While Porsche was busy wrapping up the IMSA season with a victory at Petit Le Mans, halfway across the world the German sports car maker was similarly sucessful with a double-class victory at the FIA WEC 6 Hours of Fuji round in Japan. With factory-prepped racers in the GTE-Pro class coming home first and fifth, while independent teams racing in GTE-Am raced to a 1-2 finish, Porsche had a really good weekend on the race track. It’s a weekend that Porsche racers will remember for a long time, surely.
In the GTE-Pro class it was the duo of Kevin Estre and Michael Christensen crossing the finish line in front of a long line of factory-supported GT racers. The race began with a drizzle and a few laps under the safety car while a racing line slowly formed. Their Porsche was among the first to switch to slick racing tires from rain tires, and it benefited them greatly as they sliced through the field. With some clever pit stop strategy and some stellar driving, the team put Christensen in a position to sweep into the lead with about 90 minutes remaining in the 6-hour race. Kevin Estre managed his tires perfectly across the final stint to maintain the lead to the end and take the class win.
The sister car of Richard Lietz and Gianmaria Bruni didn’t fare quite as well. They had a bit of poor luck with a long pit stop, and their tires fell off well before the finish, costing them serious time on circuit. Ultimately, they finished in 5th position, scoring valuable points for the teams championship of the Super Season, which runs through next June. Porsche currently leads the team and driver championship points standings in GTE-Pro.
In GTE-Am the Project 1 team with Joerg Bergmeister, Patrick Lindsey, and Egidio Perfetti, a new team for this season, took their maiden victory with some stellar driving and excellent strategy, plus a bit of luck. In second place was the Dempsey Proton Racing car of Matteo Cairoli, Satoshi Hoshino, and Giorgio Roda.
Comments on the race
Alexander Stehlig (Program Manager Factory GT Motorsports):
“After the disappointment with the qualifying results, today was a great day. It was a hugely successful weekend for Porsche with the victory at Petit Le Mans in the USA and the two successes here at Fuji in the Pro and Am categories. We almost always made the right decisions during the race and the car was good and fast. The number 92 car drove a flawless race, our number 91 unfortunately had problems during the pit stop. On top of that, the balance wasn’t great in the last stint. But all in all, we’re very satisfied.”
Kévin Estre (Porsche 911 RSR #92):
“I’m incredibly happy about our victory. Our setup was simply fantastic and the good braking performance was an important aspect of our success at Fuji. After we changed to slicks during the safety car phase early on in the race, our car setup allowed us to brake later than the others and thus gain positions. Our pit stop strategy also ran perfectly.”
Richard Lietz (Porsche 911 RSR #91):
“First and foremost I’d like to congratulate the winners in the GTE Pro and Am categories here and of course at the Petit Le Mans in the USA. That was a great weekend for Porsche, but unfortunately not for our car. We had several problems, which we now need to analyse and of course fix. There was certainly nothing wrong with the performance of the drivers or the speed of the 911 RSR. We’ll come back stronger in Shanghai.”
Jörg Bergmeister (Porsche 911 RSR #56):
“At first the race ran like the entire weekend: Not so satisfactorily. We had contact, a spin and had to change the door. But midway through the race the tide turned in our favour and we brought home a pleasing victory. It’s the first WEC win for me and also for Project 1. That’s a great step for us in terms of collecting points. We’re all happy with this and it’s going in the right direction.”
Julien Andlauer (Porsche 911 RSR #77):
“The race started well and we were fast. Then a technical problem brought us into the pits, unfortunately. I could only rejoin the race 25 laps later. The car then felt good again, the balance and the speed were excellent. It’s a pity because no one made a mistake, it was the technology that hampered us. There’s nothing you can do about that. I think we could have won, but that’s racing.”
Race result
GTE-Pro class
1. Christensen/Estre (DK/F), Porsche 911 RSR, 207 laps
2. Blomquist/da Costa (S/P), BMW M8 GTE, 207 laps
3. Priaulx/Tincknell (GB/GB), Ford GT, 207 laps
4. Pier Guidi/Calado (I/GB), Ferrari 488 GTE EVO, 207 laps
5. Lietz/Bruni (A/I), Porsche 911 RSR, 207 laps
6. Mücke/Pla (D/F), Ford GT, 206 laps
7. Sorensen/Thiim (DK/DK), Aston Martin Vantage GTE, 206 laps
8. Tomczyk/Catsburg (D/NL), BMW M8 GTE, 206 laps
9. Lynn/Martin (GB/B), Aston Martin Vantage GTE, 206 laps
10. Rigon/Bird (I/GB), Ferrari 488 GTE EVO, 202 laps
GTE-Am class
1. Bergmeister/Lindsey/Perfetti (D/USA/N), Porsche 911 RSR, 201 laps
2. Hoshino/Roda/Cairoli (J/I/I), Porsche 911 RSR, 201 laps
3. Yoluc/Adam/Eastwood (TR/GB/GB), Aston Martin Vantage GTE, 201 laps
4. Dalla Lana/Lamy/Lauda (CDN/P/A), Aston Martin Vantage GTE, 201 laps
5. Wainwright/Barker/Preining (GB/GB/A), Porsche 911 RSR, 201 laps
6. Flohr/Castellacci/Fisichella (CH/I/I), Ferrari 488 GTE, 200 laps
7. Mok/Sawa/Griffin (MAL/J/IRL), Ferrari 488 GTE, 200 laps
8. Ried/Andlauer/Campbell (D/F/AUS), Porsche 911 RSR, 176 laps
9. Ishikawa/Beretta/Cheever (J/MC/I), Ferrari 488 GTE, 14 laps