Good chances for Porsche GT Team in the world championship fight
The road to the title duel in the desert
Consistently strong performances have put Richard Lietz and Frédéric Makowiecki on course for the title at the season finale in Bahrain. At the wheel of the new 911 RSR, they made a successful start to the new season with third place at Silverstone. At Spa-Francorchamps (5th) and Le Mans (4th), they narrowly missed out on podium spots. However, clinching second at Porsche’s home race on the Nürburgring, they came within striking distance of victory. The pair continued their good form in Mexico City with third place. At the sweltering race in Austin, two drive-through penalties hampered their charge and they had to settle for sixth place. However, Lietz and Makowiecki made a strong comeback in the rain chaos of Fuji to score pole position and second place under difficult conditions. With another second place in Shanghai, they closed the gap to the frontrunners to just two points and thus secured an excellent starting position for the final round in the title fight.
Strong performance of the new 911 RSR
The new 911 RSR, built from scratch by Porsche Motorsport at Weissach on the basis of the high-performance 911 GT3 RS sports car for the 2017 season, has impressed with strong performances in its first race season. The race car secured its first victory (22 July at Lime Rock) and first title (North American Endurance Cup, drivers’ and team classifications) in the North American IMSA SportsCar Championship. In the WEC, too, the 911 RSR has enjoyed a successful maiden season, notching up eight podium results and two pole positions. Added to this are three fastest race laps (Kévin Estre in Spa and at the Nürburgring, Richard Lietz in Fuji) as well as the fastest qualifying lap in Shanghai thanks to Michael Christensen. At this year’s races, a 911 RSR has led the GTE-Pro field over a total of 229 laps.
Close qualifying sessions and gripping races
The GTE-Pro class, in which Porsche fights against factory teams from Aston Martin, Ferrari and Ford, is the most strongly represented and fiercely contested category in the Sports Car World Endurance Championship WEC. Four different winners have emerged from the eight races contested so far this season. And in the qualifying, too, the competition is tight. In Mexico City, for example, all eight competitors qualified within a mere second. At the Nürburgring, in Austin and Fuji, six vehicles were separated by less than a second. Packed with overtaking manoeuvres and tough fights for positions, most of the races are decided shortly before the finish. At Fuji, Richard Lietz/Frédéric Makowiecki were only 0.968 seconds away from victory; in Shanghai they missed out by just 11.082 seconds. After six hours of racing at Austin, Michael Christensen/Kévin Estre were just 25.663 seconds off the winners.
A decisive factor for balanced and fair races is the Balance of Performance (BoP) ruling that aims to achieve a level playing field for the different vehicle concepts. During the races, the performance data of the vehicles is recorded by means of telemetry – not only using lap times, but also acceleration profiles and engine mappings. This data input is automatically analysed and incorporated into the Balance of Performance. In keeping with FIA’s intention, the key to success on the racetrack is not about the individual potential of a vehicle, instead it’s about the performance of the drivers, the race strategy, a perfect setup or the skill of the team with their pit stops.
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