At the second to last race of the 2016 World Endurance Championship season, Porsche celebrated its sixth race win (car #1) and a successful defense of the manufacturers’ world championship title. Car # 2, driven by Jani, Lieb and Dumas finished fourth giving them an unassailable 79 point lead over Audi and Toyota regardless of the outcome in the last race of the season in Bahrain.
Andreas Seidl, Team Principal: “It feels great having secured the manufacturers’ world championship title again for Porsche. This is an achievement by every single team member – at home in Weissach, here at the race track and also thanks to our partners. The title is the result of having a fast, reliable car and a strong team performance. Here in Shanghai we took pole, set fastest race lap, constantly had the fastest car on track, the best pit stops, the right strategy and the best drivers at the wheel. This title win is well deserved and at the finale in Bahrain we want to fight for the drivers’ world championship title.”
- The 6 Hours of Shanghai was the 4th victory of 2016 for Brendon Hartley, Mark Webber and Timo Bernhard in the no1 Porsche 919 Hybrid. Toyota finished 2nd and 3rd in China.
- The no2 Porsche 919 finished 4th behind the second placed no6 Toyota meaning the 2016 FIA World Endurance Drivers’ Championship will be decided at the last race in Bahrain.
Check out Porsche’s full race report after the image gallery below. Just click the “x” in the top left corner to come back to the post when done viewing the gallery.
How the race went for car number 1:
Hartley starts from pole position, does a double stint and, after 60 laps, hands over the leading car to Bernhard. He double-stints as well, and hands over the car, that is still leading, to Webber after 120 laps. After 150 laps Hartley takes over again and brings home the well-deserved race win at the end of 195 laps.
Mark Webber (40, Australia): “Brendon was flying today and Timo’s double stint was really nice. I did a single stint and got some used tyres out of the way before Brendon brought it home. It was an amazing day for Porsche and we are really happy to have contributed to it.”
How the race went for car number 2:
Jani starts from P6, is continuously catching up, and hands over the 919 to Lieb after two stints (59 laps) in P2. On lap 80 Lieb loses P2 to the number 6 Toyota. After 89 laps Dumas jumps in, but on lap 109, after a tough battle, is passed by the number 5 Toyota and continues in P4. At the end of 119 laps Jani takes over again. After a good pit stop he gets by the number 5 Toyota again and, when the number 6 Toyota has an unscheduled pit stop after 134 laps, is second again behind the leading sister Porsche. Then a duel with the number 5 Toyota evolves. Jani stays in the car until the finish and comes in fourth.
Neel Jani (32, Switzerland): “I started from sixth on the grid, and tried to drive tactically with regards to positioning myself in traffic and saving boost to be able to attack when needed. It worked out, the car was super good and I could catch one car after another. When I was in third position I struggled a bit, because I then very unluckily hit traffic and lost several seconds. But still I was able to hand over the car in second position after a double stint. Unfortunately in the middle stints of the race we lost some time. I did another double stint in the end, but then the car didn’t feel quite as good. Now we have to take care of the drivers’ world championship at the finale in Bahrain in two week’s time.”
All points standings: http://www.fiawec.com/courses/classification.html
All results: http://fiawec.alkamelsystems.com
Race Results in GT
The success streak for Porsche customer teams in the Sports Car World Endurance Championship WEC continues: At the six-hour race in Shanghai, Porsche works driver Wolf Henzler, Christian Ried and Joel Camathias achieved the fourth straight podium result after a spectacular pursuit with the Porsche 911 RSR. With KCMG squad’s 470 hp winning racer from Weissach, they secured second place in the GTE-Am class on the Shanghai International Circuit. After a consistently strong performance in the second half of the season, the team finished second in Austin and third at the races in Mexico City and Fuji.
Wolf Henzler (Porsche 911 RSR #78): “The last lap was really tough. During my entire stint I was within striking distance of the Ferrari and was a little better in some decisive places, but simply couldn’t get past. Then in the final lap I got my chance. I came out of Turn 3 well and because I knew that we were better on the brakes I made my move in the first hairpin. I had pulled alongside the Ferrari when suddenly a prototype squeezed in on the inside. Because there was simply no room he smashed into my right side, which caused me to hit the right side of the Ferrari. We both spun but I managed to recover quicker. And that meant a step higher on the podium.”
The penultimate race of the season on the 5.541 kilometer Grand Prix circuit on the outskirts of the Chinese economic metropolis remained gripping to the very end, thanks to Wolf Henzler, who put a Ferrari ahead of him in second under increasing pressure in the closing phase of the race. When both cars became embroiled in a collision involving a prototype in the last lap, the Porsche factory driver grabbed the chance to snatch second place. For Abu Dhabi Racing, which celebrated its first win of the season in Mexico City, Porsche works driver Patrick Long , Khaled Al Qubaisi and David Heinemeier Hansson (clinched fourth place. The 911 RSR run by Gulf Racing with the all-British driver line-up of Ben Barker, Adam Carroll and Michael Wainwright crossed the finish line as sixth.
In the GTE-Pro class, Richard Lietz, the most successful WEC GT pilot of 2015, clinched sixth place with Michael Christensen. This season, the Porsche works driver’s 911 RSR was campaigned by the Dempsey Proton Racing customer squad.
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Race result GTE-Pro class
1. Priaulx/Tincknell (USA/GB/GB), Ford GT, 170 laps
2. Mücke/Pla (D/F), Ford GT, 170
3. Bruni/Calado (I/GB), Ferrari 488 GTE, 170
4. Sörensen/Thiim (DK/DK), Aston Martin, 170
5. Rigon/Bird (I/GB), Ferrari 488 GTE, 168
6. Christensen/Lietz (D/A), Porsche 911 RSR, 168
7. Stanaway/Turner (NZ/GB), Aston Martin, 1
Race result GTE-Am class
1. Lamy/Dalla Lana/Lauda (P/CAN/A), Aston Martin, 166 laps
2. Ried/Henzler/Camathias (D/D/CH), Porsche 911 RSR, 166
3. Collard/Perrodo/Aguas (F/F/P), Ferrari F458 Italia, 166
4. Al Qubaisi/Long/Heinemeier Hansson (UAE/F/DK), Porsche 911 RSR, 166
5. Brandela/Ragues/Taylor (F/F/USA), Chevrolet Corvette, 164
6. Wainwright/Carroll/Barker (GB/GB/GB), Porsche 911 RSR, 164
Update: The No. 78 KCMG Porsche 911 RSR received a demotion to third place in GTE-Am, following a post-race penalty for its last-lap contact in Sunday’s Six Hours of Shanghai.
The ninth and final round of the Sports Car World Endurance Championship will be contested on 19 November in Sakhir/Bahrain.