We’re just past the half-way point in the 2014 season and while Porsche hasn’t had the blow out season we would have liked, they are still very much in the game. With 6 races left in the season, Porsche trails Chevy by only one (1) point in the GT Le Mans class and trails Ferrari by five (5) points in the GT Daytona class. At this point it’s still anyone’s season for the Manufacturers Championship. And while the gap is a bit bigger in the Driver’s Championship, it’s still close enough that things could change drastically for any one of a number of Porsche’s drivers.
As for the 6 Hours of the Glen, we have Porsche’s full race report and results after the picture galleries below.
A Summary Of Porsche’s Results
Despite being the shortest of the endurance races on the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship schedule, the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen is traditionally one of the most difficult. That was proven at Watkins Glen International as the two-car Porsche 911 RSR factory effort, Porsche North America, finished fifth and eighth in the GT Le Mans (GTLM) class. The Team Falken Tire customer-owned Porsche 911 RSR finished ninth. The GT Daytona class battle was equally intense, as Magnus Racing took third in their Porsche 911 GT America followed closely by the Dempsey Racing Porsche 911 GT America in fourth.
Porsche 911 RSR
Starting tenth, the No. 911 Porsche North America Porsche 911 RSR ran consistently near the front of the GTLM pack throughout the six-hour race. With works drivers Nick Tandy (Great Britain) and Richard Lietz (Austria) splitting driving duties on the historic track in the Finger Lakes region of New York, the No. 911 was seventh as a caution flew with 10-minutes remaining. A dedicated effort by safety and corner workers cleared the caution-causing incident with time for a last lap battle to the checkered flag. Entering the last corner of the 3.4-mile, 11-turn facility, several cars made contact ahead of the No. 911. Tandy, who became a father for the first time on Friday, kept a clear head through the chaos to move to fifth at the checkered flag.
- The No. 912 Porsche North America entry shared by Michael Christensen (Denmark), Patrick Long (Playa del Rey, California) and Patrick Pilet (France) had a less dramatic day after qualifying fourth. However, various issues would relegate the trio of factory drivers to eighth at the checkered flag.
- The only customer Porsche 911 RSR racing in the Tudor Championship, the No. 17 Team Falken Tire entry, has Wolf Henzler (Germany) and Bryan Sellers (Braselton, Georgia) behind the wheel. Both the German and his longtime American teammate ran in the top-three early in the day but eventually finished just behind the No. 912 in ninth position.
Porsche 911 GT America
On a day when several of the Porsche 911 GT America entries were involved in on-track incidents which pushed them out of the top finishing positions, several teams had solid performances which helped earn them important points in the class championship.
- The No. 44 Magnus Racing Porsche 911 GT America of John Potter (Salt Lake City, Utah), Andy Lally (Dacula, Ga.) and Sebastian Asch (Germany) overcame an injury suffered by Lally in yesterday’s Continental Tire Challenge race to help the team score its third podium finish in five races. The third-place finish moved the team into second place in the GTD driver point standings. Lally and Potter are now only eight points behind the leaders in class.
Lally, the “closer” for Magnus as he drives the last stint, had a large heat blister form on his foot yesterday. The injury was treated last night, and Lally took over the Porsche in fourth place for the final hour. Lally went out to move the Porsche onto the podium. There was a little less pressure on Lally as the team added Sebastian Asch, a young German driver now driving ADAC GT series, and Asch’s mistake-free stints shortened the time Lally had to drive.
- The No. 27 Dempsey Racing Porsche 911 GT America driven by Patrick Dempsey (Malibu, California), Andrew Davis (Athens, Georgia) and Joe Foster (Suwanee, Georgia) finished right behind Magnus in fourth place. It was their best finish of the season. Davis started the car, and then Dempsey did his first stint, followed by a Foster double stint. The car, which qualified 11th in GTD, moved up steadily with all three drivers gaining positions before the Davis brought the car home.
- The other Porsche which made up many positions during the course of the race was the Kuba Giermaziak (Poland), Christina Nielsen (Denmark)-driven No. 30 NGT Motorsports Porsche 911 GT America, which started 15th and finished sixth in GTD.
The Next Race
The Tudor Championship now travels outside of the United States for the only time in 2014. The sixth round of the first year series will take place on July 13 at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park in Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada.
GT Le Mans Results
1. No. 3 Jan Magnussen (Denmark)/Antonio Garcia (Spain), Corvette C-7R – 185 laps
2. No. 91 Dominik Farnbacher (Germany)/Marc Goossens (Belgium), Dodge SRT Viper – 185 laps
3. No. 93 Jonathan Bomarito (Monterey, Calif.)/Kuno Wittmer (Canada), Dodge SRT Viper – 185 laps
4. No. 4 Oliver Gavin (UK)/Tommy Milner (Lake Mary, Fla.), Corvette C-7R – 185 laps
5. No. 911 Nick Tandy (UK)/Richard Lietz (Austria), Porsche 911 RSR – 185 laps
8. No. 912 Patrick Long (Playa del Rey, Calif.)/Michael Christensen (Denmark), Patrick Pilet (France) Porsche 911 RSR – 184 laps
9. No. 17 Wolf Henzler (Germany)/Bryan Sellers (Braselton, Ga, Porsche 911 RSR – 184 laps
GT Daytona Results – Top 15
1. No. 94 Dane Cameron (Atlanta, Ga.)/Markus Palttala (Finland), BMW Z4 – 178 laps
2. No. 555 Townsend Bell (San Luis Obispo, Calif.)/Bill Sweedler (Westport, Conn.), Ferrari 458 Italia – laps
3. No. 44 John Potter (Salt Lake City, Utah)/Andy Lally (Dacula, Ga.), Sebastian Asch (Germany) Porsche 911 GT America – 177 laps
4. No. 27 Patrick Dempsey (Malibu, Calif.)/Andrew Davis (Athens, Ga.), Joe Foster (Suwanee, Geo.) Porsche 911 GT America – 177 laps
5. No. 63 Allesandro Balzan (Italy)/Jeff Westphal (San Francisco, Calif.)/Brandon Davis (Napa, Calif.) Ferrari F458 Italia – 177 laps
6. No. 30 Kuba Giermaziak (Poland)/Christina Nielsen (Denmark), Porsche 911 GT America – 175 laps
9. No. 81 Damien Faulkner (Ireland)/Ben Barker (England)/Mike Avenatti (Sacramento, Calif.), Porsche 911 GT America – 171 laps
12. No. 22 Cooper MacNeil (Hinsdale, Ill.)/Leh Keen (Atlanta)/Philipp Frommanwiler (Switzerland), Porsche 911 GT America – 156 laps
13. No. 58 Jan Heylen (Tampa, Fla.)/Madison Snow (Lehi, Utah), Porsche 911 GT America -149 laps
15. No. 18 Peter Ludwig (New Paltz, N.Y.)/David Calvert-Jones (Los Angeles, Calif.)/Patrick-Otto Madsen (Boca Raton, Fla.), Porsche 911 GT America – 137 laps
18. No. 73 Patrick Lindsey (Santa Barbara, Calif.)/Jim Norman (Tampa, Fla.)/Jaap van Lagen (Miami), Porsche 911 GT America – 57 laps
Other Porsche Blog Posts You Should Read
Step By Step Over A Blind Crest And A 3 Story Drop In A Porsche 991 GT3 Cup
Porsche Results And Pictures From United SportsCar At Laguna Seca
40 Minutes of Yellow Flags, Bizarre Strategy and Traffic Highlight Porsche’s Participation In Detroit GTD