Pre-race comments
Dr Frank-Steffen Walliser (Vice President Motorsport and GT Cars): “The season is drawing to a close: Laguna Seca is the penultimate round and my personal favourite. However, in the recent past, the racetrack has proven to be difficult turf for Porsche. I hope we can turn the insights we’ve gained since last year with the new 911 RSR into a good result. We’ll do everything we can to conclude the season with a good performance.”
Pascal Zurlinden (Director GT Factory Motorsport): “We’re heading to Laguna Seca well prepared. In spring we completed a successful test here and we managed to collate a great deal of valuable data with the setup. It’s important on this storied racetrack that the car is not only fast but that it’s easy to handle, because the circuit is a real challenge for the drivers.”
Sebastian Golz (Project Manager 911 GT3 R): “To tackle the turns perfectly at Laguna Seca you often have to do a bit of kerb-hopping. But if you go too far over the kerbs your tyres pick up grains of sand and that costs you time in the next corner. In this regard, we’re expecting a challenging circuit. Thanks to its modified aerodynamics this year, the 911 GT3 R will be very strong especially exiting the Corkscrew. With our customer teams, we should be able to fight for the podium.”
Patrick Pilet (Porsche 911 RSR #911): “Laguna Seca and the surrounding area is one of the most beautiful places in America. We went testing here at the start of the season and that should help us. So I expect we’ll be up with the frontrunners. Tyre management plays a decisive role here.”
Nick Tandy (Porsche 911 RSR #911): “I always look forward to coming to California. We’ve never won the GTLM class at Laguna Seca. It would be great if we could finally score a victory here. The track is fast and flowing and it should suit our Porsche.”
Laurens Vanthoor (Porsche 911 RSR #912): “Laguna Seca is simply cool. There are circuits that I like more, but the region is great, for instance for cycling. We expect that our car will suit the racetrack. The next Porsche Rennsport Reunion Festival is held here at the end of September and I’m also excited about that.”
Earl Bamber (Porsche 911 RSR #912): “With its Corkscrew corner, this track is one of the most spectacular in the world. Since we have only an outside chance in the fight for the championship we’re now focusing on scoring individual victories. When we arrive at the Porsche Rennsport Reunion at Laguna Seca in a couple of weeks, it would be great if we could look back on a good IMSA result from this race.”
Patrick Long (Porsche 911 GT3 R #58): “Laguna Seca is a home race for me. I like the region and the track is really challenging. You need a perfect setup here, and it’s very tricky working your way through the traffic on the track. Our Porsche should suit this circuit.”
Christina Nielsen (Porsche 911 GT3 R #58): “I come from Denmark but I live in Los Angeles, so Laguna Seca is virtually a home race for me. I have fond memories of this racetrack: I won here last year and made great progress in terms of the championship. Laguna Seca is also well worth a visit and it’s a great place for hosting guests and sponsors.”
