AUDI CELEBRATES SECOND WEC SEASON VICTORY AT AUSTIN
Audi has celebrated the second consecutive one-two win in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). Following their victory in the Le Mans 24 Hours in June, Marcel Fässler/André Lotterer/Benoît Tréluyer (CH/D/F) in the fourth race of the season at Austin prevailed again. A sudden downpour of rain, red flags after a series of spins and a tactically challenging course of the race on a drying track converted the night race in Texas into a real thriller. Lucas di Grassi/Loïc Duval/Tom Kristensen (BR/F/DK) completed Audi’s success by taking second place.
The 20th race in the young history of the WEC was a classic that remained open up to the very end. After six hours of racing, the victorious Audi driver trio prevailed with a very narrow margin of 53 seconds against their team-mates. The round at the Circuit of the Americas treated the spectators to supreme suspense up to the checkered flag. The race had a regular beginning in bright sunshine and temperatures of more than 30 degrees centigrade. Audi put down an early tactical marker, opted not to change tires at the first pit stop, and advanced position by position. One and a half hours into the race drizzling rain set in that soon changed into a downpour. Audi made a timely switch from slicks to wets on both R18 e-tron quattro cars. While Benoît Tréluyer took the lead and Tom Kristensen third place, numerous competitors slipped into the gravel and came to a halt in dangerous places. Therefore, race control decided to red flag the race.
About 50 minutes later, the teams resumed the race behind the safety car. Both Audi diesel hybrid sports cars kept their rain tires when the race was restarted on a wet track. Fifteen minutes later, Audi Sport Team Joest decided to switch car number 2 to intermediates. On the tires designed for mixed conditions, Benoît Tréluyer defended the lead before changing to slicks an hour later. In the case of the sister car, the team opted for a different strategy. To save the switch to intermediates, the squad wanted to use the rain tires until conditions became dry enough for slicks. This tactical option resulted in one less pit stop. However, Tom Kristensen also had to first change to intermediate tires before being able to switch to slicks at the next pit stop. Following a recovery by Lucas di Grassi at the end of the race, car number 1 finished as the runner-up.
Audi decided the WEC race in North America in its favor last year as well. For Audi, this marked the 13th victory in 20 WEC races since the beginning of the World Championship in 2012. On achieving this most recent success the squad of Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich and Chris Reinke, Head of LMP, after four of eight races, took the lead in the WEC manufacturers’ standings for the first time. Round five on the WEC calendar will be held on the track at Fuji in Japan in three weeks from now.
Quotes after the race
Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of Audi Motorsport): “It was a very difficult race. The heavy downpour that washed some of the cars off track and our decision at the right moment to be the first to switch to rain tires all played a crucial part in our one-two victory. But so did our good pace. Everything perfectly fit: we had a good car, the drivers performed superbly and there were fast pit stops. We can enjoy this success. It’s great that things are continuing so positively after Le Mans.”
Chris Reinke (Head of LMP): “Following our victory at Le Mans, it was our aim to leave Austin as the leaders of the World Championship. We managed to do that. We delivered a commanding performance. We were briefly unfortunate in qualifying but regained our strength in the race. We acted sensibly in changing conditions because there were many obstacles to overcome. We clinched a well-deserved victory.”
Ralf Jüttner (Team Director Audi Sport Team Joest): “It was a very turbulent race. When we used the tires for two stints we started to advance. In the rain, we made exactly the right decision this time. ‘Thank you’ to the spotter, who announced all the dangers to the drivers via radio transmission. After the interruption by the red flags we moved forward with an all-out attack. It was difficult because our rivals were very fast too. We were able to manage our tires well and had sensational drivers. The one-two victory is brilliant and we’re heading the manufacturers’ world championship. We wouldn’t mind things continuing like this.”
Marcel Fässler (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #2): “We’re very happy because the victory was perfect – unlike our qualifying session. The race was a bit wild in the beginning, with the rain shower in the early phase. But the Audi team did the best job of maintaining an overview of the situation and took the right actions. My team-mates drove brilliantly. Towards the end of the race, I still achieved an advantage knowing that I had to make a final splash-and-dash refueling stop. It’s great that we managed to clinch a one-two victory.”
André Lotterer (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #2): “A superb result for the team. You can’t wish for anything better than first and second place. The team performance today was superb. This also applies to our partner Michelin. The technical crew was confident that we’d only have to change the tires at every other stop. We didn’t make any mistakes in the rain either. This was an important step in the Championship.”
