On to Le Mans: Porsche Prepares to Dominate on the Track

‘We take confidence heading to Le Mans,’ says Team Porsche as it rebounds from high-profile, incredibly challenging preliminary races.

Porsche Motorsport has been ensuring that the international race circuit remains fast and furiously exciting with unpredictable performances in a number of pre-Le Mans races. As we get nearer to June’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, let’s recap all of the excitement of the recent preliminary races that are leading to the showdown in France.

Porsche 919 Hybrids Finish Third and Fourth at Six Hours of Spa

In the last race before the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Porsche 919 Hybrids finished in third and fourth-places at the six-hour race in Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium. The trio of Earl Bamber (New Zealand), Timo Bernhard (Germany) and Brendon Hartley (New Zealand) lost time due to a slow tire puncture coming home in third-place. The sister car of reigning world champion Neel Jani (Switzerland), AndrĂ© Lotterer (Germany) and Nick Tandy (Great Britain) started from pole position but was unfortunate with the timing of two “Full Course Yellow” periods that neutralized the race. They finished just behind their teammates. Hartley had the consolation of setting the overall fastest race lap to underline the 919 Hybrid’s potential. But in Spa, over the race distance, it was a pair of Toyotas that took the laurels.

Just like at the season’s opening race in Silverstone, Porsche competed again in the Le Mans aerodynamic configuration. However, the lower downforce causes higher tire wear. Toyota raced in two different aero specifications. The car in Le Mans configuration finished behind the Porsches.

‘We will head to Le Mans full of confidence and only a few points
short in the manufacturer standings.’

“The pace was more or less what we expected it to be,” said Jani. “We could match one Toyota but the other one was out of reach. We were a little unlucky and lost a lot of time twice during Full Course Yellows.”

“I had a good start,” added Lotterer. “I was a little surprised when the Toyota came flying by but I was expecting he wouldn’t be able to brake properly for La Source. The first half of that stint was really good but then I had a massive tire drop and couldn’t keep up the pace. Towards the end of that first stint the situation improved but overall it was not consistent. At my first pit stop we changed the strategy. Because we were expecting rain towards the end of the race, we thought we would not have to double stint all tires. My last stint was good as well despite some drizzle. The Toyotas have been strong, we have to catch up a bit.”

Organizers announced 61,000 spectators for the three-day event. After the second of nine rounds in the FIA World Endurance Championship, Porsche ranks second in the constructors’ standings. In the drivers’ world championship, the Porsche crews are currently second and third.

“We started from pole position, set the fastest race lap and scored a podium, but unfortunately we didn’t make it with both cars on the podium,” said Fritz Enzinger, VP of LMP1. “We are still fine with our strategic decision to compete in the first two rounds in low downforce configuration. Now we are looking forward to our last 30-hour test next week. We will head to Le Mans full of confidence and only a few points short in the manufacturer standings.”

Hartley echoes Enzinger’s sentiments and says that the team is confident as they head to Le Mans. “The Toyotas were quick at the start and I knew I was in for a double stint. With the warmer ambient temperatures, the car’s balance was quite different from the previous days. But I had a strong end to the opening stint and overtook AndrĂ© just before the pit stops. The sister car went onto a different strategy while we managed to keep close to the [number] 8 Toyota. Our car was unlucky when Earl picked up a puncture, which put us behind and off strategy. I was in the car for the last couple of hours. The team did a great job and our car was coming on really strong towards the finish. It’s another podium, not the step we wanted to stand on, but we take confidence heading to Le Mans.”

Porsche GT Team Finishes Fifth-Sixth in WEC at Spa

Round Two of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) concluded with positions five and six in the LMGTE-Pro class for the Porsche GT Team after Saturday’s trouble-free race. At the legendary Spa-Francorchamps Circuit in Belgium, Richard Lietz (Austria) and FrĂ©dĂ©ric Makowiecki (France) narrowly beat their teammates to the finish line with the new Porsche 911 RSR. Less than a minute later, KĂ©vin Estre (France) and Michael Christensen (Denmark) followed them over the line in the No. 92 sister car.

Fans witnessed a spectacular sight shortly after the start as the 30-strong field squeezed through the legendary Eau Rouge passage. Right from the start, the famously cutthroat LMGTE-Pro category, with four automobile manufacturers competing, treated spectators to gripping fights for positions. As the race progressed, the GT field sorted itself into respective brands: This weekend, the two 510 hp Porsche 911 RSR became the third force behind Ferrari and Ford.

‘With every race, Porsche Young Professional Matteo Cairoli is gaining experience and professionalism. I’m very pleased with how he is developing.’

In the LMGTE-Am class, the Dempsey Proton Racing customer team celebrated a podium finish with the Porsche 911 RSR (model year 2015). Porsche Young Professional Matteo Cairoli (Italy) as well as the two Germans, Christian Ried and Marvin Dienst, drove a spirited race to finish in second-place. The Gulf Racing squad with Englishmen Michael Wainwright and Ben Barker as well as Australian Nick Foster had to retire from the race after a collision.

