In the sister car with the starting number 911, Patrick Pilet (France) posted the fifth quickest time. The Porsche GT Team sends its two sports cars from Weissach into the ten-hour race on Saturday sporting a design that evokes memories of the Porsche 911 GT1, which scored overall victory at the 1998 Le Mans 24-hour race and pole position at the inaugural Petit Le Mans event.
Unlike many of his rivals in the fiercely contested GTLM class, Bamber (New Zealand) initially waited at the start of the qualifying in the hopes of benefiting from improved track conditions and less traffic. The New Zealander, who shares driving duties with Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium) and Mathieu Jaminet (France), made optimal use of the grip in bright sunshine and high temperatures. Over the course of the 15-minute session on the famous Road Atlanta racetrack, Pilet was able to improve significantly. In the end, the Frenchman was just 0.160-seconds shy of his factory driver colleague. Pilet is joined in the cockpit of the No. 911 Porsche 911 RSR by Nick Tandy (Great Britain) and Frederic Makowiecki (France).
In the GTD category, customer teams did not take part in the hunt for pole position. Timothy Pappas turned many laps in the Porsche 911 GT3 R fielded by Park Place Motorsports to gain further insights for the race. The American shares the No. 73 vehicle with Wolf Henzler (Germany) and Spencer Pumpelly (USA). The Wright Motorsports squad also decided not to contest the qualifying. Works driver Patrick Long (USA), Porsche Selected Driver Christina Nielsen (Denmark) and Robert Renauer (Germany) take turns at the wheel of the No. 58 car.
The sister car with the starting number 911 posted the fifth quickest time
Pascal Zurlinden (Director GT Factory Motorsport): “The qualifying ran better than expected. During the session, the temperatures were the highest of the weekend so far. Under these conditions it was obvious that we lacked some speed over the lap compared to our rivals. However, this means very little for a race over ten hours. We’re well prepared to tackle Petit Le Mans, especially if the temperatures drop towards the end of the race.”
Patrick Pilet (Porsche 911 RSR #911): “The qualifying was difficult with such high temperatures. A little more may have been possible. Once the tyres were at their peak, I made a small mistake during my flying lap. Still, I managed to improve my time on the following lap. We are well placed for the long race over ten hours – better in fact than we expected. That makes us very confident for race day.”
Earl Bamber (Porsche 911 RSR #912): “The qualifying went really well. Our systematic work on the car with numerous improvements was clearly noticeable. The Porsche 911 RSR got faster and faster. This was obvious in the qualifying session because the car was a dream to drive. I managed a good, clean lap. Okay, it wasn’t enough for pole position, but third on the grid is very good. We’ve found a great setup for the race and we have very good tyres for the long distance. We should be strong, particularly in the dark. I hope everything comes together well on Saturday. We want to conclude the season with a win.”
GTLM class
1. Krohn/Edwards/Mostert (FIN/USA/AUS), BMW M8 GTE, 1:17.006 minutes
2. Magnussen/Garcia/Fässler (DK/E/CH), Chevrolet Corvette C7.R, 1:17.030
3. Vanthoor/Bamber/Jaminet (B/NZ/F), Porsche 911 RSR, 1:17.209
4. Briscoe/Westbrook/Dixon (AUS/GB/USA), Ford GT, 1:17.220
5. Tandy/Pilet/Makowiecki (GB/F/F), Porsche 911 RSR, 1:17.369
6. Hand/Müller/Bourdais (USA/D/F), Ford GT, 1:17.383
7. Sims/De Phillippi/Auberlen (GB/USA/USA), BMW M8 GTE, 1:17.428
8. Milner/Gavin/Fässler (USA/GB/CH), Chevrolet Corvette C7.R, 1.17.451
9. Vilander/Molina/Bertolini (FIN/E/I), Ferrari 488 GTE, 1:17.774
GTD class
1. MacNeil/Serra/Jeannette (USA/BRA/USA), Ferrari 488 GT3, 1:19.659 minutes
2. Hawksworth/Heinemeier/Rayhall (GB/DK/USA), Lexus RC F GT3, 1:19.732
3. Mies/Morad/van der Linde (D/CAN/RSA), Audi R8 LMS GT3, 1:19.744
13. Henzler/Pumpelly/Pappas (D/USA/USA), Porsche 911 GT3 R, 1:22.610
14. Long/Nielsen/Renauer (USA/DK/D), Porsche 911 GT3 R, no lap time
Full results are available here.
