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You are here: Home / Featured / Second and third in Shanghai for Porsche after strong effort

Second and third in Shanghai for Porsche after strong effort

19th November 2018 by: Porsche Road & Race | 2 Comments

#91 Porsche 911 RSR driven by Gianmaria Bruni and Richard Lietz
WEC, Shanghai 6 Hour, 18 November 2018: #91 Porsche 911 RSR driven by Gianmaria Bruni and Richard Lietz

Both the factory Porsche 911 RSRs finished on the podium at the final round in 2018 of the WEC in Shanghai. Heavy rain ensured a turbulent race that led to multiple safety car phases, red flags and many changes in position on the track. But a second and third in Shanghai for Porsche were the rewards for the Stuttgart works team after putting in a strong effort.

#92 Porsche 911 RSR driven by Michael Christensen and Kévin Estre
WEC, Shanghai 6 Hour, 18 November 2018: #92 Porsche 911 RSR driven by Michael Christensen and Kévin Estre

After six hours and a strong team effort, the #91 Porsche 911 RSR driven by Richard Lietz and Gianmaria Bruni crossed the finish line in second place. The #92 sister car driven by Kévin Estre and Michael Christensen came home in third place. A total of eleven vehicles run by six manufacturers battled for GTE Pro class victory on the 5.451 km Shanghai International Circuit. Following this result, Porsche has extended its lead in both the manufacturers’ and drivers’ championship.

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#91 Porsche 911 RSR driven by Gianmaria Bruni and Richard Lietz
WEC, Shanghai 6 Hour, 18 November 2018: #91 Porsche 911 RSR driven by Gianmaria Bruni and Richard Lietz

Persistent downpours and the onset of darkness required utmost concentration from drivers, as spectators were treated to a heart-stopping finale in both the GTE Pro and Am categories. In the #91 car, Richard Lietz fought his way from fourth to second place in the final 40 minutes. Likewise, Michael Christensen in the #92 Porsche, overtook a rival on the last lap to secure third place at the chequered flag.

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#92 Porsche 911 RSR driven by Michael Christensen and Kévin Estre
WEC, Shanghai 6 Hour, 18 November 2018: #92 Porsche 911 RSR driven by Michael Christensen and Kévin Estre

Porsche also had reason to celebrate in the GTE Am class when three customer Porsche 911 RSRs gave Porsche a 1-2-3 podium whitewash. Finishing in first place in the GTE Am class was the #77 Dempsey Proton Racing of Matt Campbell, Christian Ried and Julien Andlauer.

#77 Dempsey Proton Racing Porsche 911 RSR of Christian Ried, Matt Campbell and Julien Andlauer
WEC, Shanghai 6 Hour, 18 November 2018: #77 Dempsey Proton Racing Porsche 911 RSR of Christian Ried, Matt Campbell and Julien Andlauer

Driving the #56 Project 1 Porsche 911 RSR, Jörg Bergmeister swept past the second Porsche 911 RSR fielded by the Dempsey Proton Racing squad in the penultimate lap and took the flag in second place. Sharing the cockpit of the #56 car with Bergmeister was Patrick Lindsey and Egidio Perfetti. Occupying third place was the #88 Dempsey Proton Racing Porsche driven by Khaled Al Qubaisi, Riccardo Pera and Matteo Cairoli. The Gulf Racing trio of Michael Wainwright, Ben Barker and Thomas Preining finished in ninth place.

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#56 Project 1 Porsche 911 RSR driven by Jörg Bergmeister, Patrick Lindsey and Egidio Perfetti
WEC, Shanghai 6 Hour, 18 November 2018: #56 Project 1 Porsche 911 RSR driven by Jörg Bergmeister, Patrick Lindsey and Egidio Perfetti

Comments after the race

Dr Frank-Steffen Walliser (Vice President Motorsport and GT Cars): “After the first three hours of the race we were very uncertain whether it was still a race, but it turned into a brilliant event. Finishing second and third earned important points towards the world championship, it also extended our lead, and we’re heading home from Shanghai feeling very happy. We’re also extremely pleased to have extended our collaboration with the Manthey Racing team for the next two WEC seasons. In the GTE Am class Porsche locked out the entire podium. I’m thrilled for all three, a fantastic job – it doesn’t get any better than that!”

Gianmaria Bruni (#91): “We finished on the podium with both vehicles. That’s fantastic and I’m proud of the great team performance, particularly with the pits stops. We managed to do here what we missed out on at Fuji. For me, that’s the Porsche spirit! Richard drove brilliantly and things went well for me especially at the end, although the rain and falling darkness made conditions very difficult.”

