Pro-Am class win at the 24-hour marathon

Update – July, 8, 2019

Two weeks after the ADAC Total 24h Race, the #911 Manthey-Racing car was retrospectively disqualified by DMSB officials. The Manthey-Racing team has issued the following statement:

“The engine in our inspected #911 car complied with all the key points of the homologation. The only thing that was not consistent with the prescribed 2 x 34.6-millimetre diameter of the restrictor, which was the size we used, was the performance value calculated by the ADAC technical committee. We must accept that we did not check the plausibility of the value calculated by the organiser, neither on the test bench in Weissach nor on our chassis dynamometer in Meuspath. We accept the judgement and will not lodge an appeal.”

Race

The latest generation of the Porsche 911 GT3 R with the starting number 911 fielded by Manthey-Racing had held the lead for 105 of the 157 laps and ultimately had to settle for second place. Three hours before the end of the race, the nine-eleven lost the top spot after receiving a time penalty and was unable to make up lost ground despite setting the fastest pace in the field.

Right from the start, there was no doubt that the crew of the two newly crowned sports car world champions Kévin Estre (France) and Michael Christensen (Denmark) as well as Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium) and Earl Bamber (New Zealand) were determined to win the prestigious endurance race in the Eifel. After a sensational overtaking manoeuvre, Kévin Estre swept into the lead after a good five hours of racing, which he and his teammates then defended for two-thirds of the distance with faultless stints and a perfectly set up Porsche 911 GT3 R. Clocking a time of 8:17.745 minutes, Estre also turned the fastest race lap in his last stint. The brutal time penalty of 5:32 minutes due to an overlooked yellow flag dashed all hopes of winning.

There was great excitement with Manthey-Racing’s second Porsche 911 GT3 R. The No. 12 vehicle secured fifth place overall, at the same time winning its class in the Pro-Am category. The two Porsche Young Professionals Matteo Cairoli (Italy) and Dennis Olsen (Norway) put in a spirited fight with the seasoned specialists Otto Klohs and Lars Kern (both Germany). A week earlier at the Le Mans 24 Hours, a Porsche team had claimed victory in the amateur category. The Iron Force by Ring Police squad with the two Germans Jan-Erik Slooten and Lucas Luhr as well as Steve Jans (Luxembourg) and Adrien de Leener (Belgium) brought the No. 8 Porsche 911 GT3 R home on twelfth place, which handed them fourth in the Pro-Am class.

However, not only the seven 911 GT3 R made an impression at the event. In the near-standard category, too, most of the vehicles that set the pace came from Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen. Eight of the 24 classes were won by Porsche teams.

Comments on the race

Sebastian Golz (Project Manager Porsche 911 GT3 R): “We demonstrated an extremely good performance over the 24 hours with the Porsche 911 GT3 R. A strong team worked brilliantly and pulled everything together. Luck wasn’t on our side, and two minor mistakes ultimately meant we couldn’t bring home victory. A commendable second place and class win in the Pro-Am – all in all a good weekend for Porsche.”

Earl Bamber (Porsche 911 GT3 R #911): “I think we had the best car and the best crew in the pit lane. We made a mistake and that cost us victory. We spent 5:32 minutes in the pits and lost a good 40 seconds. The shows clearly just how strong we were. Every one of us could have made the mistake that led to this penalty. It’s very hard to see all the slow zones and yellow flags. But such misfortune gives us more motivation to return to the Nürburgring even stronger.”

Kévin Estre (Porsche 911 GT3 R #911): “We led the race convincingly over a long period of time and had a very good car. Unfortunately a mistake cost us the victory. At the Nürburgring it’s not always easy to see the flag signals, and it’s especially challenging to race here at night. My fastest lap underlined how good we were, but unfortunately we finished second today.”

Michael Christensen (Porsche 911 GT3 R #911): “That was a crazy race. So much can happen in 24 hours, but the drivers, team and everyone involved did a great job. Our car was perfectly prepared, the engineers and mechanics gave us the best support. Today simply wasn’t our day.”