Benoît Tréluyer (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #2): “It was a fantastic race. A lot happened. The number 8 Toyota was very fast in the beginning, but initially they always are. Then we had a good pace and were close to them. After the rain interruption we started at the front. That made it possible for me to control the pace and the advantage. I didn’t take too many risks and am happy with my stint. André (Lotterer) and Marcel (Fässler) drove superbly too. As at Le Mans, we didn’t touch any rivals. This is one of the key factors this year for mounting the very top of the podium.”
Lucas di Grassi (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #1): “This was a repetition of Le Mans – first and second place. I’m very happy about this result after the difficult qualifying. We had a wrong tire choice in the rain about halfway through the race, so our strategy no longer fit and we needed an additional stop. The car was very good. I was able to overtake two cars on my stint. I’m happy about the podium. Two podium results within two weeks aren’t too bad, are they?”
Loïc Duval (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #1): “A fantastic result for Audi, because now we’re heading the manufacturers’ standings. The race result, with first and second place, couldn’t have been any better either. Our car number 1 was in contention for victory this weekend as well but there were too many incidents with the rain and the red flags. We were also lacking a bit of fortune and our tire strategy didn’t pan out completely. But I’m happy about Audi’s one-two victory.”
Tom Kristensen (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #1): “What a race. The conditions were tough from the beginning to the end. A lot here depended on the strategy and tire choice. A one-two result following the difficult day in qualifying is fantastic. I’m already looking forward to the next race in Japan.”
Race results
1 Fässler/Lotterer/Tréluyer (Audi R18 e-tron quattro), 157 laps in 6h 01m52.122s
2 Di Grassi/Duval/Kristensen (Audi R18 e-tron quattro) + 53.016s
3 Buemi/Davidson/Lapierre (Toyota) + 1m 03.945s
4 Dumas/Jani/Lieb (Porsche) – 1 lap
5 Bernhard/Hartley/Webber (Porsche) – 2 laps
6 Conway/Sarrazin/Wurz (Toyota) – 2 laps
7 Beche/Heidfeld/Prost (Rebellion-Toyota) – 8 laps
8 Bradley/Howson/Matsuda (Oreca-Nissan) – 12 laps
9 Mediani/Minassian/Zlobin (Oreca-Nissan) – 12 laps
10 Brown/Dalziel/Sharp (HPD-Honda) – 16 laps
Source. Audi
ASTON MARTIN’S DOUBLE-WIN IN AUSTIN
Aston Martin Racing has won both the GTE Pro and GTE Am classes of the fourth round of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), the Six Hours of Austin, in a dramatic race that saw the drivers and team deal with torrential rain and hours of darkness.
The #97 V8 Vantage GTE driven by Stefan Mücke (DE) and Darren Turner (GB) started the race from second in the GTE Pro class at 1700hrs local time today (20 September). Mücke was first in the car and quickly took the class lead in the first lap.
After an hour, the car pitted and Turner took over to continue the charge. It was, however, a charge cut short when torrential rain came unexpectedly, causing many of the 29 LMP and GT cars to take a spin. Despite being on slicks, Turner and his fellow Aston Martin Racing team-mates safely navigated the 6km-long circuit and, when the red flag was waved, the #97 was returned to the start line as instructed by race control.
At the restart, Turner continued to lead but he and Mücke went on to spend the next four hours locked in an intense battle with the #92 Porsche and #51 Ferrari, finally crossing the line and taking the win.
“We have had a difficult season so far,” commented Turner. “Le Mans was a bitter disappointment for us, so this is great for the team and nice way for Stefan and I to lever what we can out of the championship.”
In the GTE Am class, the #98 Vantage GTE had a difficult qualifying session and started the six-hour race from eighth. However, Pedro Lamy (PT) quickly set to work climbing through the pack and was soon within the top three. Together with Paul Dalla Lana (CA) and Christoffer Nygaard (DN), he tirelessly pressed on and they crossed the line in first place.
Dalla Lana, who celebrates his first WEC race win, said: “What a fantastic feeling to take my first WEC victory. It really is a victory for the team who didn’t miss a beat.”
“The race will always be special to me too,” added Lamy. “Not only is it my first WEC victory with Aston Martin Racing but it was exciting from start to finish.”