Painted with the distinctive blue and red-orange stripes, the two Porsche 911 RSR racers evoke memories of the 911 GT1, which scored overall victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1998. Twenty years ago, an identical model started from pole position in the famous Road Atlanta race. It was at the inaugural running of the event under the name “Petit Le Mans”. Facing Ferrari, BMW, Ford and Chevrolet, the Porsche GT Team now aims to build on those unforgettable successes with the two race vehicles from Weissach.
For many drivers, the 4.088-kilometre racetrack in the US state of Georgia ranks high in the popularity stakes. The so-called “esses” (turns 2 through 5) in the first sector pose a huge challenge for drivers. Courage and utmost precision combined with a perfect car setup are essential in this fast passage. At the 20 races (each over ten hours or 1,000 kilometres) contested here so far, Porsche has scored a total of 23 class wins. In 2015, the works team from Weissach beat even the prototypes to clinch overall victory. “Petit Le Mans” is also the final race of the North American Endurance Cup (NAEC). In this competition, which encompasses the races at Daytona, Sebring, Watkins Glen and Road Atlanta, the Porsche GT Team currently ranks second overall.
Each of the two Porsche 911 RSR vehicles will be driven by three pilots at the long-distance race at Road Atlanta. Sharing the cockpit of the No. 911 Porsche are Patrick Pilet (France), Nick Tandy (Great Britain) and Frenchman Frédéric Makowiecki. In March, these three won the Sebring 12-hour race. After securing second at Laguna Seca, Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium) and Earl Bamber (New Zealand) will be joined in the No. 912 cockpit by Porsche Young Professional Mathieu Jaminet (France). The customer sport team Wright Motorsports fields the No. 58 Porsche 911 GT3 R with works driver Patrick Long from the USA, Porsche Selected Driver Christina Nielsen (Denmark) and Robert Renauer from Austria. Sharing driving duties in the No. 73 Porsche 911 GT3 R sports car of Park Place Motorsports is the works driver Wolf Henzler (Germany) and the two Americans Spencer Pumpelly and Timothy Pappas.
For the second race season, the 911 RSR was optimised primarily in the setup. Depending on the size of the restrictor, the motor, which is positioned in front of the rear axle, puts out around 375 kW (510 hp). The particularly large rear diffuser combined with a top-mounted rear wing provides strong downforce and aerodynamic efficiency. The ca. 368kW (500 hp) 911 GT3 R was designed for worldwide GT3 series. The vehicle is campaigned by customer teams, for whom Porsche has provided an evo-kit in 2018.
#IMSA – #ICYMI: #Porsche runs both #911RSR in special livery @RoadAtlanta. The #PetiteLeMans is the final round of 2018 @IMSA championship. Customer teams @ParkPlaceRacing and @WrightRac1ng in #GTD class with one #911GT3R each. pic.twitter.com/oNjeuwKUSm
— Porsche Motorsport (@PorscheRaces) 9. Oktober 2018
The race takes off on Saturday, 13 October, at 11.10 hrs local time (17.10 hrs CEST) and can be viewed live outside the USA and Canada on www.imsa.com.
The IMSA SportsCar Championship, a sports car race series contested in the USA and Canada, was run in 2014 for the first time. The series was formed from the merger of the American Le Mans Series and the Grand-Am Series. Sports prototypes and sports cars start in three different classes: GTLM (GT Le Mans), GTD (GT Daytona) and P (Prototype). The Porsche 911 RSR runs in the GTLM class, with the Porsche 911 GT3 R contesting the GTD class.