Laurens Vanthoor (Porsche 911 GT3 R #911): “We made only one mistake over the entire 24-hour race. I didn’t see the yellow flag. I don’t know how it happened. I can still see the scene in my mind, but even then I didn’t notice it. Unfortunately it had serious consequences. Other than the overlooked flag, the rest of race ran perfectly."

More comments in the press release (Downloads).

Result

1. Kaffer/Stippler/Vervish/Vanthoor (D/D/D/B), Audi R8 LMS, 157 laps
2. Bamber/Christensen/Estre/Vanthoor (NZ/DK/F/B), Porsche 911 GT3 R, 156 laps (disqualified)
3. Buhk/Haupt/Jäger/Stolz (D/D/AUT/D), Mercedes-AMG GT3, 156 laps
5. Klohs/Kern/Olsen/Cairoli (D/D/N/I), Porsche 911 GT3 R, 155 laps
12. Slooten/Luhr/De Leener/Jans) (D/D/B/L), Porsche 911 GT3 R, 153 laps
17. Bachler/Bergmeister/Ragginger/Werner (A/D/A/D), Porsche 911 GT3 R, 145 laps
39. Abbelen/Müller/Renauer/Preining (D/D/D/A), Porsche 911 GT3 R, 135 laps
42. Dumas/Campbell/Müller/Jaminet) (F/AUS/D/F), Porsche 911 GT3 R, 134 laps
126. Lietz/Makowiecki/Pilet/Tandy (A/F/F/GB), Porsche 911 GT3 R, 61 laps

Porsche class winner
Class SP9 Pro-Am: (Porsche 911 GT3 R #12) Manthey Racing, Otto Klohs, Matteo Cairoli, Dennis Olsen, Lars Kern
Class AT: (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup #320) Team Care for Climate, Thomas von Löwis of Menar, Daniel Schellhaas, Axel Duffner
Class Cup 3: (Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport #310) Team Mathol Racing, Marc Keilwerth, Marcos Adolfo Vazque, Rüdiger Schicht, Montana
Class SP6: (Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport #80) Schmickler Performance, Achim Wawer, Michael Grassl, Ivan Jacoma, Claudius Karch
Class SP7: (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup #62) Mühlner Motorsport, Mark J. Thomas, Sebastian von Gartzen, Moritz Kranz, Marcel Hoppe
Class V3T: (Porsche 718 Cayman S #718) Ralf Zensen, Fabian Peitzmeier, Michael Küke, Edgar Salewsky
Class V5: (Porsche Cayman S #146) FK Performance Motorsport, Fabian Finck, Fabio Grosse, Jens Moetfindt, Yann Munhowen
Class V6: (Porsche 911 Carrera#133) Black Falcon, Christoph Hoffmann, Carsten Palluth, Tobias Wahl, Robert Woodside

Interim report 2

The No. 911 Porsche 911 GT3 R run by Manthey-Racing is currently on course for victory at the Nürburgring 24-hour classic. After a good five hours of racing, Kévin Estre snatched the lead with a spectacular overtaking manoeuvre. The Frenchman and his teammates Earl Bamber (New Zealand), Michael Christensen (Denmark) and Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium) confidently defended this top spot throughout the night. Multiple accidents, many code-60 zones and racing under yellow failed to hamper the charge of the driver quartet, who now enter the last third of the race with good chances to win.

The Porsche squad Frikadelli Racing have also performed impressively with the nine-eleven (#31). Matt Campbell (Australia), Mathieu Jaminet (France), Romain Dumas (France) and Sven Müller (Germany) battled their way through the field during the night and are now on track to claim a podium spot at the long-distance marathon. Despite the heavy traffic on the track, the line-up in the No. 12 Porsche 911 GTR 3 fielded by Manthey-Racing, Matteo Cairoli (Italy), Dennis Olsen (Norway), Otto Klohs and Lars Kern (both Germany), have preserved their chance to finish in the top ten. For a long time, the crew in the No. 8 car run by Iron Force by Ring Police looked likely to join the top ten group, but a time penalty relegated Lucas Luhr, Jan-Erik Slooten (both Germany), Steve Jans (Luxembourg) and Adrien de Leener (Belgium) down the field.