The #95 Young Driver Aston Martin Racing Vantage GTE finished in second place but will leave tonight wondering what could have been. Richie Stanaway (NZ), who set the fastest GTE lap of the race, started from second place and, despite losing a few places on the opening lap, was quick to climb back up to take the lead. But, when the red flag waved, the #95 – now with David Heinemeier Hansson behind the wheel – was already in the pits and, in line with the FIA WEC regulations, it then rejoined the race a lap down.
Now with the huge challenge ahead, Heinemeier Hansson, Stanaway and Kristian Poulsen (DN) set to work catching the front-runners, over-taking several cars and crossing the line in second place. The result extends the #95 Vantage GTE’s lead at the front of the GTE AM drivers and team trophies.
Also caught out in the pit stop during the red flag, the #99 Craft-Bamboo Racing car piloted by Fernando Rees (BR), Alex MacDowall (GB) and Darryl O’Young (HK) finished in sixth place.
“It’s great to take our first WEC race wins of the season,” commented Team Principal John Gaw. “It was another very closely fought battle at the front of the GTE Pro class. Strategy worked well for us with the #97 car and, despite refueling taking longer than our rivals, we managed to use our double stint tyre strategy to keep us at the front of the race.
“Yes, we leave here with three podium results, but this by no means suggests that the remainder of the season will be easy. That was a really tough race and we are expecting more of the same as we head to Asia, the Middle East and South America.”
The FIA World Endurance Championship now heads to Fuji International Speedway for the Six Hours of Fuji, which takes place on 12 October.
Source. Aston Martin
ESM FINISHES THIRD IN DEBUT FIA WEC RACE
Extreme Speed Motorsports (ESM) battled the world, the elements and the competition tonight during its debut race in the FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) – the 6 Hours of Circuit of The Americas. In the end, ESM earned its first podium finish in FIA WEC competition. The Tequila Patrón-sponsored team finished third in the LMP2 class and 10th overall.
Scott Sharp, Ed Brown and Ryan Dalziel – co-drivers of the No. 30 Tequila Patrón Honda Performance Development ARX-03b (HPD) – were thrown a plethora of new challenges during their maiden FIA WEC race and podium result. Despite the challenges, the team posted some of the quickest laps of the LMP2 class and led the class at three different segments of the race.
Dalziel started the race from the third position. In the opening minutes, Dalziel advanced to second. Approximately 30 minutes into the race, the LMP2 race leader spun and Dalziel assumed the class lead. He completed his hour-long stint and transferred driving duties to Sharp.
Sharp entered the field from the third position following a scheduled driver change. Less than an hour into his stint, Sharp regained the LMP2 lead. Then Mother Nature decided it was time to join the race. Sharp pitted for rain tires. As he was leaving the pit lane, the rain continued and turned torrential. The rain frequency and intensity grew and series officials red-flagged the race. Sharp was stopped at the exit of pit road and due to timing and scoring.
FIA WEC series officials halted the race for approximately 55 minutes shortly after several cars went careening off track. Once the track was believed to be safe, the race resumed under caution. Several laps later, the race returned to green.
A combination of nearly losing a lap from the red flag and racing on rain tires with a drying track, Sharp lost valuable lap time and track positions. That issue was remedied when he pitted for a scheduled driver change back to Dalziel and new tires.
Dalziel returned to the race in the fifth position. The 3.427-mile, 20-turn had pockets of wet and dry sections and the team opted to run Dalziel on the dry tires. Dalziel charged to the front and paced the LMP2 class. He was leading and pitted for Brown to race his stint.
With less than an hour-and-a-half on the race clock, Brown logged his first laps of the race. The race car began to experience some issues and the team determined it was in the driveline. Brown was instructed to maintain his pace. He had enough of a lead on the fourth place car to maintain position and run at a reduced pace.
Brown completed his stint and race to capture ESM and Tequila Patrón first podium in FIA WEC competition.
On Saturday morning, Extreme Speed Motorsports announced its entry into the FIA WEC 6 Hours of Shanghai. The Florida-based team entered both its Tequila Patrón-sponsored HPD prototypes in the LMP2 class for the Nov. 2 race at China’s Shanghai International Circuit. In order to prepare both Tequila Patrón-sponsored HPDs to meet FIA WEC regulations, ESM will not compete in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship’s season finale – Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta in October
SCOTT SHARP
“We entered the FIA WEC race to get a podium. It was a great learning experience for us. We were dealt all kinds of issues and hurdles today. The team jumped them all and we got our podium.
