During the closing stages of FP2, I was photographing at Club Corner, just as the cars entered the start/finish straight. The #91 Porsche came past me a few times and as it accelerated up the straight, the engine sounded like it was misfiring. On Saturday evening after Qualifying, in the Porsche ‘Meet the Team’ interview session, I asked Gianmaria Bruni if this was the case and … [Read more...]
Silverstone WEC Round 3 Preview
After the summer break, the WEC heads to Silverstone this coming weekend for WEC Round 3 of the 2018/2019 Super Season. Having moved from its traditional slot as the WEC season opener in April, it will be the first time the Silverstone round of the WEC has been held this late in the year. The LMP1 class should be beyond question with Toyota already well out in front of … [Read more...]
Two Days to go – Le Mans 24 Hour 2018
Qualifying 1 (Q1) for the Le Mans 24 Hour went off on Wednesday night without too much fanfare or drama. Before that Free Practice 1 (FP1) in the afternoon offered the teams the opportunity to put their cars and drivers through the paces at will and so not too much can be read into the times posted then. But the first night session was obligatory as all the drivers have to … [Read more...]
Pascal Zurlinden speaks about the 2018 Porsche 911 RSR
The evening before the opening round of the WEC season at Spa, Porsche Road & Race had the opportunity of chatting to Pascal Zurlinden, Director GT Factory Motorsports, about the 2018 Porsche 911 RSR and the competition in the GTE Pro class. Uppermost in the minds of some journalists was the question of the auto BoP and how Porsche viewed this. Whatever your thoughts … [Read more...]
WEC Battle in the Ardennes
The first race of the 2018 WEC season certainly didn’t disappoint. From the starter’s green lights, right up until the chequered flag, the excitement hit a high point and didn’t once wane. This was truly a WEC battle in the Ardennes. The start Under bright sunshine, the race got underway at 13h30 sharp. The starting grid was altered as late as Friday night when the pole … [Read more...]
2018 6 Hours of Spa Pre-Race Report
The first race of the season, the 2018 6 Hours of Spa, is almost upon us. Thursday saw Free Practice 1 and 2 (FP1 and FP2) and while these sessions traditionally don’t tell you anything, it was nevertheless interesting to see the cars out for the first time in the season. One situation that did play out was the interplay between the LMP1 competitors. While the Toyotas … [Read more...]
Porsche to focus on GT sport
Porsche aims to contest the 2018 Le Mans 24 Hour race with four works cars in the GTE Pro class, as the manufacturer commits to focus on GT sport this season. In addition to the four works cars, there will be a further six 911s running in the GTE Am class, making a total of ten GT Porsches on the starting grid. Announced at the ‘Night of Champions’ motorsport gala in … [Read more...]
Bahrain WEC finale 2017
The curtain came down on the 2017 WEC after the Bahrain 6 Hour race this last weekend, and although the winner of the 2017 WEC LMP1 class was known beforehand, it was nevertheless a cracking race. The Bahrain WEC finale 2017 was everything the spectators and fans had hoped for, with thrills and spills from start to finish. LMP1 class The #1 Porsche 919 of Neel Jani/Andre … [Read more...]
World Endurance Championship: Taming the Texas Heat
This last weekend saw a convincing performance by the factory Porsches, in both the LMP1 class and GTE Pro class at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas in round 6 of the World Endurance Championship (WEC). The 919 Hybrids romped home in first and second place and in the GTE Pro class the #92 911 RSR came home in second place. It was only in the GTE Am class that … [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...]
