SPORTSCAR

Porsche customer teams will field one 911 RSR in the GTLM class and four 911 GT3 R in the GTD category at the season-opening round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in Daytona on 30/31 January. After the successful performance at the first-ever qualifying race last Sunday, expectations are high for the 59th edition of […]

Performance Tech Motorsports is on the hunt for its second Rolex watch at the 59th running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

The 2021 racing season kicked off on the Daytona circuit in the United States where the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship started with the ROAR, the official practice sessions for the iconic Daytona 24-Hour race, which will take place this coming weekend on 30-31 January 2021.  Six Ligiers, five JS P320s and a JS P217, took part in the four practice sessions and the qualifying race that would decide the grid lineup for the Daytona 24-Hour race.  The teams’ objective was clear: to familiarise themselves with the Ligier JS P320 and allow the drivers to get to grips with the new car that was making its debut in the American championship.  In the final two sessions the Ligier JS P320s set the three fastest times.  When the moment arrived for the qualifying race it was raining and the majority of the Ligier teams erred on the side of caution and did not take part or shortened their participation in the session.  Yet there was still enough time for the #38 Performance Tech Motorsports and the #33 Sean Creech Motorsport Ligier JS P320s to give a glimpse of their performance by waltzing away at the head of the field for more than one-third of the race.  The #54 CORE Autosport Ligier JS P320 also put on a stunning performance to clinch a third-place finish.  The #51 Ligier JS P217 entered by Rick Ware Racing and Eurasia Motorsport saw the flag in eighth spot in the category.

The Porsche customer team WeatherTech Racing has successfully concluded its first campaign with the Porsche 911 RSR in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Works driver Kévin Estre from France and the American Cooper MacNeil claimed the third podium step in the GTLM class at the qualifying event for 24 Hours of Daytona. In the GTD category for vehicles complying with GT3 regulations, Pfaff Motorsports achieved an even better result. The Belgian works driver Laurens Vanthoor and his Canadian teammate Zacharie Robichon planted their Porsche 911 GT3 R on second place in the race over one hour and forty minutes.

The Porsche customer team Wright Motorsports secured pole position for the qualifying race at Daytona (USA). Ryan Hardwick from America lapped the 5.73-kilometre sports car track in Florida in his No. 16 Porsche 911 GT3 R in 1:46.831 minutes, thus beating the strong GTD class competition. In the GTLM category, his compatriot Cooper MacNeil concluded his first qualifying session at the wheel of WeatherTech Racing’s Porsche 911 RSR in sixth place. The experienced amateur racer improved steadily over the course of the session and slashed the gap to the competition cars driven predominantly by professionals.