“Ed and Ryan did a great job, and everybody hung together. We had some issues at the end, and Ed had some additional responsibilities in the car above and beyond driving. All in all, we accomplished everything we wanted to this weekend. A win would have been a bonus, but we’ll take third place tonight.
“That rain was a torrential downpour and one of the worst conditions I’ve ever driven in. Luckily I was able to keep in on the track. I pitted, we switched to rain tires, I left the pit box and then they red-flagged the race. We got stuck at the end of pit lane and that almost cost us a lap. We went out on rain tires. We wanted to go on the intermediate tires but didn’t have the portable system to change the tires down on pit lane. We were stuck on the rains and I burned through those in about 10 laps. Then we nearly lost another lap with me sliding around on the tires, 20 seconds off the pace. Once we got my tires changed and Ryan going in his stint, we were on the right pace.
“I’m proud of the entire ESM Tequila Patrón team. They put a tremendous effort into this race and this weekend.”
ED BROWN
“It probably wasn’t the dream day that we had planned in the beginning. I think we had a lot thrown at us and the team did great preserving through it all – from rain to the red flag. Scott did a great job keeping the car on the track. Ryan ran a great couple of stints. He went out there when it was still wet with slick tires on and really moved us back up. We had some good luck and then some really bad luck. I was worried the last couple of laps, but we finished in third. This is great for ESM and Tequila Patrón to get a podium in our first FIA WEC race.”
RYAN DALZIEL
“It was a great day. We came in here with a focus to get a podium. We had some ups and downs, and the team overcame some problems. We deserved to have a podium tonight. We’re really looking forward to Shanghai now.
“Once we were out in clean air, the car was really quick. We definitely felt that we had the speed to pull away. We got caught in the pits when it rained and we lost some time. That’s why we are here, to gain experience in FIA WEC.
“On the other side of it we feel we executed everything right. This is about learning. I’m proud of the whole team. This was a good result for Tequila Patrón and ESM. Now let’s go to Shanghai and prove that we can run up front and win.”
Source. Extreme Speed Motorsports
WET AND WILD IN TEXAS FOR TOYOTA RACING
TOYOTA Racing experienced a dramatic but very frustrating Six Hours of the Circuit of the Americas which ended with a podium finish but promised much more for the fourth round of the FIA World Endurance Championship.
Heavy rain early in the race caused chaos and necessitated a stunning recovery drive for the #8 TS040 HYBRID of Anthony Davidson, Nicolas Lapierre and Sébastien Buemi, who finished third to leave with a 11-point lead in the drivers’ standings.
The #7 of Alex Wurz, Stéphane Sarrazin and TOYOTA Racing debutant Mike Conway took sixth place, meaning the team fell to second in the manufacturers’ World Championship, 18 behind Audi at the halfway point in the season.
The race had begun very promisingly with the 1,000PS, four-wheel-drive TS040 HYBRIDs taking control at the start; pole sitter Sébastien pulling out a substantial lead while Alex brought the #7 up to second place in the opening laps.
After Mike and Nicolas took over their respective cars close to the hour mark, the race was turned upside down by a heavy rainstorm. In impossible conditions on slick tyres both cars aquaplaned off track, with the #8 getting stuck in the gravel.
Several cars suffered the same fate so the red flag was waved to temporarily stop the race in the interests of safety.
After a delay of nearly an hour, during which the race clock continued to count down, Nicolas took the safety car restart in fourth, with Mike back in seventh.
Both cars lost a lap during the chaotic scenes just prior to the red flag. But Nicolas set about a fight back, switching to hybrid intermediate tyres at the half-distance point as Mike pushed on with wets, with night having closed in.
As the standings settled down and the next round of pit stops came, Anthony in the #8 was pushing to close the gap on the podium positions while Stéphane was sixth, with both by now on slick tyres.
Sébastien began a determined pursuit of the podium places and a string of quick laps, including the fastest of the race, earned a third place which looked highly unlikely earlier in the race, while Alex took the flag in sixth.
TOYOTA Racing will attempt to recover the winning habit at its home race, the Six Hours of Fuji on 12 October, and heads to Japan aiming for a third consecutive victory at the historic track.
Yoshiaki Kinoshita, Team President: “This is a frustrating result because we had the fastest car but couldn’t win the race. The wet conditions were extremely challenging and unfortunately we suffered more than our rivals. From then on, it was a damage limitation exercise where we had to push as hard as we could to get the maximum points available. We wanted a lot more from this weekend and we will be pushing very hard to achieve a much better result at Fuji Speedway.”
