Porsche Motorsport Weekly Event Notes: Tuesday, March 12, 2019

Porsche Profile.
Event Story Lines.
Le Mans USA. Major Endurance Test for Porsche at Sebring.
Porsche faces a huge sporting challenge at Sebring International Raceway between March 13 – 16. The GT factory teams  will field four “works” race cars in two long-distance races. Two of the ca. 510 hp Porsche 911 RSR race cars will race over more than 1,000 miles at round six of the World Endurance Championship (WEC) on Friday, with another two identical pair tackling the twelve-hour IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race on Saturday. The “#SuperSebring” race weekend requires a massive effort from Porsche in terms of personnel and logistics – comparable to Porsche’s largest ever GT undertaking at Le Mans in 2018.

The Sebring weekend also serves as preparation for this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, where Porsche will again field four works cars against five other manufacturers in the fiercely competitive LMGTE-Pro category. As it did in 2018, Porsche will field two entries each from its North American-based works team, CORE autosport, and its WEC-entry prepared by Manthey Racing.

At the “Super Sunday” race weekend in Florida, 17 of a possible 25 Porsche factory drivers will share driving duties in the factory cars and customer team 911 racers.

In the World Endurance Championship, which was first contested in 2012, sports prototypes and GT vehicles compete in four classes: LMP1, LMP2, LMGTE-Pro and LMGTE-Am. All classes are on-track together in one race but are classified separately. The Porsche GT Team contests the GTE-Pro class, while the customer teams Dempsey Proton Racing, Team Project 1 and Gulf Racing fight for honors in the GTE-Am class.

The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship has been contested in North America since 2014. The series originated from the merger of the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) and the Grand-Am Series. Sports prototypes and sports cars start in four different classes: GTLM (GT Le Mans), GTD (GT Daytona), Dpi (Daytona Prototype international) and LMP2 (Le Mans Prototype 2). The Porsche 911 RSR runs in the GTLM class while the Porsche 911 GT3 R contests the GTD class.

Fritz Enzinger, Vice President of Motorsport.
“The Sebring weekend is a massive undertaking for Porsche Motorsport. We have to transport our entire WEC crew including the cars and all the equipment over the Atlantic. That alone presents a logistical challenge. On top of this, our IMSA team competes at the same location on the same weekend. Two factory cars have to tackle each of these two important endurance races successfully. Everything has to be right. The cooperation between the two teams, the exchange of data and information, and not least the perfect organization of spare parts are fundamentally important. When we contested Le Mans in 2018 with four works cars we finished up with a victory and second-place. So we know how it works. Now, ‘across the pond’, we aim to demonstrate the perfect synergy between the teams – in a race over twelve hours and another over 1,000 miles.”

Pascal Zurlinden, Director of GT Factory Motorsport.
“This will undoubtedly be one of the most intense race weekends of the year. The schedules of both series are so tight that we can only use few personnel on both sides. Basically, the two races add up to a marathon of over almost 24 hours. That’s definitely on a par with Le Mans, especially on this extremely demanding racetrack. We’ll have a 30-strong crew for each of the WEC and IMSA series, plus an additional 15 people for the GT3 and GT4 customer sport program in the USA. The combination of both works teams is already working brilliantly. One example of this: While the IMSA team was testing in Sebring, the WEC squad used Core autosport’s workshop to set up their two 911 RSR. They have everything that’s needed there. That’s how teamwork should be.” 

Go for Two. Porsche GT Team Targets Second-Consecutive Sebring IMSA Win.
Porsche would like to repeat last year’s victory at the upcoming Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. The second round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is scheduled for March 16 at Sebring International Raceway. The Porsche GT Team factory program will field two of the ca. 510 hp Porsche 911 RSR in the venerable twelve-hour race in Central Florida. Like at the season-opening round in Daytona, the GTLM class entered machines will carry a modern interpretation of the legendary Brumos Racing design. In the GTD class, the three customer squads will each run a Porsche 911 GT3 R.

