar | 320 | 22nd | 11th |
| 2024 | Porsche Penske Motorsport
|
André Lotterer Laurens Vanthoor
|
Porsche 963 | Hypercar | 311 | 4th | 4th |
| Source:[36] | |||||||
Bathurst 1000 results
edit| Year | Team | Car | Co-driver | Position | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Grove Racing | Ford Mustang S650 |  Matthew Payne
|
11th | 161 |
References
edit- ^ "Biography". kevinestre.co.uk. Kévin Estre. Archived from the original on 10 March 2015. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
- ^ "European Championship — ICA 2004 standings". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
- ^ "Formula Renault Campus France 2006 standings". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
- ^ "Porsche Matmut Carrera Cup France 2008 standings". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
- ^ "Porsche Matmut Carrera Cup France 2009 standings". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
- ^ "FIA GT3 European Championship 2009 standings". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
- ^ "Porsche Matmut Carrera Cup France 2010 standings". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
- ^ "FIA GT3 European Championship 2010 standings". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
- ^ "ADAC GT Masters 2010 standings". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
- ^ "Porsche Matmut Carrera Cup France 2011 standings". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
- ^ "All drivers of the season 2011". racecam.de. racecam GmbH. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
- ^ "Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup 2011 standings". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
- ^ "Porsche Carrera Cup Germany 2011 standings". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
- ^ "Ready for the new season – Hermes ATTEMPTO Racing". racecam.de. racecam GmbH. 13 April 2012. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
- ^ "Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup 2012 standings". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
- ^ "Porsche Carrera Cup Germany 2012 standings". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). www.24h-rennen.de. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 July 2014. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Kevin Estre and McLaren shatter qualifying lap record for Nürburgring 24".
- ^ "Doerr Motorsport 12C GT3 sets lap record at the Nurburgring 24 Hours". YouTube. 21 September 2014.
- ^ "Porsche Matmut Carrera Cup France 2012 standings". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
- ^ "Porsche Carrera Cup Germany 2013 standings". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
- ^ Wouters, Vincent (11 March 2015). "ART GP finalizes lineup; Monza entry list update". John Dagys Media. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
- ^ "Blancpain Endurance Series — Pro Cup 2014 standings". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
- ^ Watkins, Gary (9 March 2015). "GT aces Kevin Estre, Laurens Vanthoor join OAK at Le Mans 24 Hours". Autosport. Haymarket. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
- ^ DiZinno, Tony (11 March 2015). "McLaren GT Sets BES Lineups, Factory Driver Race Schedules". sportcar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
- ^ James, Richard (17 December 2022). "Porsche clarifies driver lineups for IMSA and WEC". racer.com. Racer Media & Marketing Inc. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
- ^ "Porsche Penske Motorsport zieht positive Bilanz nach dem Debütjahr". Porsche Newsroom (in German). 12 May 2023. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
- ^ Kilbey, Stephen (27 November 2023). "2024 FIA WEC Entry List Revealed". Dailysportscar. Archived from the original on 27 November 2023. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
- ^ Klein, Jamie (2 March 2024). "Porsche Sweeps Podium in Qatar Season Opener – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
- ^ "Kévin Estre – 2014 Tudor United SportsCar Championship Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
- ^ "Kévin Estre – 2015 Tudor United SportsCar Championship Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
- ^ "Kévin Estre – 2016 Weathertech SportsCar Championship Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
- ^ "Kévin Estre – 2017 Weathertech SportsCar Championship Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
- ^ "Kévin Estre – 2021 Weathertech SportsCar Championship Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
- ^ "Kévin Estre – 2023 Weathertech SportsCar Championship Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
- ^ a b c "Kévin Estre Results". motorsportstats.com. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
External links
edit- Official website
- Kévin Estre career summary at DriverDB.com