To the Point. Porsche Teams Travel to Monterey with Championship Aspirations.

Porsche Profile. Event Story Lines.

To the Point. Porsche Teams Travel to Monterey with Championship Aspirations.

Porsche factory and customers teams sit atop multiple class point standings entering Round 11 of the 12-race IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season. California’s WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca (WRLS) plays host to the Monterey SportsCar Championship on September 15 where the factory Porsche GT Team will attempt to extend its lead in the GTLM class Driver, Team and Manufacturer points’ standings with a pair of Porsche 911 RSR race cars. The drivers of the No. 912 Porsche GT Team entry, Earl Bamber (New Zealand) and Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium), currently hold an 11-point lead in the Drivers’ and Team championships over their No. 911 team car and teammates Patrick Pilet (France) and Nick Tandy (Great Britain). While no GTLM championship can be secured at the Monterey, California - area track, Porsche can be crowned Manufacturer Champion in the GTD class of the WeatherTech Sprint Cup with a strong performance by one of the two customer teams fielding the 911 GT3 R: Pfaff Motorsports or Park Place Motorsports. Pfaff’s Zach Robichon (Canada) can also win a hotly contested Sprint Cup Drivers’ title entering that individual championship’s final round in Monterey.

Porsche leads the GTLM class Manufacturer standings

At two-hours and 40-minutes, Sunday’s multi-class race is the final round of the WeatherTech Sprint Cup – a championship within a championship that crowns the driver(s), team and manufacturer who accumulates the most points in races shorter than six-hours in length. Robichon can earn his first IMSA championship in the No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R he shares with Porsche Selected Driver Scott Hargrove (Canada). The 2018 IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama champion has two wins on the season (Lime Rock and Road America) and holds a one-point lead in the Sprint Cup. Porsche “works” driver Patrick Long (Manhattan Beach, California) is currently in fourth-place entering the final round. Long, who holds the distinction of being the most successful active driver at WRLS with five-wins, will split driving duties in the No. 73 Park Place Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R with Team Principal Patrick Lindsey. Lindsey, a Santa Barbara, California-native is a former GTD class winner at WRLS (2015) and considers WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca his home track.

Porsche has a five-point lead over Lexus in the Sprint Cup Manufacturer standings, which is only open to GTD class entries. Only the highest finishing entry earns the points for the marque in the Manufacturer’s championship.

In the broader WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for all races, Porsche leads the GTLM class Manufacturer standings. The German brand must start the final two races of the season – at Monterey and in the 22nd Running of the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta – to clinch the title. Porsche has won six GTLM class races this season and stood on the podium at each round with at least one of the Porsche GT Team-prepared 911 RSR. Pfaff Motorsports’ Porsche 911 GT3 R has given Porsche two wins in the GTD category.

Porsche History. The Porsche Story at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

Porsche has earned 27 major sports car wins at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca (WRLS) since 1957. The German brand is also the leading manufacturer for IMSA victories on the Monterey Peninsula with 18 wins since 1999.

Porsche Rennsport Reunion has been held at WRLS three times: Porsche Rennsport Reunion IV (2011), V (2015) and VI (2018). Porsche Rennsport Reunion is the world’s largest gathering of vintage and recent Porsche race cars, as well as those who have designed, engineered and driven them to victory in the world’s most famous sports car races. Just under one-year ago, over 2,500 Porsche road and race cars were on display for the 81,500 people in attendance to celebrate 70 years of Porsche sports cars. It was the largest turnout in the six times the event has been held.

Major WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca Porsche Highlights.

1957 – Sam Weiss – Porsche 550 RS Spyder – Overall Win – SCCA National Laguna Seca Championship
1973 – Mark Donohue – Team Penske Porsche 917/30 – Overall Win – en route to the 1973 Can-Am season championship
1974 – Elliott Forbes-Robinson – Porsche 911 Carrera RSR – Overall Win – Race 1 - first Camel GT race at Laguna
1974 – Milt Minter – Porsche 911 Carrera RSR – Overall Win – Race 2 – second race of the weekend
1975 – Peter Gregg – Porsche 911 Carrera RSR – Overall Win – Race 1 – on his way to the Camel GT championship
1977 – Danny Ongais – Porsche 934 – Overall Win – Spring Camel GT – first of his Ted Field Porsche wins
1978 – George Follmer – Porsche 935 – Overall Win – Camel GT
1979 – Peter Gregg – Porsche 935 – Overall Win – Camel
1980 – John Fitzpatrick – Porsche 935 K3 – Overall Win – Camel GT – car owned by Dick Barbour
1985 – Al Holbert – Porsche 962 – Overall Win – Camel GT
1987 – Klaus Ludwig – Porsche 962 – Overall Win – Camel GT
1987 – Al Unser Sr. – Porsche 2708 – Competition debut in Indy Car World Series

2002 - Sascha Maassen/Lucas Luhr – Porsche 911 GT3 RS – ALMS GT Win
2003 – Sascha Maassen/Lucas Luhr – Porsche 911 GT3 RS – ALMS GT Win
2004 – Timo Bernhard/Jörg Bergmeister – Porsche 911 GT3 RSR – ALMS GT Win
2005 – Patrick Long/Jörg Bergmeister – Porsche 911 GT3 RSR – ALMS GT Win – won season championship in Petersen/White Lightning entry
2005 – Sascha Maassen/Lucas Luhr – Porsche RS Spyder – ALMS LMP2 – debut of Penske Porsche RS Spyder
2006 – Robin Liddell/Wolf Henzler – Porsche 911 GT3 Cup – Rolex GT Win
2007 – Patrick Long/Jörg Bergmeister – Porsche Crawford Porsche DP – Rolex DP – Overall Win – Alex Job Racing Ruby Tuesday car
2007 – Andy Lally/RJ Valentine – Porsche 911 GT3 Cup – Rolex GT Win
2008 – Timo Bernhard/Romain Dumas – Porsche RS Spyder – ALMS LMP2 Win – clinched LMP2 championship at ALMS finale
2009 – Patrick Long/Jörg Bergmeister – Porsche 911 GT3 RSR – ALMS GT2 Win

2010 – Patrick Long/Jörg Bergmeister – Porsche 911 GT3 RSR – ALMS GT Win
2011 – Patrick Long/Jörg Bergmeister – Porsche 911 GT3 RSR – ALMS GT Win
2011 – Andrew Davis/Leh Keen – Porsche 911 GT3 Cup – Rolex GT Win – key win en route to Rolex Grand-Am GT championship
2013 – John Potter/Andy Lally – Porsche GT3 Cup – Rolex GT Win
2015 – Patrick Lindsey/Spencer Pumpelly – Porsche 911 GT America – IMSA GTD Win
2016 – Mario Farnbacher/Alex Riberas – Porsche 911 GT3 R – IMSA GTD Win
2018 – Earl Bamber/Laurens Vanthoor – Porsche 911 RSR – IMSA GTLM – Second-Place
2018 – Jörg Bergmeister/Patrick Lindsey – Porsche 911 GT3 R – IMSA GTD – Second-Place