Racing rivalries are a funny thing. Unlike rivalries in the NFL, it’s possible for every set of “rivals” in a series to be on-track simultaneously. Over decades of endurance racing, Porsche has had many great rivals. Each of these competitors pushed Porsche to be greater on track than ever before. Since returning to LMP1 competition in 2014, Porsche’s most consistent challenger was Audi. In fact, it was Audi that took it upon themselves to welcome Porsche back into the game with a funny and thoughtfully produced video. Now, the team from Ingolstadt has left top-level endurance racing and Porsche just released their own video tribute to their corporate partners and endurance racing giants.
Audi’s appearances at the 24 Hours of Le Mans have been extraordinarily successful, claiming 13 victories in 17 years (14 victories if you include Bentley’s 2003 victory). No other manufacturer has won the legendary event so many times in such a short span. With Audi gone only Porsche and Toyota remain in the LMP1 category. The video features Audi’s R18 E-Tron Quattro alongside Porsche’s least-sporting diesel; a classic tractor. Moments like this serve to remind us what good sportsmanship is all about.