TS040 HYBRID #7 (Alex Wurz, Stéphane Sarrazin, Mike Conway)
Race: 6th, 155 laps, 5 pit stops. Fastest lap: 1min 51.383secs
Alex Wurz: “For me generally it was a frustrating weekend. I had a good start and brought the car up to second place but then the rain came. Unfortunately we were running third when the red flag came out but had to restart from seventh. We did everything we could from there but sixth is not where I want to be.”
Stéphane Sarrazin: “It was a tough race for everybody. Unfortunately we had the heavy rain. We were in the pit when the red flag came out which destroyed our race completely. The car was good, and it was possible to get a top result. It’s a pity for us as well as the #8. It’s not the weekend we expected. Now we have to try to win in Fuji.”
Mike Conway: “That was pretty eventful. With the massive downpour it was like driving into a lake. It caught everyone by surprise. Fortunately we survived and managed to move up to third but then got dropped down to seventh for the restart which made our life hard. Stéph and Alex dug deep to try to get further up but sixth was all we could achieve. I would have liked a better result, but that’s motorsport.”
TS040 HYBRID #8 (Anthony Davidson, Nicolas Lapierre, Sébastien Buemi)
Race: 3rd, 157 laps, 5 pit stops. Fastest lap: 1min 50.390secs
Anthony Davidson: “Looking on the bright side, which you have to do when the result doesn’t go your way, the good news is we had the fastest car. We should have won, that was clear. Going forward, we have a car to fight for the championship. It is going to be tough but we are still ahead in the drivers’ championship at least. We can only look forward and make sure we win as many race as we can from here on in.”
Nicolas Lapierre: “I am very disappointed because we had the car to win the race. Everybody was expecting nice weather but we had this big shower which changed everything. We had a quick car in the dry, a little faster than Audi, but in the wet and intermediate conditions we were much stronger. I am disappointed but it is a good sign for the rest of the season because this track is not our strongest one.”
Sébastien Buemi: “I don’t know what to say apart from that I’m really disappointed with what happened because it feels like we have thrown the win away. For the championship it is not so bad, it is still a podium, but we cannot be happy with this because we had the fastest car yet we are only third and have lost some ground in the championship. It’s like this but we will try to bounce back in Japan.”
Source. Toyota
AFTER A LONG TIME IN THE LEAD THE PORSCHE 919 HYBRID CAME HOME FOURTH AND FIFTH IN AUSTIN
After a strong qualifying performance and a long time in the lead in the race the two Porsche 919 Hybrids only finished fourth and fifth in the six-hour race on Saturday. Car number 14, driven by Romain Dumas (France), Neel Jani (Switzerland) and Marc Lieb (Germany), was leading the race for a long time, but suffered problems at the end and finished just in front of its sister car in Austin, Texas (USA). Timo Bernhard (Germany), Brendon Hartley (New Zealand) and Mark Webber (Australia) brought their number 20 car home in fifth place after an action packed fourth round of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), which was held half at night.
Starting drivers Dumas (P2) and Webber (P3) lost ground in the early stages of the race. They were running fifth and sixth when they came in for their first pit stops. After the first 100 minutes rain set in and led to chaos. On a track that was suddenly flooded half a dozen cars spun off and became stranded, car number 20 with Timo Bernhard at the wheel was one of them. The race was red flagged and stopped for 45 minutes.
At the restart behind the safety car Jani was at the wheel of car number 14, and was third in the race on slick intermediate tyres. He soon took the lead, and after 105 laps handed over to Lieb who went out on slicks. After the final stop for fuel after 133 laps a loss of engine power forced him to drop back to fourth.
Bernhard in the number 20 sister car was able to continue after the red flag and after he had been rescued from the gravel on full wet tyres, but soon changed to slick intermediate tyres as well. On lap 90 he was lying fourth and handed over to Hartley. For the last 30 minutes Webber returned to the car and finally crossed the line in fifth.
Quotes:
Wolfgang Hatz, Board member for Research and Development Porsche AG: “Until shortly before the end it was a very encouraging weekend for us in which we were fighting for the race win. The team did a great job and it is a shame it has been unrewarded.”