“This result is very disappointing,” said Dr. Frank-Steffen Walliser, head of Porsche Motorsport. “We definitely couldn’t match the pace of Ferrari and Ford. Everyone in our team did an absolutely flawless job today, but the gap to the front is simply too big. In the GTE-Am class, Dempsey Proton Racing maintained its very good qualifying position in second place. With every race, Porsche Young Professional Matteo Cairoli is gaining experience and professionalism. I’m very pleased with how he is developing.”

“We’ve just endured six tough hours,” added Lietz. “We did everything we could; we fought well and didn’t make any mistakes. Now we have to analyze the results and come back stronger at Le Mans.”

Makowiecki confirms that the team gave 110% despite the disappointment. “We gave our best in the race, but Ford and Ferrari were in a different world today,” he said. “We now need to see precisely why this is so.”

“That was a difficult race for us,” added Estre. “We simply lacked the speed compared to the competition. One thing is certain: Our 911 RSR ran like clockwork, our strategy was super and our mechanics didn’t make the slightest mistake with the fast pit stops.”

“It’s just my second WEC race with Chris and Marvin and we land on the second podium step – that feels really good,” said Cairoli, before adding: “Third at Silverstone, second at Spa — I think our goal for Le Mans should be fairly obvious.”

IMSA Porsches at the Circuit of the Americas

After a successful start to the season in North America, the new Porsche 911 RSR narrowly missed securing its third podium result in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship on the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. With the No. 911 510 hp racing car, which is a totally new development of Porsche Motorsport in Weissach, Germany, Patrick Pilet (France) and Dirk Werner (Germany) secured fourth-place in the GTLM class after holding the lead earlier in the race. In the second 911 RSR, the No. 912, fielded by the Porsche GT Team, Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium) and Wolf Henzler (Germany) took the flag in eighth-place. At the season-opening round in Daytona, the new 911 RSR had finished second, and recently followed up with a third place at Long Beach.

The challenges of the race began at the start. Entering Turn One, the pair became entangled in a collision not of their making but put them at the back down the field. Pilet got off the line well on the 3.43-mile Grand Prix circuit. The past IMSA GT class champion managed to avoid the melee and launch a pursuit. First he snatched third and several laps later he overtook another competitor for second-place. After almost an hour of racing he was in the lead. This pace, however, could not go on. His teammate, Werner, who took the wheel of the 911 RSR, was first shunted by a GTD class car, and was then handed a 60-second penalty that he served in the pit lane. As a result, all hopes for a possible podium finish were dashed. After two hours and forty minutes, Pilet, who had returned to the car for the final stint, took the checkered flag in fourth-place.

The opening lap accident put an early end to the race for the second 911 RSR. The No. 912 of Henzler, who replaced Estre at Austin so that the Frenchman could contest the World Endurance Championship round in Spa, Belgium, rejoined the race in fifth-place after the first stop for repairs. However, associated damages required longer repairs in the Porsche GT Team’s garage. When Vanthoor returned to the track, the damage was still too extensive and the car was retired.

‘We made mistakes that shouldn’t happen. I hope things
go better for us at the next race in Watkins Glen.’

Porsche Young Professional Mathieu Jaminet (France) sat the No. 28 Alegra Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R on the pole position for the GTD class at COTA. The team won the season-opening round of the series, the Rolex 24 At Daytona with factory driver Michael Christensen (Denmark), Daniel Morad (Canada), Michael de Quesada (USA), Jesse Lazare (Canada) and Carlos de Quesada (USA). With Christensen racing in Spa for the Porsche “works” program in the WEC, Porsche assisted Alegra with the first-year “Young Professional” to team with Morad. The combination worked well with not only the fastest class-qualifying lap but also the fastest race lap and a long stay in the GTD lead. Ultimately, the program would finish seventh in class, just ahead of factory driver Jörg Bergmeister (Germany) and Patrick Lindsey (USA) in the No. 73 Park Place Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R.

“This race was pretty disappointing,” said Pilet. “We had the best chances to do well here, but it was our own fault that it didn’t succeed. We made mistakes that shouldn’t happen. I hope things go better for us at the next race in Watkins Glen.”

Round Five of the WeatherTech Championship will be contested on July 2 at Watkins Glen International in New York. The classic six-hour event follows a break for GTLM competitors to compete at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June. GTD class competitors will travel to Detroit, Michigan for the SportsCar Classic at the Raceway at Belle Isle Park on June 3.

Luftgekühlt 4 Draws Big Crowd in SoCal

Despite an early morning rainstorm, the May 7 LuftgekĂĽhlt gathering reached its reserved capacity for vintage, air-cooled Porsche vehicles under the backdrop of the port of Los Angeles.

Now in its fourth iteration, LuftgekĂĽhlt embodies air-cooled vehicles from the extensive Porsche narrative, from the Pre-A 356 through the Type 993 911 (1948 – 1998) on the street side, and 550 Spyders to 935s on the motorsports side.

This year’s event drew upwards of 6,000 owners, fans and enthusiasts to experience the 600 capacity venue full of Porsche-powered vehicles. A pair of off-road safari type 911s that competed a week ago in the NORRA Mexican 1000 Off Road Race and the 1973 Can-Am championship winning 917/30 were two examples of the diversity on display, and the event was the largest yet for the stand-alone happening celebrating the unique car culture in California.

The LuftgekĂĽhlt branded events are the brainchild of Porsche factory driver Patrick Long and Southern California creative director Howie Idelson.