The Sebring International Raceway is both famous and infamous. The well-used term “respect the bumps” gives a very clear indication of what drivers and teams are up against on the 3.74-mile (6.02-kilometer) track with its 17 corners. The circuit, whose layout was crafted from a former World War II airfield, features brutal washboard-like bumps particularly in the final seventeenth turn. About a third of the circuit is from the original concrete laid in 1941 for Hendricks Army Airfield runways. The result of the bumps and the surface requires intensive work to find the best vehicle setup in order to prepare man and machine for the demands of the 12-hour race. One of the most famous curves, “Sunset Bend”, is a tight and very bumpy right-hander onto the start-finish straight. In addition to the races at Daytona, Watkins Glen and Road Atlanta, the 12 Hours of Sebring counts towards the IMSA North American Endurance Cup (NAEC).

Patrick Pilet (France), Nick Tandy (Great Britain) and Frédéric Makowiecki (France) will again share the No. 911 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR. In 2018, the trio won the long-distance races at Sebring and “Petit Le Mans” at Road Atlanta. Earl Bamber (New Zealand), Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium) and Mathieu Jaminet (France) drive the sister car. At the season-opening round in Daytona, the three scored a podium finish with the No. 912. In GTD, the No. 9 Porsche 911 GT3 R Pfaff Motorsports customer team features Porsche development driver Lars Kern (Germany) and two Canadians, each an IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada Champion, Scott Hargrove and Zacharie Robichon. Porsche works driver Patrick Long (Manhattan Beach, California) and his compatriots Patrick Lindsey (Santa Barbara, California) and Nicholas Boulle (Dallas, Texas) share the cockpit of the No. 73 Park Place Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R. 

With 18 overall victories, Porsche is by far the most successful brand at the twelve-hour race in Florida. The sports car manufacturer has been strong throughout the storied event, which was contested for the first time in 1952, particularly in the 1970s and 1980s. Between 1976 and 1988, Porsche netted 13 outright victories in a row. Racing legends Hans Herrmann and Jo Siffert scored the first win for Porsche at Sebring in 1960. The most recent overall win was in 2008 thanks to Timo Bernhard (Germany), Romain Dumas (France) and Emmanuel Collard (France) at the wheel of a Penske Racing Porsche RS Spyder.

Pascal Zurlinden, Director GT Factory Motorsport.
“After the podium result at the season-opener at Daytona, we’d now like to follow up with win. And the conditions look favorable. We won at Sebring in 2018 and now we want to repeat that. The car is very well suited to this classic and famously bumpy circuit. Our drivers are very experienced and we’ve celebrated many successes here already. Because the WEC is also being held here at Sebring, we’re facing a huge race weekend, which requires an effort similar to what we had at Le Mans with our four works cars. We want to wrap up this extraordinary event with a great success.”

Steffen Höllwarth, Program Manager IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. 
“I’m really looking forward to the Sebring race, it’s one of the biggest challenges in motor racing. The track demands absolutely everything from the drivers, teams and cars. It’s hard to win there. We’re coming to Sebring as last year’s winners, so essentially we know how to tackle this task. At a test with the two cars we were able to prepare well for the different conditions. It’s important that the cars run well in the heat and also perform strongly at the end in the cooler temperatures of the night.”

Sebastian Golz, Project Manager 911 GT3 R.
“The 12 Hours of Sebring is a whole new challenge. At its first test miles, the new Porsche 911 GT3 R demonstrated very well that it can handle the special requirements of the track with its uneven road surface. We head to the second long-distance highlight of the 2019 season feeling confident and we’ll fight for the podium at Sebring with our teams.” 

Patrick Pilet, Driver, No. 911 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR.
“Our win last year showed just how important good teamwork is at such a race. Neither the team nor the drivers allowed ourselves to make a single mistake. We were careful at the right moments and we pulled out all stops when it came down to the wire. That was the key. Twelve hours on such a bumpy circuit is really exhausting. We’d like to reward ourselves for this ordeal again this year with a win.”

Nick Tandy, Driver, No. 911 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR.
“To be honest, for many years Sebring wasn’t one of my favorite racetracks, but our victory last year changed that. It’s not only the washboards that make this event special. It’s also the changing conditions driving into the night – and not least the masses of crazy motorsport fans at the track. I’m very much looking forward to the race. It’s a real endurance classic. Of course we want to do as well as last year.”

