Moment #5

With the Porsche 911 GT1 ’98, Norbert Singer achieved his 16^th and also last overall victory as race engineer in Le Mans. In the penultimate episode of “Porsche Moments” he talks to Timo Bernhard about the historic double victory in 1998. “We won the race because the GT1 ’98 was the most reliable car in the starting line-up,” is how Singer summarises the success of the Porsche with 550 PS. “The car had a carbon-fibre monocoque, and there were also carbon-fibre brake discs in a works race car for the first time,” he explains. These measures made it possible to reduce the vehicle weight by around 10 per cent compared with the previous year. The high-performance lightweight car did not just function as research laboratory on wheels and a fuel efficiency specialist on the race track in Le Mans, but also drove to a double victory. As coincidence would have it, this was also the brand’s 50^th anniversary. “Le Mans is not just any race. It is the most famous endurance race in the world, and enjoys great importance for the Porsche brand,” concludes Timo Bernhard.