During the night, the Porsche 911 GT3 R fielded by KÜS Team75 Bernhard launched an impressive charge through the field at the long-distance marathon in Spa-Francorchamps. The 500 hp 911 driven Kévin Estre (France), Michael Christensen (Denmark) and Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium) had fallen back to position 28 after a penalty. Thanks to a clever pit strategy and flawless stints, the trio fought their way up to third place only to have a drive-through penalty halt their charge. Currently, the #117 Porsche 911 GT3 R ranks third and has a good chance to improve on this.
Bad luck has plagued the Porsche 911 GT3 R campaigned by Herberth Motorsport. Taking up the 24-hour classic from second on the grid, the #912 vehicle became entangled in other competitor’s collisions twice and lost more than 30 minutes in the pits for repairs as a result. Sven Müller (Germany), Mathieu Jaminet (France), Daniel Allemann (Switzerland) and Ralf Bohn (Germany) have battled their way back up through the ranks and are now running seventh in the Pro-Am category.
Herberth Motorsport’s second vehicle did not survive the night at the Belgium endurance classic. The Porsche 911 GT3 R encountered debris on the track and sustained irreparable damages. After 138 laps, the #911 vehicle had to be parked in the pits.
Comments on the race to now
Alfred Renauer, team owner and driver Herberth Motorsport (911 GT3 R #911): “An accident in Eau Rouge left a lot of debris on the track and we drove over one or two pieces. This tore open the underbody and the oil tank. In order to repair this, we would have had to dismantle the gearbox and engine and completely renew the underbody. This wasn’t possible in such a short time so we had to throw in the towel.”
Marc Lieb (911 GT3 R #911): “We didn’t have the speed we needed and then there was the problem with the balance of the car. When we finally found our rhythm and could work our way through the field, we had to retire. It’s a shame for the team, because they’d done such a great job. So, I guess we’ll have to come back to Spa next year.”
Source. Porsche
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