Frédéric Makowiecki, Driver, No. 911 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR.
“The 12 Hours of Sebring is definitely the most difficult race on the North America calendar – and this is precisely why I’m really excited about it. The circuit demands everything from man and machine. When it gets dark towards the end of the race, the visibility is anything but good because there’s not a lot of lighting there. Last year we mastered these difficulties well. We aim to repeat this achievement and climb to the top of the podium.”

Laurens Vanthoor, Driver, No. 912 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR.
“The Sebring circuit suits our Porsche 911 RSR. We came third last year and our sister car won. Therefore, I assume that we’ll again have the best chances. The racetrack with its bumps is more brutal than any other circuit in the world. If your car is not perfectly set up, then your life as a driver will be extremely difficult. That makes it all the more important to work on even the tiniest details in our set-up. We made good progress in this regard at our test in mid-February.”

Earl Bamber, Driver, No. 912 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR.
“After coming third last year we now want to do better. We’ve known that the Porsche 911 RSR is a powerful weapon in fierce competition since winning here in 2018. We have to use our heads and carefully consider in which phases of the race we can push to the absolute limit. If we’re tactically clever and stay out of trouble, then we have the best chances of scoring a top placing in the dark at the end.”

Mathieu Jaminet, Driver, No. 912 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR.“I contested the GTD class here in Sebring last year in a Porsche 911 GT3 R run by a customer team. Now I’m finally getting the chance to drive the 911 RSR. One thing that’s certain though: Sebring is one of the world’s toughest races. No other racetrack shakes you up like here. Porsche finished on the podium last year with both works car, and that’s what we’d like to achieve again this year.”

Patrick Long, Driver, No. 73 Park Place Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R.
“The racetrack pushes teams, drivers and cars to the absolute limit. It’s truly brutal. You always have to stay focused and be prudent at all times. Ultimately, it’s all about maintaining a good position over the last few hours in the dark. If you succeed in this, then anything is possible at the finish. Our season began really well at Daytona. Now we want to add as many points as possible.”

Lars Kern, Driver, No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R.
“After a difficult start to the season at Daytona, we’re looking forward to the twelve-hour race in Sebring. We’re well prepared and we hope to finally underline the full potential of our 2019 Porsche 911 GT3 R. For me personally, Sebring is another highlight. To contest such a historic race is always something very special for a racing driver.”

World Comes To Sebring. Porsche World Endurance Championship Teams Face 1,000-mile Challenge.
Porsche tackles the first World Endurance Championship (WEC) race at Sebring International Raceway since 2012 as the points’ leader. After five of the season’s eight rounds, the works team with its two Porsche 911 RSR ranks first in the LMGTE-Pro manufacturers’, drivers’ and team point categories. Three customer squads field four other identical vehicle models in the LMGTE-Am category. With the WEC held as a joint event alongside the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, March 13-16, a total of eight Porsche 911 RSR vehicles will be competing on the legendary Sebring circuit over the weekend. The 1,000-Miles of Sebring will start at 4:00 p.m., Friday, March 15 racing into the darkness the evening before the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring IMSA race on Saturday.

Sebring has hosted the WEC only once since the launch of the series. In 2012, works drivers Marc Lieb (Germany), Richard Lietz (Austria) and Patrick Pilet (France) finished in second-place in that single event. In the long history of endurance racing at Sebring, Porsche is by far the most successful manufacturer, with a total of 18 overall victories going to the marque from Stuttgart, Germany. The most recent victory was in 2008 thanks to Timo Bernhard (Germany), Romain Dumas (France) and Emmanuel Collard (France) at the wheel of a Porsche RS Spyder.

Richard Lietz (Austria) and Gianmaria Bruni (Italy) tackle the 1,000-mile race (or eight hours) with the No. 91 Porsche 911 RSR race car. The pair achieved second-place at the Shanghai round already in this 2018/2019 WEC Super Season. The cockpit of the identical No. 92 sister vehicle is shared by 24 Hours of Le Mans champions Kevin Estre from France and Michael Christensen from Denmark. The two Porsche works drivers hold a convincing lead in the LMGTE-Pro class after winning the Le Mans 24-hour classic and the Fuji race in Japan as well as claiming podium places at all other rounds of the season.

