Now six races into the season, Porsche is facing ever stiffer competition at the GT level. Last weekend’s event at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park saw no Porsches on the podium in GTLM or GTD. The best finish for Porsches were 6th in both GTLM and GTD, helmed by Earl Bamber and Frédéric Makowiecki in GTLM and by Jörg Bergmeister and Patrick Lindsey in GTD. Following this race Porsche slid into third in the manufacturers’ standings, trailing Ford and Chevrolet by four and eleven points, respectively.
PORSCHE’S RACE REPORT FOR GTLM
According to Steffen Höllwarth, Porsche’s Program Manager IMSA SportsCar Championship “It was already evident after the practice that we would have a hard time on this track. We took up the race with different strategies for our two cars and we managed to work our way up the field.” While this strategy saw some success, with the number 912 car working its way up to second place in the heavily contested field, the track proved challenging for the Porsche team. A penalty incurred during a pit stop saw the number 911 car lose several positions, and the cars ultimately finished in sixth and eighth place at the close of the 2.40 hour race.
Earl Bamber (911 RSR #912): “My stint was good with some interesting duels. Thanks to a perfect strategy and fast pit stops, the team managed to help us reach second place at one point. In the final phase Fred gave 110 percent to hold on to the position. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough.”
GTLM CLASS RACE RESULT
1. Briscoe/Westbrook (AUS/GB), Ford GT, 119 laps
2. Gavin/Milner (GB/USA) Chevrolet Corvette, 119
3. Magnussen/Garcia (DK/E), Chevrolet Corvette, 119
4. Auberlen/Werner (USA/D), BMW M6, 119
5. Hand/Müller (USA/D), Ford GT, 119
6. Bamber/Makowiecki (NZ/F), Porsche 911 RSR, 119
8. Pilet/Tandy (F/GB), Porsche 911 RSR, 119
9. Edwards/Luhr (USA/D), BMW M6, 108
Points standing GTLM class after 6 of 11 races
Drivers
1. Millner, Gavin, Corvette, 192 points
2. Briscoe, Westbrook, Ford, 187
3. Auberlen, Werner, BMW, 170
4. Bamber, Makowiecki, Porsche, 166
5. Fisichella, Vilander, Ferrari, 164
5. Garcia, Magnussen, Chevrolet, 164
6. Hand, Müller, Ford, 159
7. Pilet, Tandy, Porsche, 153
8. Serra, Ferrari, 140
9. Edwards, Luhr, BMW, 138
Manufacturers
1. Chevrolet, 192 points
2. Ford, 185
3. Porsche, 181
4. Ferrari, 174
5. BMW, 172
Teams
1. #4 Corvette Racing, 192 points
2. #67 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing, 187
3. #25 BMW Team RLL, 170
4. #912 Porsche North America, 166
5. #62 Risi Competizione, 164
5. #3 Corvette Racing, 164
6. #66 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing, 159
7. #911 Porsche North America, 153
8. #68 Scuderia Corsa, 140
9. #100 BMW Team RLL, 138
PORSCHE’S RACE REPORT FOR GTD
The cars of the GTD class faced similar difficulties to their factory-backed bretheren, with a best finish of sixth place for the Park Place 911 GT3 R driven by Jörg Bergmeister and Patrick Lindsey. The 911 GT3 R of Alex Job Racing, which placed on the podium at Watkins Glen and which won its class at the Grand Prix of Long Beach, finished twelfth in class.
RACE RESULT GTD CLASS
GTD class
1. Klingmann/Curtis (D/USA), BMW M6, 116 laps
2. Liddell/Davis /GB/USA), Audi R8, 116
3. Sellers/Snow (USA/USA), Lamborghini GT3, 116
4. Nielsen/Balzan (DK/I), Ferrari 488 GT3, 116
5. Lewis/Pumpelly (USA/USA), Lamborghini GT3, 116
6. Bergmeister/Lindsey (D/USA), Porsche 911 GT3 R, 116
7. MacNeil/Keen (USA/USA), Porsche 911 GT3 R, 115
12. Farnbacher/Riberas (D/E), Porsche 911 GT3 R, 106