Fritz Enzinger, Vice President LMP1: “Unfortunately we did not manage to turn the development work of the recent months and the good qualifying result into the amount of championship points we wanted. Similar to what happened in Le Mans, we had chances to get a podium, perhaps even a race win. We will carefully analyse what has led to the loss of power in car number 14 and get prepared for Fuji.”
Andreas Seidl, Team Principal: “The outcome of the race is obviously disappointing. It was hard work and mixed conditions. In the beginning of the race, when it was dry and hot, we could not go at the same pace as the leaders, but in the rain we have been surprisingly strong. For the restart we split strategies to increase our chances. The decision to put slick intermediate tyres on car number 14 enabled us to take the lead. In the end a problem in the powertrain cost us a podium finish.”
Drivers car no. 14
Romain Dumas (36, France): “In the beginning we suffered a bit because of the high temperatures of over 30 degrees Celsius. On a clear lap it was good, but in traffic we had too much understeer.”
Neel Jani (30, Switzerland): “When the rain set in it was completely crazy. Initially it was only wet in one corner, but then suddenly the circuit was flooded everywhere. I came uphill and then just slid away – through a gravel bed, onto the grass and back on track. The decision to restart on slick intermediate tyres paid off. I hoped the track would dry out quickly because of the heat, and then I managed to really take care of those tyres. I was leading by more than half a minute when I handed the car over. Our strategic decisions were all right, the team did a great job.”
Marc Lieb (34, Germany): “This was a tough fight. Romain and Neel did a great job. It was super to take over the Porsche 919 Hybrid as the leading car. After my pit stop the engine suddenly lost power and, therefore, I couldn’t defend the lead in the end. The team did a great job in preparing the car, we really deserved a podium.”
Drivers car no. 20
Timo Bernhard (33, Germany): “It wasn’t my day today. My stint began well before the drizzle started. I went for slick intermediate tyres but when I left the pit lane it suddenly became heavy rain. I found myself floating, I was just a passenger. Then for the restart behind the safety car we went on the safe side and took full wet tyres, but this was a disadvantage. Later with the slick intermediate tyres it was all fine. However, that’s racing.”
Brendon Hartley (24, New Zealand): “When I took over from Timo we were already one lap down. The Porsche 919 Hybrid has left a strong impression, I enjoyed driving both in the day and night. At some point I hit a big part of debris on the track, which compromised the car’s aerodynamics a bit.”
Mark Webber (38, Australia): “In the beginning it was a good battle with the Audi, but they have clearly been more comfortable in traffic and could easily pick various different lines. Temporarily I also did not have the full boost, but we were able to fix this while I was running. We have definitely learnt a lot in the high temperatures of the early part of the race and also later in the stints.”
Race result 6 hours of Austin (Texas):
1. Fässler/Lotterer/Tréluyer (CH/D/F), Audi R18 e-tron quattro, 157 laps
2. Di Grassi/Duval/Kristensen (BRA/F/DK), Audi R18 e-tron quattro, – 53,016 s.
3. Davidson/Lapierre/Buemi (GB/F/CH), Toyota TS040 Hybrid, – 1:03,945 min
4. Dumas/Jani/Lieb (F/CH/D), Porsche 919 Hybrid, – 1 lap
5. Bernhard/Hartley/Webber (D/NZ/AUS), Porsche 919 Hybrid, – 2 laps
6. Wurz/Sarrazin/Conway (A/F/GB), Toyota TS040 Hybrid, – 2 laps
FIA World Endurance Champonship (WEC) after 4 of 8 rounds,
Drivers’ standings:
1. Davidson/Lapierre/Buemi (GB/F/CH), Toyota, 96 points
2. Lotterer/Tréluyer/Fässler (D/F/CH), Audi, 85
3. Di Grassi/ Kristensen (BRA/DK), Audi, 72
4. Prost/Heidfeld/Beche (F/D/CH), Rebellion, 48
5. Dumas/Jani/Lieb (F/CH/D), Porsche, 45
6. Wurz/Sarrazin (A/F), Toyota, 43
7. Duval (F), Audi, 36
8. Gené (E), Audi, 36
9. Nakajima (J), Toyota, 35
10. Bernhard/Hartley/Webber (D/NZ/AUS), Porsche, 25,5
Manufacturers’ standings:
1. Audi, 157
2. Toyota, 139
3. Porsche, 82
Source. Porsche
BEST PORSCHE 911 RSR SCORES SECOND
At the six-hour race on the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, the Porsche 911 RSR finished second in the GTE-Pro class. At the action-packed fourth round of the Sports Car World Endurance Championship WEC, the French Porsche works drivers Patrick Pilet and Frédéric Makowiecki looked like they might even bring home their second win of the season for the Porsche Manthey squad in front of 50.000 spectators. But although they held the lead until shortly before the finish, they were ultimately beaten to the flag after a spirited fight by a mere 16 seconds.