Three customer teams field four more 911 RSR in the LMGTE-Am category. Porsche Junior Julien Andlauer (France), Christian Ried (Germany) and Porsche Young Professional Matt Campbell (Australia) compete in the No. 77 car. An all-Italian crew shares the Dempsey Proton Racing No. 88 cockpit, with Porsche Young Professional Matteo Cairoli and the father/son pairing Gianluca and Giorgio Roda. Manning the No. 56 Porsche 911 RSR for Team Project 1 is Porsche works driver Jörg Bergmeister (Germany), Patrick Lindsey (Santa Barbara, California) and Norwegian Egidio Perfetti. Two British racing drivers, Michael Wainwright and Ben Barker, share driving duties with Porsche Junior Thomas Preining (Austria) in Gulf Racing’s 911 No. 86.

Fritz Enzinger, Vice President Porsche Motorsport.
“The race weekend in Sebring is very special for us. With the WEC and IMSA series being run as a joint event, the effort is huge. Like at the major Le Mans outing last year, optimal teamwork is essential. We’re not the only manufacturer to field factory cars in both series. The communication and exchange of information between teams will be key factors. The fact that we’re obviously good at this was clearly demonstrated by our success at Le Mans in 2018. I’m certain that we’ll also be in the fight for victory in Sebring.”

Pascal Zurlinden, Director GT Factory Motorsport.
“Thanks to the excellent results from the first five races of the current season, we’re travelling to Florida as leaders of the manufacturer’s and drivers’ championships. We want to continue this great run. Our victory last year at the IMSA race in Sebring has clearly shown that the Porsche 911 RSR is very competitive on this special racetrack. We are eager to turn this into another win and expand our championship lead in the WEC.”

Richard Lietz, No. 91 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR.
“From the winter break straight into the mogul run of Sebring – that’s a tough but wonderful challenge. I’m excited to see how this race works with its 1,000-mile format. Because of the schedule with the late starting time we’ll have to contest most of the race at night. Two of us share one car. On the positive side, each driver will get a lot of track time. Our team is looking good in the championship. We also want to earn plenty of points at Sebring to consolidate our position.”

Gianmaria Bruni, No. 91 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR.
“I find it great that the WEC is finally returning to Sebring after so many years. The last time the series raced there was in 2012. Not a lot has changed on the track since then. Last year I competed there with our IMSA factory squad so I know that the Porsche 911 RSR is well suited to the vagaries of Sebring. We want to bring home another top result to extend the lead in the manufacturers’ championship as much as possible.”

Kévin Estre, No. 92 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR.
“Our winter break was about four months long and now our current season continues in a new calendar year. It feels strange – it’s something new. But it doesn’t change our goals and aspirations. We want to be amongst the frontrunners at Sebring and further consolidate our top position in the championship. It’s going to be a tough job. We’re contesting the 1,000-mile race with just two drivers per car. If rain or heat is added to the mix, then it’ll become the most demanding race of the year.”

Michael Christensen, No. 92 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR.
“I’m especially looking forward to the return of the WEC to Sebring. In 2014, I won the IMSA race there. It may be a different series, but essentially the task is the same on the demanding circuit. The winter break has certainly not hindered our good run so far this season. I’m firmly convincing that we’ll also be perfectly prepared in Sebring and have good chances of winning.”

Jörg Bergmeister, Driver, No. 56 Team Project 1 Porsche 911 RSR.
“The 1,000-mile race at Sebring is a great challenge when I think of the hefty bumps and hardships that come with it. I find it somewhat strange that the WEC hasn’t been contested in Sebring for a long time and yet, in contrast to all previous tracks, it’s the one that all the drivers in our team know. I’m very confident that we’ll achieve another strong result.”

Matt Campbell, Driver, No. 77 Dempsey-Proton Racing Porsche 911 RSR.
“The 2019 racing year started perfectly for me with a victory at my home race in Bathurst. It can continue like this. After the long winter break of the WEC, I’m really looking forward to my next race outing in the Porsche 911 RSR. I’ve heard a lot of interesting stories about this circuit – I’m very curious. This is my first time at Sebring, but I’m very sure that we’ll be extremely competitive there, too.”