#91 Porsche 911 RSR driven by Gianmaria Bruni and Richard Lietz
WEC, Shanghai 6 Hour, 18 November 2018: #91 Porsche 911 RSR driven by Gianmaria Bruni and Richard Lietz

Richard Lietz (#91): “It was a hard-fought second place and a wonderful result for the team. I’m really thrilled about that because they all worked really hard. The conditions were difficult but we opted for the right tyres at the right time. The start with all the spray was chaotic, but then it got better. I found the final 30 minutes, when dusk fell, especially tricky.”

#91 Porsche 911 RSR drivers Gianmaria Bruni and Richard Lietz
WEC, Shanghai 6 Hour, 18 November 2018: On the podium in second place in the GTE Pro class were Gianmaria Bruni and Richard Lietz, drivers in the #91 Porsche 911 RSR

Kévin Estre (#92): “What a huge race! The water on the track and the light conditions at the end made it super difficult. We made the most of it and didn’t make any mistakes.”

Michael Christensen (#92): “That was a crazy race for us. Over the six hours it went back and forth with the positions for us. Ultimately, everyone delivered an excellent performance, that’s the best way to describe it.”

#92 Porsche 911 RSR drivers Michael Christensen and Kévin Estre
WEC, Shanghai 6 Hour, 18 November 2018: On the podium in third place in the GTE Pro class were Michael Christensen and Kévin Estre, drivers in the #92 Porsche 911 RSR

Jörg Bergmeister (#56): “The race was interesting. I didn’t do much driving but in the end, it worked out just fine. On the penultimate lap, I managed to get past Matteo Cairoli and we finished in second place.”

#56 Project 1 Porsche 911 RSR driven by Jörg Bergmeister, Patrick Lindsey and Egidio Perfetti
WEC, Shanghai 6 Hour, 18 November 2018: #56 Project 1 Porsche 911 RSR driven by Jörg Bergmeister, Patrick Lindsey and Egidio Perfetti

Matt Campbell (#77): “I’m over the moon with our win. The race was anything but easy. Christian had a hard time, especially at the start. When Julien climbed into the cockpit the situation eased up and the team did a super job strategically.”

Thomas Preining (#86): “It certainly wasn’t an easy race. In the beginning, there was a lot of water on the track and the safety car was deployed several times. My teammate Michael (Wainwright) experienced aquaplaning and hit the guardrail. This caused quite some damage, which the team did a great job of repairing. My stint wasn’t flawless unfortunately, but we’ve made good progress since Fuji.”

#86 Gulf Racing Porsche 911 RSR driven by Michael Wainwright, Ben Barker and Thomas Preining
WEC, Shanghai 6 Hour, 18 November 2018: #86 Gulf Racing Porsche 911 RSR driven by Michael Wainwright, Ben Barker and Thomas Preining finished in ninth place

Matteo Cairoli (#88): “We finished on the podium in Shanghai and that’s great. The car proved difficult to drive towards the end. I did my best but ultimately the others were simply faster, so we have to take a good look at the reasons for this.”

#88 Dempsey Proton Racing Porsche 911 RSR driven by Khaled Al Qubaisi, Riccardo Pera and Matteo Cairoli
WEC, Shanghai 6 Hour, 18 November 2018: #88 Dempsey Proton Racing Porsche 911 RSR driven by Khaled Al Qubaisi, Riccardo Pera and Matteo Cairoli finished third in class

Race results in Shanghai for Porsche

Pos. Class Car No. Car Drivers Laps
1 GTE Pro class Aston Martin Vantage GTE Sorensen/Thiim 109
2 GTE Pro class 91 Porsche 911 RSR Lietz/Bruni 109
3 GTE Pro class 92 Porsche 911 RSR Christensen/Estre 109
1 GTE Am class 77 Porsche 911 RSR Ried/Andlauer/Campbell 108
2 GTE Am class 56 Porsche 911 RSR Bergmeister/Lindsey/Perfetti 108
3 GTE Am class 88 Porsche 911 RSR Al Qubaisi/Pera/Cairoli 108
9 GTE Am class 86 Porsche 911 RSR Wainwright/Barker/Preining 107
Winners of the GTE Am class on the podium were Christian Ried, Matt Campbell and Julien Andlauer
WEC, Shanghai 6 Hour, 18 November 2018: Winners of the GTE Am class on the podium were Christian Ried, Matt Campbell and Julien Andlauer

Edited by: Glen Smale
Images by: Porsche Motorsport

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Categories: Featured, Motorsport, WEC Tags: 6h Shanghai, 911 RSR, Dempsey-Proton Racing, Gulf Racing, Porsche, Team Project 1, WEC

Comments

  1. Martin Raffauf says

    19th November 2018 at 7:20 pm

    Weather looked horrible. Probably good to keep it on the road for 6 hours!

    Reply
    • Porsche Road & Race says

      19th November 2018 at 8:19 pm

      Martin I think you are absolutely right. The Gulf car aquaplaned into the barriers, so I reckon it was a case of staying in the middle of the track and then when you crossed the finish line, throw out the anchor…:)

      Reply

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