Difficult start to the season for the Porsche 911 GT3 R at Monza

Comments after the race

Dr Frank-Steffen Walliser (Vice President Motorsport and GT Cars): “Such a race is disappointing, of course, but even in qualifying the car certainly wasn’t where one wants it to be. Ultimately, the team has gained experience that can be built on for the next races. I must say, though, that the atmosphere here in the paddock is as thrilling as the impressive grid and the extremely close competition. This series is appealing, particularly for customer racers, because they get a lot of track time and the regulations keep the costs low.”

Sebastian Golz (Project Manager 911 GT3 R): “Towards the middle of his stint, Romain Dumas couldn’t change gears anymore and had to come into the pits. We discovered that a sensor in the gearbox was the cause. After the team fixed the problem the car could rejoin the race. In the race analysis it’ll be important to take a close look at the performance of the tyres. If the team can draw conclusions for the set-up, the qualifying will probably go better next time. However, the procedures over the race weekend all went smoothly, which is very positive with a view to the next race at Silverstone.”

Romain Dumas (Porsche 911 GT3 R #911): “I didn’t take any risks at the start so that I could make it through the first corner unscathed. The defect, however, threw us out of contention early in the fight for positions. For the next race we need to qualify further up the grid. I like the qualifying format, and I believe that we have a very good and balanced driver line-up that can stand up to the other strong drivers in the field.”