E-Debut. Neel Jani Completes Successful Rollout for Porsche.
Porsche works driver Neel Jani (Switzerland) completed the first test laps in the new Formula E race car at Porsche‘s testing ground in Weissach, Germany on March 5. This marks an important milestone for the works entry as the team prepares for the ABB FIA Formula E Championship beginning with Season 6 (December 2019). The first drive with the newly developed fully electric Porsche powertrain passed without incident. The initial test provided valuable findings, which will help the motorsport engineers prepare the car for intense testing over the next few months.

Fritz Enzinger, Vice President, Porsche Motorsport.
“The newly developed Porsche powertrain for Formula E completed its baptism of fire. It is an important day for everyone involved in this project. Many thanks to everyone who has poured their heart and soul into the construction of the powertrain and car in recent months and made this successful rollout possible. We still have a lot of work to do on the road to our works entry in Formula E, but an important initial step has been taken. Now we will be fully focused as we continue to work on familiarizing ourselves with the particular challenges of Formula E.”

Neel Jani, Driver, Porsche Formula E Program.
“I am very proud to have been behind the wheel the first time our Formula E racing car was driven. Being allowed to drive the rollout is not only a great honor, it is also very exciting. We’re breaking new ground. It was a fantastic feeling for me. Everyone in the team feels it. The project is really gaining momentum now. We didn’t push it to the limit during the rollout, but the powertrain and the car made a very good first impression overall. I can’t wait to get back to testing.”

Amiel Lindesay, Team Manager, Porsche Formula E Program.
“We know that we will face very tough competition in Formula E, which to some extent has more experience than us. This makes it even more important for us that we have taken the next step in development with the rollout. With each additional test, we will gain new insights and optimize the performance of the car.”

Malte Huneke, Technical Project Leader, Porsche Formula E Program.
“The development of a Formula E car fully streamlined for efficiency and lightweight construction is a great challenge for our team of engineers. Seeing the car in action for the first time gave us goose bumps. Compared with production development, the demands in terms of efficiency and weight of the powertrain in Formula E are on a very different level. Now we will approach the limit one step at a time. This will be essential to make it in Formula E.”

917/50. Porsche Celebrates “50 Years of the 917.
One of the strongest number sequences produced by Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year: the Porsche 917. Arguably, the most famous racing car of all time made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show on March 12, 1969, and the Porsche Museum is celebrating the landmark birthday with plans to display the first 917 in its original condition, as it was when first unveiled 50 years ago. The 917-001 underwent various changes over time.

The success story of the 917 is legendary. The Porsche racing car managed to secure an overall victory in its first year of competing at the 1,000-kilometer race at Zeltweg, Austria in 1969. In 1970, Hans Herrmann and Richard Attwood achieved the coveted overall triumph at Le Mans – the greatest motorsport success Porsche had achieved until that point, and one that Dr. Helmut Marko and Gijs van Lennep would repeat in 1971. Following further development of the 917 to the 917/10 and 917/30 turbo versions with over 1,000 horsepower, George Follmer and Mark Donohue were able to control the North American Can-Am Series in 1972 and 1973 respectively; these Porsche models also proved seemingly unbeatable in the European counterpart, the Interserie. An altered version of the turbo technology was also reused a little later in a Porsche standard vehicle – when the 911 Turbo was born in 1974.

The 917-001 was presented for the first time in Geneva in March 1969, with it bodywork in white with a green front section; it had a new look for its appearance at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt the same year, for which the car was repainted in white and orange. When Porsche later announced the transfer of its racing activities to the J.W. Automotive Engineering team, headed by Briton John Wyer, the 917-001 was once again used as a presentation vehicle – and refinished in the brand colors of U.S. oil company and sponsor, Gulf: light blue and orange.

917-001 marked the beginning of a remarkable racing car career for the 917. Designed to sweep the board at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and win the Brand World Championships, 917-001 was the first of the famous 25 vehicles made to meet the homologation requirement for type approval as a Group 4 sports car. Hans Mezger was the chief designer on the project and was responsible not only for the twelve-cylinder engine, but for the vehicle as a whole.

Following the first Porsche podium sweep at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1970, 917-001 was then reworked to represent the short-tail version by overall winners Hans Herrmann and Richard Attwood in September 1970. When 917-001 was handed over to Porsche Salzburg in October 1970, it was in the colors of the car that won the Le Mans race and was emblazoned with starting number 23.

