The 24 Hours of Le Mans on 15/16 June 2019 and the 24-hour race on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife just one week later put drivers, engineers and team managers under stresses seldom experienced in such a concentrated form. With spectacular images, the new Porsche documentary Endurance outlines the background, challenges and tireless efforts. The 90-minute film is now available on YouTube, and from April 3, 2020, on Amazon Prime (subscription required).
British director James Routh, famous for his award-winning Formula 1 documentary Drive to Survive, accompanied the team, technicians and drivers for 25 days. From Le Mans preparations to test drives in Italy and a private test day after the endurance race in Germany’s Eifel region, Porsche offers impressive behind-the-scene glimpses. The spectacular driving scenes are enhanced by candid impressions from Pascal Zurlinden, Director Factory Motorsport. Porsche works drivers Kévin Estre (France), Michael Christensen (Denmark), Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium) and Matt Campbell (Australia) give spectators an inside look at the unique stresses of the largest racing events of the year. The seasoned motor racing engineer Luca Massé (Italy) also describes the everyday challenges of a Porsche race engineer.
In an exceptional way, the documentary Endurance showcases what endurance racing really involves: deprivation, stress, emotion and boundless dedication and passion of all involved. The main protagonists are not just the vehicles – in this case the Porsche 911 RSR and the 911 GT3 R, both based on the high-performance 911 GT3 RS production vehicle – but also the people. Dealing with tense situations and setbacks on the racetrack are as unfiltered and realistically portrayed as the comments from the family of a young racing driver are on the dangers and life at the limit.