The race on the Grand Prix circuit on the outskirts of the Texan city on Saturday afternoon set off under hot and humid weather conditions. Shortly before nightfall, torrential rain quickly flooded large sections of the race track. As a result the race had to be stopped. After the restart 45 minutes later, Porsche’s factory pilot Nick Tandy (Great Britain) took over the lead. At the wheel of the second Porsche Manthey-run 911 RSR which is based on the seventh generation of the iconic 911 sports car and in which he shared driving duties with Jörg Bergmeister (Germany) for the first time, Tandy held the top position up until 85 minutes before the flag. He then lost two laps when his vehicle failed to start after a pit stop due to an electrical problem, and finally saw the flag in fourth place.
For all four Porsche works drivers, this was their second race of the day: Previously they had contested the Tudor United SportsCar Championship in the 911 RSR fielded by Porsche North America.
Hartmut Kristen, Head of Porsche Motorsport: “When you consider the incredible level of competition in the GT classes you realise just how good our results are. I take my hat off to our drivers who contested two races this weekend under very difficult conditions. And that also applies to those in the pit crew who worked both races. Obviously it’s very disappointing not to finish at the front, but we can build on all the efforts that the drivers and team put in today.”
Patrick Pilet (#92): “Our car handled the wet track very well. We were able to take the lead and even build up a bit of a margin. But once the track dried up we had no chance against the Aston Martin. Still, we achieved a podium result and earned those all-important points. Overall, it was a tough weekend and physically very exhausting with two races under not so easy conditions. First it was hot and humid, then the rain came. But we all did our very best and we scored a good result for Porsche.”
Frédéric Makowiecki (#92): “That was a tough race and we can be happy with the result. We’ve earned some good points towards the championship.”
Jörg Bergmeister (#91): “Nick did a great job, and so did the team. The pit stops were all perfect. Unfortunately we experienced a minor electrical problem in the final phase and from then on we were out of contention for a win.”
Nick Tandy (#91): “For much of the race everything ran according to plan. We implemented our strategy perfectly and were on course to win. If the problem hadn’t have cropped up we would have stayed at the front. For me personally, today was really hard. I was leading in both races – and still didn’t win. That’s really disappointing, but we will continue to fight.”
In the GTE-Am class, Christian Ried (Germany), Klaus Bachler (Austria) and Khaled Al Qubaisi (Abu Dhabi) also claimed a podium place with third in the Porsche 911 RSR of the Proton Competition customer team.
The fifth of eight races in the Sports Car World Endurance Championship WEC will be contested on 12 October in Fuji/Japan.
Race result
GTE-Pro class
1. Turner/Mücke (GB/D), Aston Martin Vantage, 141 laps
2. Makowiecki/Pilet (F/F), Porsche 911 RSR, 141
3. Bruni/Vilander (I/SF), Ferrari 458 Italia, 141
4. Bergmeister/Tandy (D/GB), Porsche 911 RSR, 139
5. Rigon/Calado (I/GB), Ferrari F458 Italia, 137
6. MacDowall/O’Young/Rees (GB/HK/BRA), Aston Martin Vantage, 137
GTE-Am class
1. Dalla Lana/Lamy/Nygaard (CDN/P/DK), Aston Martin Vantage, 138 laps
2. Poulsen/Hansson/Stanaway (DK/DK/NZ), Aston Martin Vantage, 138
3. Ried/Bachler/Al Qubaisi (D/A/UAE), Porsche 911 RSR, 137
4. Perez Companc/Cioci/Venturi (ARG/I/I), Ferrari F 458 Italia, 137
5. Roda/Ruberti/Segal (I/I/USA), Ferrari F458 Italia, 136
6. Krohn/Jönsson/Collins (USA/S/GB), Ferrari F458 Italia, 135
Source. Porsche
G-DRIVE RACING FINISHES FOURTH IN CLASS
The No. 26 G-Drive Racing machine, constructed by Onroak Automotive, finished fourth in-class in today’s FIA WEC 6 Hours, after starting on the LM P2 pole position. The team took to the 3.427-mile circuit at Circuit of the Americas with the new Ligier JS P2, powered by Nissan and shod with Dunlop tires, which was driven by Olivier Pla, Roman Rusinov and Julien Canal.
