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| Michael Christensen, Richard Lietz win GTE Pro in Porsche 911 RSR at Nürburging |
FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), LMP1, Round 4, Nürburgring
The Porsche Team claimed a one-two result in front of a great crowd at
the fourth round of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) at the
Nürburgring, Germany, this weekend.
The trio of Timo Bernhard (Germany), Brendon Hartley (New Zealand)
and Mark Webber (Australia) won the six-hour race in temperatures of
more than 30 degrees Celsius. Right behind them the sister Porsche 919
Hybrid of Romain Dumas (France), Neel Jani (Switzerland) and Marc Lieb
(Germany) took second-place. Over the weekend, 62,000 people created a
fantastic backdrop for the first German WEC race.
After the maiden victory of the Porsche 919 Hybrid at last year’s finale
in Brazil and the recent one-two result at Le Mans in 2015, this is the
third major success for the young team and the LMP1 race car with its
ground-breaking hybrid technology. For the driver line-up, which
includes former Formula One driver Mark Webber, it is the first and long
hoped for WEC race win. With this dream result Porsche has extended its
lead in the Manufacturers’ World Championship and is now lying 33
points ahead of Audi and 95 ahead of Toyota.
With the relatively short and twisty 5.137 kilometre long circuit and
the numerous class categories going at different speeds, the race was
action-packed with thrilling lapping and overtaking manoeuvres. The
journey taken by the Dumas/Jani/Lieb car en route to second was full of
stories. After starting from pole, they lost the lead in the first half
of the race because of long ‘stop-and-go’ penalties after a technical
problem. While the team usually changed drivers at every fuel stop at
the Nürburgring, Neel Jani stayed in the car for 76 laps, which was two
and a half ‘stints’ (a stint being typical distance between pit stops).
It was also Jani who recorded the fastest race lap at the Nürburgring
with a time of 1:37.955 minutes.
How the race went for car number 17:
Timo started from second on the grid behind the sister car. During a
“Full Course Yellow” he lost around ten seconds because of slow lapped
cars between him and the leading car. Later a damaged nose cone
disturbed the air flow over the car, which is why the team decided to
pit early. After 24 laps, Timo handed over to Mark, who continued with
new front bodywork. Eventually having dropped back to sixth, Mark
overtook the number 7 Audi on lap 40 to place second again behind the
sister car.
After 56 laps Mark handed over to Brendon, who took the lead on lap
64 when car number 18 was penalised. After 89 laps Timo took over the
leading car to hand it to Mark again after 123 laps. During a Full
Course Yellow after 144 laps Brendon jumped in again. After 175 laps
Mark took over for the final stint and brought the car home to take the
victory.
How the race went for car number 18:
Neel defended pole position against the sister car. After 31 laps he
handed over to Marc, when leading by over a minute. After 54 laps Marc
received the first of, in the end, three so-called ‘stop-and-go’
penalties for the number 18 car. The first was five seconds. When he
resumed in the race he battled hard against Mark in the sister car and
defended the lead. After 63 laps Romain got behind the wheel, and
re-joined in second place. But after 78 laps he was given a 30 second
stop-and-go, followed by a 60 second stop-and-go after 82 laps. The
reason was a problem with an engine sensor, which caused the car to use
more fuel per lap than the regulations allowed.
After 96 laps Neel got back into the car in fourth place. He stayed
in the car for a double stint, picking up fuel and tyres after 129 laps.
When the next Full Course Yellow was instigated he drove even longer,
because he pitted for fuel after only 144 laps. After he overtook the
number 8 Audi he was lying third. From lap 167 onwards he was in a
breath-taking battle with both Audis. After 172 laps, Neel pitted with
the car lying third. Marc took over for the final 45 minutes and
improved to second place.
Quotes after the race:
Matthias Müller, Chairman of the Executive Board Porsche AG: “After the
successful Le Mans weekend we came here with huge expectations. The time
since June 14 was obviously very well used and today we have shown what
Porsche is able to do. Not only in LMP1, but also in the GTE Pro class.
Congratulations to everyone involved.”
Wolfgang Hatz, Board Member Research and Development: “One-two in
qualifying yesterday, one-two in the race today with the 919 Hybrid as
well as with two Porsche 911 RSR – you just can’t ask for more. Everyone
was rewarded for hard work.”