For last year’s winners Frédéric Makowiecki, Patrick Pilet (both France), Richard Lietz (Austria) and Nick Tandy (Great Britain), the campaign to defend their title was scuttled in lap 61. The experienced squad in the No. 1 Porsche 911 GTR 3 was initially running in third place, only to have a puncture throw them back to 37th place. Richard Lietz’s catch-up race through the night was thwarted by an accident that damaged the car beyond repair.

Comments on the race so far

Sebastian Golz (Project Manager Porsche 911 GT3 R): “Unfortunately, we lost a car during the night. A Falken Motorsports vehicle sustained damages that needed repairing. The number 30 Frikadelli Porsche had problems with the steering. How-ever, the number 91 and 31 cars made it through the night, the crews haven’t made any mistakes despite the high pace and they kept out of any trouble. In this way they’ve manoeuvred themselves into a good position to finish at the very front.”

Richard Lietz (Porsche 911 GT3 R #1): “That was a normal Nordschleife accident, it’s something that happens often here. I hope the other driver involved is okay. I’m fine, but sadly the car is kaput. But that’s racing. If you don’t attack, you’re too slow. If you attack too hard, there’s always the risk that something can happen. I’m crossing my fingers for the number 911 car and hope it stays in the lead.”

More comments in the press release (Downloads).

Interim report 1

The Porsche customer teams have started successfully into the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring. The nine-eleven (#911) fielded by Manthey-Racing with Kévin Estre, Michael Christensen, Earl Bamber and Laurens Vanthoor had taken up the race from position three and have now settled in amongst the leading pack. The No. 31 Porsche 911 GT3 R campaigned by Frikadelli Racing initially dropped out of the top ten. However, the crew consisting of Matt Campbell (Australia), Mathieu Jaminet (France), Romain Dumas (France) and Sven Müller (Germany) put in fast lap times to rejoin the top group. Bad luck plagued last year’s winners Patrick Pilet, Frédéric Makowiecki (both France), Richard Lietz (Austria) and Nick Tandy (Great Britain). While leading, their Manthey-Racing nine-eleven with the starting number 1 lost 4:30 minutes due to a puncture. They are now battling their way back up through the field. 

Manthey-Racing’s third Porsche 911 GT3 R (#12) driven by Matteo Cairoli (Italy), Dennis Olsen (Norway), Otto Klohs and Lars Kern (both Germany) has survived the initial phase well and is chasing down the top ten group. The nine-elevens fielded by Iron Force by Ring Police (#8), Falken Motorsports (#44) and Frikadelli Racing (#30) continue their charge through the field and, like all Porsche customer teams, are heading into the long night at the Nürburgring well prepared.

Comments on the race so far

Sebastian Golz (Project Manager Porsche 911 GT3 R): “After about two and a half hours of racing it’s turning out to be a very fast race. Compared to 2018, the lap times have dropped by about two to three seconds. All of our Porsche made a good start. Our number 1 car lost around four and a half minutes due to a puncture caused by a foreign object. Frikadelli is also doing a great job at the moment, with the number 31 car running in the top five.” 

Patrick Pilet (Porsche 911 GT3 R #1): “We got away well at the start and I managed to work my way from fifth to third place. I lost a little time to the leading pair but you have to weigh up the risks at the Nürburgring 24-hour race and not get too aggressive in all the traffic. The car is running flawlessly and we still have a lot of kilometres ahead of us.”

