LMP1 race FIA World Endurance Championship, round 5, Mexico-City (MX)
The Porsche LMP Team took another big step in their mission of title defence in Mexico City today: At the fifth round of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, the Weissach-based team with the two Porsche 919 Hybrids achieved a dominant one-two victory. The championship leading Le Mans winners, Earl Bamber (NZ), Timo Bernhard (DE) and Brendon Hartley (NZ) came first ahead of their teammates Neel Jani (CH), André Lotterer (DE) and Nick Tandy (GB).
Against all predictions, the weather stayed dry during the well received six-hour race and allowed straight racing with a pure result. The two Porsche 919 Hybrids lapped the competition provided by Toyota while Hartley set the fastest race lap.
Since the beginning of the 2014 season, the Porsche 919 Hybrid has now competed in 30 races, achieving 17 pole positions, 16 race wins – including six one-two victories – and ten fastest race laps. For 2017, the team is aiming to achieve a third consecutive world championship title for manufacturers and drivers. Porsche has now scored 198 points in the manufacturers’ world championship with Toyota on 141.5 points. In the drivers’ rankings, Bamber/Bernhard/Hartley (134 points) have extended their lead over the best placed Toyota trio to 41 points. Jani/Lotterer/Tandy now lie third in the championship (64 points). In less than two weeks time, on September 16, the WEC starts round six of nine at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas (USA).
How the race went for car number 1:
Tandy starts from P2 and stays on the heels of the leading sister car. He refuels after 40 laps and hands over the car to Lotterer after 80 laps. Because Tandy has exceeded the pit lane speed limit, Lotterer has to serve a stop-and-go penalty that costs around 20 seconds at the end of lap 91 and loses contact to the leading Porsche number 2. Lotterer refuels after 120 laps and hands over to Jani after 160 laps. While in pit lane, Jani laps the number 8 Toyota. He refuels again after 181 laps and picks up fresh tyres, taking advantage of a full course yellow phase. On lap 190, he also laps the number 7 Toyota. The team again uses a full course yellow to fill up the car after 200 laps. The rain that was expected for the final stages stays clear. After 237 laps, Jani stops for a splash of fuel and finishes the race three laps later in second position.
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