Fritz Enzinger, Vice President LMP1: “To achieve a one-two at the first
WEC race on home soil is a dream come true. The new aerodynamic package
works very well. This and today’s points brings us a little closer to
our goal to win the Manufacturers’ Championship. I also want to thank
the entire team back home in Weissach. We are looking forward to the
next four six-hour races.”
Andreas Seidl, Team Principal: “For us the race was a bit of a
rollercoaster. With the number 17 car we had damage early on, but kept
clean after that. The number 18 car had to come in three times for a
stop-and-go penalty. Because of a technical problem we had exceeded the
energy limit we are allowed. But the drivers never gave up and fought
back. Our pit crew was, once again, the benchmark by doing the fastest
stops. I also want to thank our tyre partner Michelin for a great
co-operation, which played an important role in today’s achievement,
especially in regard to the high temperatures.”
Drivers Porsche 919 Hybrid number 17
Timo Bernhard (34, Germany): “We have been close to victory a couple of
times and now it has worked out. The start was okay, but during the Full
Course Yellow I lost ground due to lapped cars between me and the
leading sister car. At some point the car became difficult to drive
because of front damage and we decided to pit early for a new nose cone
after 24 laps. After a tricky beginning, we managed to fight our way
back to the lead. Of course, we were benefitting from the sister car’s
bad luck, but we were also doing a good job.”
Brendon Hartley (25, New Zealand): “I’m incredibly happy that we got our
first win. After Timo was a bit unlucky in his first stint, everything
went smoothly. With the new front nose the car’s performance was back
where it should be, and I took the lead when our sister car was
penalised. Later we kept our heads down and stayed focussed.“
Mark Webber (39, Australia): “Achieving the second one-two after Le Mans
is great for our team. This is my first Porsche victory and, of course,
it is a big day for Brendon, Timo and myself, and it is always a team
effort. The two of them were awesome, we had no technical issues and
took an important step by improving our performance on shorter tracks.
Traffic was sometimes brutal today, but we made it.”
Drivers Porsche 919 Hybrid number 18
Romain Dumas (37, France): “The technical problem and the resulting
penalties were a huge disappointment today. Finishing second is a great
result under the circumstances, and it is certainly important for the
Manufacturers’ Championship. We could only fight back in the race
because we were strong this weekend, and this for sure goes for our pit
crew as well, this has to be mentioned.”
Neel Jani (31, Switzerland): "My first stint still was a dream - pretty
much the opposite to the early laps in Le Mans. But then we lost a race
win because of the penalties. Battling with the Audis was again
interesting. I was faster in the first part of the lap and was able to
get past, but then I had to save fuel and they caught me again on the
second part of the lap. In the end we managed to beat them.”
Marc Lieb (35, Germany): “It was such a shame we could not win the race
because of the penalties. We had been very happy after the pole position
yesterday, but today wasn’t our day. It is really frustrating when you
are called into the pits to needlessly sit there. Regardless of how our
race went, it made me proud to see this huge crowd here at the
Nürburgring.”
Race result 6 hours of Nürburgring (DE):
1. Bernhard/Hartley/Webber (D/NZ/AUS), Porsche 919 Hybrid, 203 laps
2. Dumas/Jani/Lieb (F/CH/D), Porsche 919 Hybrid, 1 lap behind
3. Fässler/Lotterer/Tréluyer (CH/D/F), Audi R18 e-tron quattro, 1 lap
4. Di Grassi/Duval/Jarvis (BRA/F/GB), Audi R18 e-tron quattro, 1 lap
5. Davidson/Buemi/Nakajima (GB/CH/J), Toyota TS040 Hybrid, 3 laps
6. Wurz/Sarrazin/Conway (A/F/GB), Toyota TS040 Hybrid, 4 laps
FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), after 4 out of 8 rounds,
Drivers:
1. Lotterer/Tréluyer/Fässler (D/F/CH), Audi, 95
2. Bernhard/Hartley/Webber (D/NZ/AUS), Porsche 78
3. Dumas/Jani/Lieb (F/CH/D), Porsche, 76
4. Tandy (GB), Porsche & Oreca, 66
5. Bamber/Hülkenberg (NZ/D), Porsche, 58
6. Di Grassi/Duval/Jarvis (BRA/F/GB), Audi, 52
Manufacturers:
1. Porsche 184
2. Audi 151
3. Toyota, 89
Sports Car World Endurance Championship (WEC), Round 4, GT, Nürburgring/Germany
Porsche 911 RSR clinches one-two on WEC debut at the Nürburgring
After four straight wins in the USA and Canada, Porsche has now made the
breakthrough in the Sports Car World Endurance Championship (WEC). At
the premiere of the popular race series on the Nürburgring, the Porsche
Manthey squad scored its first victory this season in the GTE-Pro class
on Sunday. With the 470 hp 911 RSR, which is based on the seventh
generation of the iconic 911 sports car, Richard Lietz (Austria) and
Michael Christensen (Denmark) finished first ahead of their French team
colleagues Frédéric Makowiecki and Patrick Pilet. For Porsche, this
marks the first one-two in the WEC since November 2014, when two 911 RSR
finished at the front in Shanghai. Consequently, Richard Lietz is the
new leader of the World Endurance Cup for GT drivers.
