Porsche 911 RSR Scores First-Ever Win at Lime Rock Park
Porsche enjoys a dominant and historic weekend with impressive finishes in both GTLM and GTD events.
You may have had an epic, memorable time last weekend. But no matter how great your mid-summer barbecue/pool party turned out, it’s hard to measure up to the weekend Porsche had. That’s because the automaker descended on Lime Rock Park and emerged with not only their first victory in the 911 RSR, but also their second win of the 2017 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season in the 911 GT3 R.
The mid-engine 911 RSR’s historic first victory was undoubtedly the sweetest. Driven by Patrick Pilet and Dirk Werner, the #911 car emerged as the GTLM pole and overall winner of the GT-only race. Even better, the #912 911 RSR driven by Laurens Vanthoor and Gianmaria Bruni finished second to cap off a perfect weekend.
To say that Porsche was excited (and relieved) about the finish is a bit of an understatement.
“The maiden victory with a new car is always a particularly emotional moment,” said Steffen Höllwarth, Porsche’s Program Manager for the IMSA SportsCar Championship. And if you can bring home a one-two finish and even overall victory, then that makes you incredibly proud.”
That impressive finish alone would have made this a sweet weekend for Porsche. But a GTD victory by the Park Place Motorsports #73 911 GT3 R made it even sweeter. Jörg Bergmeister, with the assist from Patrick Lindsey, notched his seventh career victory in nine starts at Lime Rock. The #28 Alegra Motorsports 911 GT3 R, piloted by Patrick Long and Daniel Morad, also snagged a third place finish in the race.
A weekend to remember, indeed. But Porsche doesn’t intend to let it serve as the lone highlight of the year. “This success belongs to us all,” Höllwarth added. “We can now build on this over the rest of the season.”
