Porsche has been one of the regular names at the classic 24 Hours of Le Mans, with outright victories from as far back as 1970. And even though the top-level involvement ceased after 2017, Porsche cars have still been strong contenders in the event. It will be no different when the 2021 event is run this weekend and with two 911 RSRs, Porsche hopes to lay the foundation for yet another title win in France. This marks the second time that the latest generation 911 RSR tackles the world’s greatest endurance race.
So far in this season’s World Endurance Championship (WEC), the factory squad has secured two class wins from three races. A total of twelve 911 RSRs will tackle the GTE-Pro and GTE-Am classes at the 89th edition of the world’s fastest endurance race. With 19 overall victories and 108 class wins to its credit, Porsche is by far the most successful manufacturer at Le Mans.
“We contested Le Mans for the first time last year with the Porsche 911 RSR-19 and we struggled a bit against the fierce competition in the GTE-Pro class,” recalled Pascal Zurlinden, Director Factory Motorsport. “I’m positive we’ll be significantly more competitive this year. We’ve gathered a huge amount of data and experience with our works team and our customer squads, who get the chance this year to field the latest version of the nine-eleven in the WEC. These insights help us find the perfect setup. We also performed strongly on the high-speed track at Monza. Our success there gave us an extra boost for Le Mans.”
The legendary 24-hour race
The event on the 13.626-km circuit is extremely popular with motor racing fans and is the highlight on the WEC calendar. Located to the south of the city of 150,000 inhabitants, it consists mainly of public roads. Normally, hundreds of trucks and cars drive over the legendary Mulsanne straight every day on their way from Le Mans to Tours. Treacherous ruts present special challenges, especially in the rain.
Contrary to the original plan, which included a mid-June date for the long-distance classic, the 89th running of the Le Mans 24-hour race is being run in August this year due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Unlike last year, up to 50,000 fans can watch the action live alongside the racetrack.
“I’m convinced that we’ll be much more competitive this year,” says Alexander Stehlig, Head of Operations FIA WEC. “In the meantime, we’ve gathered considerably more experience with the car, and the successes at Spa and Monza have been hugely encouraging. There’s no better incentive for us than a win on the high-speed circuit in Italy. What’s important at the 24-hour race is to maintain contact with the leading pack at all times so that we’re in a position at the end to fight for victory. This means that we have to attack right from the start. I think this a promising recipe for success.”
Due to the length of the Le Mans race, double the usual points are awarded compared to a conventional 6-hour WEC race. As such, the race has often proven to be decisive in terms of the WEC Manufacturer and Driver standings. Moreover, the highlight of the year also features a special qualifying modality: in the Pro class, only the 6 fastest cars from the 1-hour qualification session are permitted to take part in the so-called Hyperpole which determines the best grid positions for the race.
Porsche GT Team drivers
The regular WEC drivers Gianmaria Bruni from Italy and Richard Lietz from Austria join forces with Frenchman Frederic Makowiecki in the cockpit of the No. 91 Porsche 911 RSR. The Frenchman, who contested this year’s 8hour race in Portugal, brings a wealth of experience with him. Makowiecki has contested the Le Mans no less than 10 times – for the last 4 years sharing driving duties in the factory-run vehicle with Bruni and Lietz. In the No. 92 sister car, Frenchman Kevin Estre and Neel Jani from Switzerland will be supported by Michael Christensen. The trio used the WEC race in Portimao in June to get in sync with each other. Estre and Jani currently lead the Drivers’ championship after scoring 2 class wins from three races. In the Manufacturers’ classification, Porsche ranks second just seven points behind the leader, Ferrari.
The customer teams
A total of 8 of the latest generation 911 RSRs contest the GTE-Am category, in which amateur drivers with a Bronze or Silver FIA status share a car with professionals.
Porsche’s two customer teams will also tackle the race with the 911 RSR in the GTE-Pro class – a category that is usually the domain of factory teams. WeatherTech Racing puts its trust in Laurens Vanthoor from Belgium, Earl Bamber from New Zealand and the American amateur driver Cooper MacNeil. Sharing the cockpit of the identical vehicle campaigned by HubAuto Racing from Taiwan are Maxime Martin from Belgium, Alvaro Parente from Portugal and Dries Vanthoor. The Belgian is the younger brother of Porsche works driver Laurens Vanthoor.
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