Glorious summer weather in Germany’s Eifel region and 62,000 spectators
over the race weekend – everything fitted perfectly at the first
appearance of the Sports Car World Endurance Championship in Germany.
The squad under team boss Olaf Manthey, who lives just a stone’s throw
from the Nürburgring in Meuspath, notched up its long-awaited first
victory of the season of all places at the team’s home race after
scoring second place at both Silverstone and Spa. This has put the team
in a good position for the second half of the season with four races
abroad, the first of which is contested in Austin/USA on 19 September.
Just 23 minutes into the six-hour event on the historic race track,
Michael Christensen had already moved up to take the lead after starting
from fourth in the number 91 Porsche 911 RSR. From then on, the Dane
and his Austrian team-mate led the field over the entire distance, with
the exception of several pit stops.
For the number 92 Porsche 911 RSR, the race did not run quite as
smoothly initially. Due to an alleged jump start, Frédéric Makowiecki
received a stop-and-go penalty and was relegated to the back of the
field. But with a spectacular pursuit through the field, he and Patrick
Pilet made up ground. Midway through the race, the pair went
head-to-head with the fastest Ferrari over many laps, with spectators in
the grandstands giving them special applause for their gripping
performance.
Almost halfway through the race the order was then one-two for Porsche.
Richard Lietz in front of Patrick Pilet – with the rest of their rivals
already one lap down at this stage. Despite another stop-and-go penalty
for the number 92 vehicle, the Porsche triumph remained unchallenged for
the rest of the race.
In the GTE-Am class, Hollywood actor and race driver Patrick Dempsey
(USA) netted fourth place with team-mates Patrick Long (USA) and Marco
Seefried (Austria). The 911 RSR campaigned by the Dempsey Proton Racing
customer team – with which the trio celebrated their greatest success to
date claiming second at this year’s Le Mans 24 hour race – was even
running in the lead over long stretches. In the closing laps, however,
it proved not quite enough for a podium finish.
Porsche works driver Earl Bamber (New Zealand) also held the top spot
for a long time in the 911 RSR fielded by Abu Dhabi Proton Racing. The
Le Mans winner at times turned faster laps than the higher GTE-Pro class
contenders. Nevertheless, he and his team-mates Christian Ried
(Germany) and Khaled Al Qubaisi (Abu Dhabi) had to settle for sixth
place at the flag.
As a guest starter in the KCMG team from Hong Kong, Porsche works driver
and Le Mans winner Nick Tandy (Great Britain) won the LMP2 class.
Comments on the race
Dr. Frank-Steffen Walliser, Head of Porsche Motorsport: “We can’t have
others beating us in our own backyard. But seriously; this is, of
course, the perfect outcome. It wasn’t an easy race, especially as we
had to come to terms with some penalties. But the drivers did an
excellent job and the team’s strategy worked perfectly. The testing we
conducted paid off. It’s a dream to achieve two double victories for
Porsche with our LMP1 colleagues in front of a fantastic backdrop. This
is as good as it gets.”
Richard Lietz (911 RSR number 91): “First and second - just perfect.
We prepared very well for our home race with two productive test
sessions and we didn’t let ourselves worry about the crazy weather
conditions at the beginning of the week. Since testing, we changed
almost nothing on the set-up of our 911 RSR and this paid off.”
Michael Christensen (911 RSR number 91): “My maiden win in the WEC –
I’m over the moon. What a perfect weekend. Things didn’t go so well for
us at Le Mans, but this was a fantastic comeback. It’s one of the
greatest successes in my career. And we’re particularly thrilled that we
could score victory for our team on their home track. Many of our
mechanics had family and friends here and it must have been a wonderful
day for them, too.”
