FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), round 4, Austin (Texas, USA)
Starting drivers Romain Dumas and Mark Webber lost ground in the early stages of the race. They were running fifth and sixth when they came in for their first pit stops. After the first 100 minutes rain set in and led to chaos. On a track that was suddenly flooded half a dozen cars spun off and became stranded, car number 20 with Timo Bernhard at the wheel was one of them. The race was red flagged and stopped for 45 minutes.
At the restart behind the safety car Neel Jani was at the wheel of car number 14, and was third in the race on slick intermediate tyres. He soon took the lead, and after 105 laps handed over to Marc Lieb who went out on slicks. After the final stop for fuel after 133 laps a loss of engine power forced him to drop back to fourth.
Bernhard in the number 20 sister car was able to continue after the red flag and after he had been rescued from the gravel on full wet tyres, but soon changed to slick intermediate tyres as well. On lap 90 he was lying fourth and handed over to Brendon Hartley. For the last 30 minutes Webber returned to the car and finally crossed the line in fifth.
Weather conditions also very challenging for the GTE-Pro class
“Until shortly before the end it was a very encouraging weekend for us in which we were fighting for the race win”, said Wolfgang Hatz, Board member for Research and Development Porsche AG. The team did a great job and it is a shame it has been unrewarded.”
The hot and humid weather conditions were also very challenging for the drivers of the GTE-Pro class. Shortly before nightfall, torrential rain quickly flooded large sections of the race track. As a result the race had to be stopped. After the restart 45 minutes later, Porsche’s factory pilot Nick Tandy took over the lead.
At the wheel of the second Porsche Manthey-run 911 RSR in which he shared driving duties with Jörg Bergmeister for the first time, Tandy held the top position up until 85 minutes before the flag. He then lost two laps when his vehicle failed to start after a pit stop due to an electrical problem, and finally saw the flag in fourth place.
The French Porsche works drivers Patrick Pilet and Frédéric Makowiecki even looked like they might even bring home their second win of the season for the Porsche Manthey squad in front of 50.000 spectators. But although they held the lead until shortly before the finish, they were ultimately beaten to the flag after a spirited fight by a mere 16 seconds. “Obviously it’s very disappointing not to finish at the front, but we can build on all the efforts that the drivers and team put in today”, said Hartmut Kristen, Head of Porsche Motorsport.
For all four Porsche works drivers, this was their second race of the day: Previously they had contested the Tudor United SportsCar Championship in the 911 RSR fielded by Porsche North America.
Find more quotes, details and results in the press releases on the left.
Tudor United SportsCar Championship, round 10 in Austin (Texas, USA)
Finishing fifth was the No. 910 shared by Frenchmen Frédéric Makowiecki and Patrick Pilet. The lead Porsche 911 RSR, entered for the final two rounds, had possibly the most dramatic race of the day in the GTLM class. Having had their fastest qualifying lap disallowed at technical inspection for missing a roof camera pod, Makowiecki started last in the GTLM class. He did much with his series’ debut charging past nearly half the multi-class field in the first stint of the race. A “drive through” penalty for making contact with another car at mid-race would slow the 911 RSR’s fight to the front. However, a mistake-free effort in the second-half of the race would give Porsche North America two cars in the top-five.
The No. 911 Porsche North America Porsche 911 RSR of Nick Tandy and Jörg Bergmeister looked like the most likely class winner for the day. However, having led for 39 laps, the Daytona winner was retired with 20-minutes remaining in the race having lost drive.
Starting in third-position, Michael Christensen drove the first one-hour and 45-minutes of the race. The Dane turned the wheel over to Patrick Long for the final hour. He fought through the hot and humid conditions of the Austin, Texas summer to finish third following the tandem of Dodge Viper SRT across the finish line. The fourth Porsche 911 RSR, the No. 17 Team Falken Tire entry driven by Wolf Henzler and Bryan Sellers, finished eighth in the GTLM class.
Find more quotes, details and results in the press releases on the left.
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland, race 16, Sachsenring (Germany)
Also very exciting fights had the drivers of the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland during this weekend: At races 15 and 16, Nicki Thiim beat his teammate Michael Ammermüller. With two rounds left on the calendar, Ammermüller ranks now first with 200 points ahead of Christian Engelhart. Fans of the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland can now look forward to an exciting final phase of the series. From 17 to 19 October, the ninth and final championship weekend will be played out on the Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg. In the last double-header of the year, the title in this fiercely competitive series will be decided.
Find more quotes, details and results in the press releases on the left.