Kévin Estre (Porsche 911 GT3 R #911): “I started well into the race and quickly closed the gap to the frontrunners. Initially it was very difficult in the heavy traffic, because many of the drivers hadn’t yet found their rhythm. Luckily I didn’t hit anyone and our car feels really good. The race is long, but it’s still nice to be up the front.” 

Michael Christensen (Porsche 911 GT3 R #911): “It’s tough out there. With so many cars on the track you have to be really careful not to touch any of them. But sometimes you just don’t know how to avoid them. Our pace is great; we just have to remain very focussed.” 

Robert Renauer (Porsche 911 GT3 R #30): “Everything ran smoothly at the start and that’s the most important thing. The car’s performance is good and we want to get through the first part of the race unscathed. We’ll see what we can do during the night.”

Jan-Erik Slooten (Porsche 911 GT3 R #8): “The first stint went well. It’s chaotic out there, but everything’s fine. I had two minor contacts with other vehicles, because it can get really tight when you’re lapping other vehicles. But then everything came right again.”

Top-Qualifying

The best Porsche customer team takes up the 24-hour classic on the Nürburgring from position three on the grid. At the Top Qualifying session, Laurens Vanthoor lapped the 25.378 kilometre racetrack in the No. 911 Porsche 911 GT3 R fielded by Manthey-Racing in 8:11.567 minutes. With this, Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium) and his teammates Earl Bamber (New Zealand), Michael Christensen (Denmark) and Kévin Estre (France) have secured a very good starting baseline to tackle the race. 

The 28 fastest cars headed off into the individual time trials at ten-second intervals to attempt two quick laps on the Grand Prix circuit and Nordschleife combination. Mathieu Jaminet was the first Porsche driver to tackle the decisive qualifier. The Frenchman, who shares the cockpit with Matt Campbell (Australia), Romain Dumas (France) and Sven Müller (Germany), clocked the fifth fastest time with his No. 31 500+hp nine-eleven from Weissach on fifth place. This made Frikadelli Racing the second best customer team at the Top Qualifying on the Nürburgring.

Frédéric Makowiecki (France) scored the seventh fastest time in the cockpit of Manthey-Racing’s title-defending Porsche 911 GT3 R with the starting number 1. With this grid spot, the experienced squad from Meuspath, with Richard Lietz (Austria), Patrick Pilet (France) and Nick Tandy (Great Britain), has the best chances of repeating last year’s triumph. The third Porsche 911 GT3 R run by Manthey-Racing with Matteo Cairoli (Italy) and Dennis Olsen (Norway) as well as the two German drivers Otto Klohs and Lars Kern takes up the Eifel classic on Saturday from twelfth. Klaus Bachler, Martin Ragginger (both Austria), Jörg Bergmeister and Dirk Werner (both Germany) head into the Nürburgring 24-hour race for Falken Motorsports from P18 in their Porsche 911 GT3 R (#44). The IronForce by Ring Police squad with drivers Lucas Luhr (Germany), Jan-Erik Slooten (Germany), Steve Jans (Luxembourg) and Adrien de Leener (Belgium) concluded the qualifying on 24th with the No. 8 Porsche 911 GT3 R.

Quotes from the Top Qualifying

Sebastian Golz (Project Manager Porsche 911 GT3 R): “As expected, the result of the qualifying was very close. The gap between the frontrunners is tight. I’m very pleased with position three and also with the performances of the other Porsche 911 GT3 R. Hopefully we’ll squeeze out the last remaining bit in the race.”

Laurens Vanthoor (Porsche 911 GT3 R #911): “My second lap was a little better than my first. But unfortunately I made a minor mistake and that ruined my chances of a better time. Still, third place is a very good starting position for such a race. The car is agile and very well balanced. I’m really looking forward to the race. However, as we’ve experienced often enough, anything can happen here at the Nürburgring.”