For over a year, museum mechanics, former technicians and engineers from Zuffenhausen and Weissach, as well as the Historical Archives and partner companies, worked on the restoration of this original 917. The project was particularly challenging from the outset because of the multiple transformations the car had undergone during its time as a test and presentation vehicle. The top priority throughout was the conservation and reuse of the car’s original materials wherever possible and technically practicable.

The restoration was particularly guided by testing which was able to determine what body materials were original and could be reused, using material analysis and comparison with historical design drawings and photographs. It was with this approach that the body parts for the front and rear sections were painstaking reproduced using state-of-the-art 3D technology and with reference to the original design drawings. The rear section of the aluminum space frame was also restored with the aid of original documents. Exactly 50 years on, the 917-001 will now be presented in the Porsche Museum, restored to its original condition as in 1969.

May 14 – September 15, the Porsche Museum will honor the 50th anniversary of the 917 with an extensive special exhibition entitled “Colors of Speed – 50 Years of the 917”.

Achim Stejskal, Director of the Porsche Museum.
“Our approach to the authentic handling of classic cars has changed considerably over the past ten years. When restoring vehicles from the company’s historic collection, the museum places great importance on retaining original material and taking into account the relevant history of its exhibits.”

Lindsey for Two. Patrick Lindsey to Double Porsche Rides in Sebring.
In 2018, Patrick Lindsey made the decision to focus on the FIA World Endurance Championship’s (WEC) Super Season and the GTD class of IMSA’s Michelin Endurance Cup – the four-endurance race championship within the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Until now, the two worlds didn’t intersect. On March 14 – 16, Lindsey’s two racing worlds will come together for the sports car doubleheader weekend at Sebring International Raceway.

The only appearance of the WEC in the United States and the second race of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship will present the Santa Barbara, California-native the unique challenge of racing in both Friday’s 1,000-miles of Sebring and the 67th Running of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on Saturday. In each, Lindsey will race a Porsche: the 911 RSR entered by Team Project 1 in the LMGTE-Am class of the WEC and the No. 73 Park Place Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R in the IMSA feature.

Based on the distance traveled by the GTD cars in last year’s 12-Hour race, Lindsey’s two Porsche entries could cover nearly 3,100-miles between the two races on the 3.74-mile track in Sebring, Florida. A daunting task on a pristine track, nearly epic on the bumps of the facility laid out on the former World War II bomber air base. A challenge made even more overwhelming by the differences in the two Porsche racers: the ACO-regulated, mid-engine design of the German marque’s most advanced 911 race car Lindsey will pilot in the WEC and the international GT3-spec of the Porsche 911 GT3 R he will wheel in the Pro-Am style of IMSA’s GTD class race.

Lindsey will be joined by a star-studded driver-lineup in both the 911s. Porsche factory driver Jörg Bergmeister (Germany) and longtime racer Egidio Perfetti (Norway) share the championship-leading No. 56 with the popular American on Friday. The new 911 GT3 R in Saturday’s 12-Hour race will see the Park Place Motorsports team principal/driver teaming with Porsche “works” driver Patrick Long (Manhattan Beach, California) and Nick Boulle (Dallas, Texas).

Patrick Lindsey, Driver/Team Principal, No. 73 Park Place Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R. | Driver, No. 56 Team Project 1 Porsche 911 RSR.
"While Daytona may be twice as long and faster top speed, when we go to Sebring we know our minds and bodies are in for a good amount of punishment. The intensity ratchets way up at Sebring where the margins are tighter and the track relentless: bumps, sand, walls and fans.

Having to switch between two series and two different cars is going to be that much harder. The new car, the 911 GT3 R, is quite a bit different from the RSR in more ways than just how they drive. There is no clutch, the buttons are in different places and the driver changes are different. Fortunately, I have been around Sebring enough times that the driving aspect and speed should come fairly easily, but all other aspects of this race are going to be exponentially more demanding. Thankfully, I have two outstanding teams in Park Place and Project 1 behind me to help keep me on the right track. I couldn't be more encouraged by our recent success in both cars. Sebring, despite being an even greater challenge, will be an absolute blast!"