Patrick Pilet (911 RSR number 92): “That was a tough race.
Unfortunately we had to deal with two drive-through penalties which cost
us a lot of time. It’s a shame, because we had a fast car, good pit
stops and a perfect strategy. To score first and second is a great
success. We’ll really celebrate today, but from tomorrow on we’ll be
focussing on the next race in Austin.”
Frédéric Makowiecki (911 RSR number 92): “The most important thing is
that Porsche wins. It doesn’t matter which car is in the front. Winning
before such a great backdrop was important for the championship. We
mustn’t forget that the season is only halfway through. If we can
maintain our focus and make the most of our chances, then we’ll still be
a favourite in the fight for the championship.”
Patrick Dempsey (911 RSR number 77): “Naturally I’m a little
disappointed. Only two seconds off a podium result after a fantastic
race. It was incredibly close at the flag. Now we’re turning our
attention to Austin. Eventually our team will be rewarded for all our
hard work and the progress that we’ve made.”
Patrick Long (911 RSR number 77): “I really managed to enjoy my
stints. They ran perfectly. The consistency and the balance of our 911
RSR were good and our strategy worked well. Unfortunately the extra pit
stop put a spanner in the works. Still, despite our lead, it would have
been difficult to win. However, a podium result would probably have been
possible.”
Earl Bamber (911 RSR number 88): “Our start was great and we held the
lead for quite some time. But then we experienced some bad luck and
lost a lot of time. Our 911 ran without any problems and that makes us
very confident for Austin. What we still need is a little luck.”
GTE-Pro class
1. Lietz/Christensen (A/DK), Porsche 911 RSR, 176 laps
2. Pilet/Makowiecki (F/F), Porsche 911 RSR, 175
3. Rigon/Calado (I/GB), Ferrari F458 Italia, 175
4. Sörensen/Nygaard (DK/DK), Aston Martin, 175
5. MacDowall/Stanaway/Rees (GB/NZ/BRA), Aston Martin, 174
6. Turner/Mücke/Adam (GB/D/GB), Aston Martin, 173
7. Bruni/Vilander (I/SF), Ferrari F458 Italia, 168
GTE-Am class
1. Bertolini/Shaytar/Basov (I/RUS/RUS), Ferrari F458 Italia, 173 laps
2. Dalla Lana/Lamy/Lauda (CDN/P/A), Aston Martin, 172
3. Perrodo/Collard/Aguas (F/F/P), Ferrari F458 Italia, 172
4. Dempsey/Long/Seefried (USA/USA/D), Porsche 911 RSR, 172
5. Roda/Ruberti/Poulsen (I/I/DK), Chevrolet Corvette, 171
6. Ried/Bamber/Al Qubaisi (D/NZ/UAE), Porsche 911 RSR, 170
7. Castellacci/Goethe/Hall (I/D/GB), Aston Martin, 169
Points standings GTE-Pro after 4 of 8 races
World Endurance Cup for GT manufacturers
1. Ferrari, 166 points
2. Porsche, 142
3. Aston Martin, 106
World Endurance Cup for GT drives
1. Richard Lietz, Porsche, 73 points
2. Davide Rigon, James Calado, Ferrari, 72
3. Gianmaria Bruni, Toni Vilander, Ferrari, 62,5
4. Alexey Basov, Andrea Bertolini, Victor Shaytar, Ferrari, 58
5. Michael Christensen, Porsche, 55
8. Frédéric Makowiecki, Porsche, 42
10. Patrick Dempsey, Patrick Long, Marco Seefried, Porsche, 32
14. Patrick Pilet, Porsche, 24
FIA Endurance Trophy for GTE-Pro teams
1. AF Corse, #71 Ferrari, 86 points
2. Porsche Team Manthey, #91 Porsche, 82
3. AF Corse, #51 Ferrari, 80
The fifth of eight races in the Sports Car World Endurance Championship
WEC will be contested on 19 September at the Circuit of the Americas in
Austin/USA.
This is the Sports Car World Endurance Championship WEC:
Sports prototypes and GT vehicles contest the WEC (World Endurance
Championship) in four classes: LMP1 (eg. Porsche 919 Hybrid), LMP2,
LMGTE-Pro (eg. 911 RSR) and LMGTE-Am (eg. 911 RSR, 2014 homologation).
They all compete together in one race but are classified separately.