Mathieu Jaminet (Porsche 911 GT3 R #31): “My lap was actually quite good. Maybe I could have done a little better in the first flying lap on fresh tyres, but the fifth and second best Porsche is pretty good. I was actually at the limit in all sectors and I took quite a risk. The pressure was enormous, but I had a lot of fun. We’re starting from the front of the field, which initially means not a lot of traffic. But the race is long and a lot can happen.”

Result Top Qualifying

1. Christodoulou/Engel/Metzger/Müller (GB/D/D/D), Mercedes-AMG GT3, 8:10.910 minutes
2. Hohenadel/Arnold/Marciello/Götz (D/D/I/D), Mercedes-AMG GT3, + 0.137 seconds
3. Bamber/Christensen/Estre/Vanthoor (NZ/DK/F/B), Porsche 911 GT3 R, + 0.657 seconds
5. Dumas/Campbell/Müller/Jaminet) (F/AUS/D/F), Porsche 911 GT3 R, + 1.871 seconds
7. Lietz/Makowiecki/Pilet/Tandy (A/F/F/GB), Porsche 911 GT3 R, + 2.678 seconds
12. Klohs/Kern/Olsen/Cairoli (D/D/N/I), Porsche 911 GT3 R, + 4.023 seconds
18. Bachler/Bergmeister/Ragginger/Werner (A/D/A/D), Porsche 911 GT3 R, + 5.800 seconds
24. Slooten/Luhr/De Leener/Jans) (D/D/B/L), Porsche 911 GT3 R, + 8.381 seconds

The ADAC TOTAL 24-hour race will be contested on a 25.378-kilometre combination of the Grand Prix circuit and the Nordschleife northern loop. “It’s like a winding country road. But as opposed to road traffic, maximum speed is permitted on the Nordschleife – it’s huge fun,” says title defender Richard Lietz (Austria). “The most extraordinary thing is that you have to inch your way closer to the limit every single lap. The conditions often change in the different track sectors, the traffic is unpredictable, and the fuel consumption alone changes the behaviour of the car on each lap,” explains Frédéric Makowiecki (France).

Christensen: “There can be only one goal: first place!”

The winners of the 2018 24-hour race will take up the challenge in the Porsche 911 GT3 R with the starting number 1. Porsche works drivers Earl Bamber (New Zealand), Michael Christensen (Denmark), Kévin Estre (France) and Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium) share the cockpit of Manthey’s identical No. 911 sister car. “This race is one big adventure,” says Michael Christensen. “The weather always plays a major role, and the traffic situation is often tricky. It’s a huge challenge that we love to take on. When you drive for Manthey-Racing, there can be only one goal: first place!”

With six overall victories, including four in a row from 2006 to 2009, Manthey-Racing is the most successful team at the 24-hour classic, which has been contested in the Eifel since 1970. The crew under the brothers Martin and Nicolas Raeder fields a third Porsche 911 GT3 R. Otto Klohs shares driving duties at the wheel of the 2018-spec vehicle (No. 12) with the Porsche Young Professionals Dennis Olsen (Norway) and Matteo Cairoli (Italy) as well as development driver Lars Kern (Germany).

Porsche assists it long-standing partners with technical support and drivers. The No. 44 car campaigned by Falken Motorsport is manned by works drivers Jörg Bergmeister and Dirk Werner (both Germany) as well as the Austrians Martin Ragginger and Klaus Bachler. Joining forces in the new Porsche 911 GT3 R run by Frikadelli Racing (No. 31) are the works drivers Romain Dumas (France) and Sven Müller (Germany) as well as the Porsche Young Professionals Mathieu Jaminet (France) and Matt Campbell (Australia). The previous season’s car with the number 30 is driven by team owner Klaus Abbelen, Alexander Müller and Robert Renauer (all from Germany) and the Porsche Young Professional from Austria, Thomas Preining. Jan-Erik Sloten (Germany), Steve Jans (Luxembourg), Adrien de Leener (Belgium) and Lucas Luhr (Germany) take up the competition for IronForce by Ring Police in the No. 8 car.