The 2017 Le Mans 24 Hour race will go down in history as one of the most dramatic in years. If you thought that last year's race ended in dramatic fashion, then this year's event was equal to or even more gripping than in 2016. Unavoidably, it involved the same two manufacturers, Porsche and Toyota. Wednesday, 14 June, saw the first Free Practice session which ran for four … [Read more...]
Motorsport
2017 Le Mans test day report
Held on the weekend of 3-4 June 2017, the test day for this year’s Le Mans was run under clear skies. It was an excellent opportunity for the teams to put their cars, drivers, personnel and systems through their paces ahead of the big day on 17-18 June. Below is a summary of how the 2017 Le Mans test day went for the Porsche teams. Porsche 919 Hybrid – LMP1 Track action took … [Read more...]
Porsche’s road to Le Mans
Sixty-six years ago, on 24 June 1951, the first Porsche was pushed tentatively onto the starting grid of the 1951 Le Mans 24 Hour race. The lone, diminutive 356 SL would finish in a remarkable twentieth place overall. Fifty-one years ago, on 19 June 1966, the first Porsche 911 would see action in the 24-hour race, and finish in a commendable fourteenth place overall and … [Read more...]
Spa 6 Hour race report
It was a case of ‘what might have been’ as the two LMP1 Porsche 919 Hybrids experienced frustrating delays during the Spa 6 Hour race on Saturday 6 May 2017. Having said that, the two cars did finish with valuable points, and will continue their fight for a third WEC crown at next month’s Le Mans 24 Hour race. For the pair of 911 RSR GTE cars, a faultless race resulted in a … [Read more...]
Porsche made a solid start
Porsche made a solid start to their 2017 WEC campaign, when the #2 LMP1 919 Hybrid (Bernhard/Bamber/Hartley) finished second in the top class followed by the #1 car in third place (Jani/Lotterer/Tandy). On the podium in the GTE Pro class, was the #91 RSR of Richard Lietz/Fred Makowiecki, when they claimed third spot in class. Porsche also scored a third-place finish in the GTE … [Read more...]
WEC Opening Round at Silverstone
It was a dry day at Silverstone on the first day of practice for this year’s WEC opening round at Silverstone. This, you would think, would give the teams the best chance of testing their steeds, but in reality, very few teams were willing to show their hand at this early stage. On Saturday 15 April, there was one more practice session (FP3) in the morning followed by … [Read more...]
Porsche at the 2017 Prologue
The Autodromo Nazionale di Monza was more than just the scene of this year’s pre-season FIA/WEC Prologue, it also witnessed the unveiling of the 2017 Porsche 919 Hybrid. Having remained under wraps until Friday 31 March, the media was given a first glimpse of this new Porsche at the 2017 Prologue, with which the factory will contest the WEC this year. With the new 919 Hybrid, … [Read more...]
Philippe Alméras of Team Martinet by Alméras and his passion for Porsche
Philippe Alméras is the owner of Team Martinet by Alméras, one of the main Porsche team contenders in the 2017 racing calendar: Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, Porsche Carrera Cup France, French GT4 Championship, VdeV Endurance Series, Porsche Club Racing and more. The name Alméras is linked from the very beginning with Porsche. Brothers Jean-Marie and Jacques Alméras (the latter … [Read more...]
12 Hours of Sebring 2017: Race Report
Following their second- and sixth-place finishes at Daytona a few weeks back, the Porsche GTLM squad were understandably upbeat about their chances in the 12 Hours of Sebring 2017 race this past weekend. This was not to be, however, as the two works Porsches finished in seventh and eighth places in the second long-distance classic of the 2017 IMSA SportsCar … [Read more...]
12 Hours of Sebring 2017: Pre-Race
The 65th Annual Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring fuelled by ‘Fresh from Florida’ takes the green flag at 10:40 am (local time) on Saturday, March 18th 2017. The gates opened on Wednesday, March 15, and will remain open 24 hours a day through Saturday. First run in March 1952, 12 Hours of Sebring saw some of the tightest racing over the ensuing 64 years, and this year, the … [Read more...]