The six hour event was very eventful for G-Drive Racing. Over an hour into the race, heavy rain started to fall on the circuit, creating dangerous driving conditions, so the race was red-flagged. During the team’s pit stop throughout the red flag, they were placed a lap down. With one hour and 45 minutes left in the race, the car sustained damage after having contact with another car and launching over one of the circuit’s curbs. Despite this, the team demonstrated great teamwork repairing the car and getting it back on-track a few minutes later. The 6 Hours presented an opportunity for the new Ligier JS P2 to excel, following their successful qualifying effort.
“We had a frustrating race,” said Philippe Dumas, Team Principal. “However, I think it was a very good weekend for Onroak Automotive. The Ligier JS P2 is very competitive. After this weekend we are sure that the car is super fast and safe to drive. It was 100 percent reliable the entire weekend. The race was a mixture of bad luck and some drivers mistakes. That is racing and sometimes, that is going to happen. We still have four races to go and we will fight until the end because we still have a chance to win this championship. ”
Olivier Pla took to the wheel first and had a bit of a difficult start, dropping to third. He battled for the remainder of his stint, bringing the car back to P1 before coming in for a driver change a little over an hour into the race.
“This was a disappointing race for us,” said Pla. “However, we had great pace at the beginning and today we showed that the car is really fast. It is also very consistent and during the first stint, was easy on the tires. That allowed me to push very hard at the end of my stint. It wasn’t the finish we wanted, but we got pole position for the race and showed that the car is fantastic.”
Roman Rusinov was next in the No. 26 Onroak Automotive machine and stayed behind the wheel for a little over two hours. The Russian driver experienced heavy rainfall while in the car, an hour and a half into the race. It was then red-flagged due to dangerous driving conditions.
“When the rain arrived, we were leading the race by more than 40 seconds. We were a bit confused by the race red flag procedure today,” said Rusinov. “The team wasn’t sure how we could be leading the race in LM P2 and then have lost a lap following the red flag. Even that could not stop us and I had managed to get back close to the leaders. On a positive note, our car was very competitive and managed good lap times. Olivier (Pla) and I earned the best two lap times in the LM P2 class. The whole G-Drive Racing team was impressed by how well the Ligier JS P2 performed. ”
With two and a half hours left in the race, Julien Canal took over for his stint. Just 45 minutes after getting in the car, Canal experienced contact with another car and drove over a curb. This caused damage to the No. 26 Ligier JS P2, so he brought it in for repairs. The team was able to get back out fourth in-class.
“I learned a lot during this race,” said Canal. I did some good things, but also had some mistakes including a main one while I was pushing to catch the leader of the LM P2 class. I had slick tires on a wet track, which was difficult. But, I was recovering distance when I was surprised by a LM P1-L slow in the turn. I violently jumped on a curb producing damages on the car. We brought it back to the garage, but we lost a lot of time to repair it, and we lost a reachable win.”
Roman Rusinov completed his second stint for G-Drive Racing after repairs to the car were made. He maintained fourth-in class before switching drivers with Julien Canal one final time prior to the checkered flag. By Extreme Speed Motorsports not competing in the full FIA WEC season for championship points, G-Drive Racing was able to gain more points towards their championship fight, being halfway throughout the 2014 season.
The winners of today’s race in LM P2 was the No. 47 KCMG Oreca 03R-Nissan, followed by the No. 27 SMP Racing Oreca 03R-Nissan in second and the No. 30 Extreme Speed Motorsports HPD ARX 03b-Honda in third.
The next race for G-Drive Racing in the 2014 FIA WEC season is the 6 Hours of Fuji, which will take place on October 12.
Circuit of The Americas 6 Hours LM P2 classification :
1- #47 – KCMG – Oreca Nissan
2- #27 – SMP Racing – Oreca Nissan
3- #30 – Extreme Speed Motorsport – HPD Honda
4- #26 – G-Drive Racing – Ligier JS P2 Nissan
FIA Endurance Trophy Teams LM P2 Provisionnal classification after round 4:
1- #27 – SMP Racing 95 pts
2- #26 – G-drive Racing 68 pts
3- #47 – KCMG 62 pts
4- #37 – SMP Racing 15 pts
Source. Onroak Automotive
