GT – Preview: World Endurance Championship WEC, Round 8, Shanghai/China
A gripping fight for the Sports Car World Endurance Championship WEC title heads into the penultimate round at the Shanghai International Circuit. The Porsche GT Team tackles the six-hour race on 5 November with two 911 RSR in the high-ranking GTE-Pro class. At the wheel of the 510 hp 911 RSR, designed from scratch by Porsche Motorsport in Weissach, the Porsche pilots Richard Lietz (Austria) and Frédéric Makowiecki (France) aim to earn more critical points towards winning the GT Drivers’ World Championship in the Chinese economic metropolis against strong opposition from Aston Martin, Ford and Ferrari. The pair travels to Shanghai ranking second in the series, just five points off the leader. This season also sees a close battle for honours in the GTE-Am class, in which Porsche customer teams go head-to-head for the FIA Endurance Trophy with the 2015-spec 911 RSR.
The race
The 5.541-kilometre Shanghai International Circuit was opened in 2004, however, it already made headlines during its construction: Due to the swampy subsoil, 43,000 support piles had to be rammed into the earth over the entire facility. However, no amount of effort was too much for China in its quest to lure Formula 1 to Shanghai. The Grand Prix circuit is one of many prestige projects with which the nation wanted to demonstrate its economic power to the world at the beginning of the new millennium.
The Porsche drivers
Four works drivers and a Porsche Young Professional compete at the Shanghai International Circuit. In the GTE-Pro class, Richard Lietz (Austria) and Frédéric Makowiecki (France), who currently rank second in the Drivers’ World Championship, aim to defend their title chances in the cockpit of the #91 Porsche 911 RSR. Their team colleagues Michael Christensen (Denmark) and Kévin Estre (France) share the second new 911 RSR with the starting number 92. As the most promising Porsche customer team in the fight for the FIA Endurance Trophy, Dempsey Proton Racing campaigns the 2015-spec 911 RSR (#77) in the GTE-Am class. The Porsche Young Professional Matteo Cairoli (Italy) as well as Christian Ried and Marvin Dienst from Germany share the cockpit. Dempsey Proton Racing currently ranks second in the points, with the drivers leading the classification after achieving victories at the Nürburgring and in Mexico City. Ben Barker (Great Britain), Khaled Al Qubaisi (Abu Dhabi) and Nick Foster (Australia) compete in the #86 Porsche 911 RSR fielded by Gulf Racing.
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