In the last of nine WEC rounds in 2016, and Mark Webber’s final race as a professional driver, Timo Bernhard, Brendon Hartley and Mark Webber finished, having started second on the grid with their Porsche 919 Hybrid. The new world champions, Romain Dumas, Neel Jani and Marc Lieb finished sixth after contact with another car early in the race. Fittingly, Audi’s dominant one-two race result was an impressive farewell from the WEC.
Porsche’s LMP1 Race Report
You can read Porsche’s complete race report after our gallery. When you’re done viewing the pictures, simply click the “x” in the top left corner to return to the post.
How the race went for car number 1
Bernhard starts from second on the grid and lets Jani in the sister car pass him on the first lap. On lap 13 the number 7 Audi also overtakes him, Bernhard is fourth now. After 29 laps he hands over to Webber, who manages to improve to third by overtaking the number 5 Toyota on lap 43. Hartley jumps in after 59 laps, and after 89 laps Bernhard takes over until Hartley is back in the car after 120 laps. Bernhard once again jumps in after 150 laps, before finally, after 180 laps, Webber goes in to enjoy the final stint of his racing career. After a total of 201 laps he brings the 919 home in P3.
Mark Webber had this to say about the race, “I was the second and the last driver in the car today, and pretty happy with both stints. Early in the race I had a nice little fight with the number 5 Toyota. I managed to get passed him and tried to pull away, but we didn’t have enough pace to fight the Audi. Then for the final stint it was pretty emotional putting my helmet on for the last time. I enjoyed the last stint and I got the chance to bring the car to the chequered flag for the top three finish, and this was the maximum we could get today. It has been such an incredible three years for me with Porsche, together with Timo and Brendon and the whole team. Nothing is forever, I’m stopping at a good time and I’m looking forward to seeing everybody again soon.”
How the race went for car number 2
Jani improves on lap one from third to second. On lap 15 he is overtaken by the number 7 Toyota. Jani is third now in front of the sister Porsche. After 28 laps he has his first pit stop and continues. One lap later he has contact with a GT car and has to stop again: the damaged tyre and rear bodywork is changed. Now the number 2 Porsche is one lap down. After 60 laps Dumas takes over, after 91 laps it is Lieb’s turn, after 122 laps Jani is back behind the wheel and after 153 laps it is Dumas again. Lieb climbs into the car for the final stint to cross the line some 20 minutes later after 198 laps and becomes a world champion.
Mark Lieb had this to say about the race, “For me it went pretty smoothly, and I was just carrying the car round the track. Since the hit when Neel was driving early in the race, the steering wheel wasn’t straight anymore. Our 919 wasn’t in the best shape in the end, but we rolled it home, and we just made it.”Marc Lieb (36, Ludwigsburg): “For me it went pretty smoothly, and I was just carrying the car round the track. Since the hit when Neel was driving early in the race, the steering wheel wasn’t straight anymore. Our 919 wasn’t in the best shape in the end, but we rolled it home, and we just made it.”
Porsche GT Race Report
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With a win and a second place at the final round of the Sports Car World Endurance Championship WEC in Bahrain, the Porsche customer teams have successfully concluded the 2016 season. At the Bahrain International Circuit on Saturday, Abu Dhabi Proton Racing celebrated its second win of the season in the GTE-Am class with the 470 hp Porsche 911 RSR shared by the Porsche works driver Patrick Long, Khaled Al Qubaisi and David Heinemeier Hansson. In September, the team, which is managed by the long-standing Porsche partner Proton Competition, clinched victory at the inaugural race in Mexico City. Porsche factory pilot Wolf Henzler, Christian Ried and Joel Camathias took the flag in second place with the 911 RSR flying the colours of KCMG, a racing squad from Hong Kong. This marked their fifth podium result in a row.
The cornerstone to the victory for Abu Dhabi Proton Racing was laid by Patrick Long
When he took over driving duties from his teammate Khaled Al Qubaisi after the first hour of racing on the 5.407-kilometre Grand Prix circuit on the outskirts of the capital of Manama, the #88 Porsche 911 RSR was running in fifth place. Thanks to a strong performance against stiff competition from Aston Martin, Chevrolet and Ferrari, the American made up two positions in his first laps with the winning racer from Weissach, which is based on the seventh generation of the iconic 911 sports car. Shortly afterwards, he snatched the lead. With his teammates, he defended his top position to the flag in the hotly-contested class. Gulf Racing rounded off the success for Porsche customer squads at the season finale in the desert with the all-British driver line-up of Ben Barker, Adam Carroll and Michael Wainwright narrowly missing out on a podium spot in fourth place.
Patrick Long (Porsche 911 RSR #88): “It was a perfect race from start to finish for us. Everything ran really well, including the pit stop in the safety car phase, which definitely decided the race in our favour. My teammates again put in a strong drive and in the end it was my job to bring victory home safely.”
In the GTE-Pro class, Richard Lietz (Austria) finished seventh with his Porsche works driver colleague Michael Christensen (Denmark). A year ago at the Bahrain race, Lietz won the FIA World Endurance Cup and was honoured as the most successful GT pilot of the season. This season, their 911 RSR was campaigned by the Dempsey Proton Racing customer team.
Richard Lietz (Porsche 911 RSR #77): “We were actually feeling quite confident that we’d finish further up the field but unfortunately that didn’t happen. It was a tough year in the WEC. Still, we never gave up and, despite everything, we gained important experience.”
Race result GTE-Pro class
1. Sörensen/Thiim (DK/DK), Aston Martin, 174 laps
2. Bruni/Calado (I/GB), Ferrari 488 GTE, 174
3. Rigon/Bird (I/GB), Ferrari 488 GTE, 173
4. Priaulx/Tincknell (GB/GB), Ford GT, 173
5. Adam/Turner (GB/GB), Aston Martin, 173
6. Mücke/Pla (D/F), Ford GT, 172
7. Christensen/Lietz (D/A), Porsche 911 RSR, 172
Race result GTE-Am class
1. Al Qubaisi/Long/Heinemeier Hansson (UAE/USA/DK), Porsche 911 RSR, 171 laps
2. Ried/Henzler/Camathias (D/D/CH), Porsche 911 RSR, 170
3. Collard/Perrodo/Aguas (F/F/P), Ferrari F458 Italia, 169
4. Wainwright/Carroll/Barker (GB/GB/GB), Porsche 911 RSR, 168
5. Brandela/Ragues/Taylor (F/F/USA), Chevrolet Corvette, 164
6. Lamy/Dalla Lana/Lauda (P/CAN/A), Aston Martin, 84