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PORSCHE STARTS WEC FINALE IN BAHRAIN FROM POLE POSITION

The Porsche GT Team has secured a very strong starting position in the qualifying for the final round of the FIA World Endurance Championship WEC in Bahrain: The two ca. 515 hp Porsche 911 RSR take up the eight-hour race on Saturday from pole position and the second grid row of the GTE Pro category. Denmark’s Michael Christensen and Kévin Estre from France claimed the first grid spot in their class with an average time of 1:56.505 minutes. This result was determined by the fastest lap of both drivers. Setting a time of 1:57.124 minutes, their teammates Richard Lietz (Austria) and Gianmaria Bruni (Italy) concluded the final 20-minute session on fourth place.

UNITED AUTOSPORTS WIN THE LE MANS 24 HOURS

United Autosports have won the 2020 Le Mans 24 Hours, after the #22 crew of Phil Hanson, Filipe Albuquerque and Paul Di Resta brought their Oreca 07 home in first place after a frantic race, which saw Phil pit the leading Oreca with 10 minutes to go for a splash of fuel, before exiting the pits just in front of the second placed car, crossing the line first to take victory.

SPIRITED PERFORMANCE IN THE EARLY PHASE KEEPS PORSCHE WITHIN STRIKING DISTANCE AT LE MANS

The Porsche GT Team has just one iron left in the fire in the intensive GTE-Pro-class fight at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. After the first six hours of racing, the ca. 515 hp Porsche 911 RSR (No. 91) driven by works drivers Gianmaria Bruni from Italy, Richard Lietz from Austria and Frenchman Frédéric Makowiecki is running in sixth place. A defect in the power steering cost the No. 92 sister car shared by Michael Christensen from Denmark, Kévin Estre from France and Belgium’s Laurens Vanthoor over half an hour.

SIX OVERALL WINNERS FROM PORSCHE AT LE MANS

For fans of endurance racing, next weekend cannot come quickly enough: at 2.30 pm on Saturday, 19 September 2020, the starting flag for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the largest and most tradition-rich motorsports event in the world, will be raised. Porsche is the most successful brand in the almost 100-year history of Le Mans. The sports car manufacturer from Zuffenhausen has had close ties to the 24 Hours of Le Mans for more than six decades, a period which has seen a total of 19 overall victories, countless class successes and indescribable emotions.

LE MANS 2020: ELEVEN CONSEQUENCES OF THE POSTPONEMENT

Fans of endurance racing have rarely had so much time to look forward to the 24 Hours of Le Mans as they have this year. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the French classic was moved from its traditional mid-June date to 19/20 September. There has only been one other delayed start in the almost 100-year history of the race: In 1968, the Le Mans 24-hour race was contested on 28/29 September due to ongoing unrest in Paris. The postponement of the race also has wide-reaching consequences for the Porsche GT Team. This includes changes to the schedule as well as the waiving of popular fan events such as the technical scrutineering in the town square and the drivers’ parade the day before the start.

TOUGH LUCK AND POLE POSITION FOR PORSCHE IN 6 HOURS OF SPA QUALIFYING

In qualifying for the six-hour race of the FIA World Endurance Championship WEC in Spa-Francorchamps, the Porsche GT Team has secured a solid starting position. In the hunt for top times in Belgium’s Ardennes, Michael Christensen from Denmark and the Frenchman Kévin Estre initially planted the ca. 515-hp Porsche 911 RSR (#92) on pole position, only to eventually lose it. According to race officials, Estre had breached regulations by exceeding the track limits during his flying lap. His lap time was voided and the vehicle was relegated to the last position. In the No. 91 sister car, his works driver colleagues Gianmaria Bruni (Italy) and Richard Lietz (Austria) scored position three in the fiercely contested GTE-Pro class. In the GTE-Am category, three Porsche 911 RSR (model year 2017) fielded by the customer teams Dempsey-Proton Racing and Project 1 locked out the first three grid spots. Christian Ried from Germany, factory driver Matt Campbell (Australia) and the Italian Riccardo Pera will take up round six of the 2019/2020 FIA WEC on Saturday from position one.

PORSCHE SETS SIGHTS ON FIRST WIN WITH THE NEW 911 RSR IN THE USA

At round five of the Sports Car World Endurance Championship WEC at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin on 23 February, Porsche aims to clinch its first U.S. victory with the new 911 RSR. After a successful start to the 2019/2020 season with a one-two at Silverstone (Great Britain) as well as podium spots in Fuji (Japan) and Shanghai (China), fifth and sixth places followed at the Sakhir (Bahrain) race in December prior to the winter break. Moreover, the Porsche GT Team had posted pole position three times. After four rounds, the works team currently ranks second in the manufacturers’ classification with the two latest-generation Porsche 911 RSR racers. In the drivers’ category, the two ca. 515 hp GT racers sit third and fifth. Three customer teams field another five 2017-spec Porsche 911 RSR in the GTE-Am class at the six-hour race in Austin, Texas.

ASTON MARTIN TO RE-EVALUATE HYPERCAR RACE PROGRAMME

Aston Martin Lagonda has postponed development of its World Endurance Championship (WEC) Hypercar race entry, following the recent decision by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) and the International Motor Sport Association (IMSA) to harmonise the Hypercar class with the so-called LMDh prototype category in the WEC from 2021 and the US-based WeatherTech Sportscar Championship from 2022.

WINS AND TITLES FOR PORSCHE MOTORSPORT IN 2019

With many major wins in 2019, Porsche has added another chapter to its tradition-steeped history. The world champion title in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), the title in the North American IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, victory in the overall classification of the fiercely-contested Intercontinental GT Challenge and, last but not least, the successful debut of the factory squad in the ABB FIA Formula E Championship have made the 2019 motor racing season one of the most successful in the company’s history. The titles and triumphs of the past year once again underline that Porsche’s extensive commitment to motorsport upholds the brand’s tradition as consequently as it sets the standards of modern sports car development.

UNITED AUTOSPORTS SCORE EMPHATIC MAIDEN FIA WEC VICTORY

United Autosports claimed its most prestigious victory in its 10 year racing history when Phil Hanson, Filipe Albuquerque and Paul Di Resta spectacularly won the 8 Hours of Bahrain today (14 Dec). Contesting only its seventh race with the Oreca chassis and fourth as a full FIA World Endurance Championship entrant, the British team recorded its maiden WEC class victory in utter dominant style with a faultless performance. United had previously scored six European or Asian Le Mans Series LMP2 race wins plus 11 other podiums – last year’s Le Mans 24 Hours, Fuji and Shanghai WEC races and eight in the European or Asian Le Mans Series since its LMP2 category début in Europe in 2017. United now lie second in the LMP2 FIA World Endurance Team’s Trophy, three-points off the lead, with round five of the WEC being staged at the Circuit of The Americas in Texas on 23 February.

PORSCHE CUSTOMER TEAM PROJECT 1 CELEBRATES FIRST WIN OF THE FIA WEC SEASON

Porsche has concluded the 2019 year with another victory in the FIA World Endurance Championship. At the eight-hour race in Sakhir (Bahrain), the American Ben Keating and his two Dutchmen teammates Larry ten Voorde and Jeroen Bleekemolen won the GTE-Am class in their No. 57 Porsche 911 RSR. After claiming pole position, the Project 1 team has moved to the top of the overall classification thanks to their maiden victory. The Porsche GT Team (GTE-Pro) has enjoyed an outstandingly successful 2019 season, however the squad was struck by misfortune at the eight-hour race.

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