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Double victory for at Sebring

Published: 19th March 2019 By: Glen Smale

Online version: https://www.porscheroadandrace.com/double-victory-for-porsche-at-sebring/

WEC 1000 Miles of Sebring, 15 March 2019: #92 Porsche 911 RSR driven by Michael Christensen and Kévin Estre leads the pack through the first corner of the race

There was a double victory for Porsche at Sebring, as the #91 Porsche 911 RSR of / won round six of the WEC in Florida on Friday. Not to be outdone, //Frédéric Makowiecki also grabbed a win in the #911 Porsche 911 RSR in round two of the IMSA Weathertech SportsCar Championship, the 12 Hour of Sebring. www.porscheroadandrace.com

WEC Round 6, 1000 Miles of Sebring

First up, in the 1000-mile race WEC race on Friday, which was capped at eight hours, ran without incident over long stretches for the Bruni/Lietz pairing. Sitting in second place around 25 minutes before the finish, the rain arrived necessitating an additional pit stop, but the Manthey-Racing factory crew did a perfect job ensuring that the #91 car left the pits first.

WEC 1000 Miles of Sebring, 15 March 2019: #91 Porsche 911 RSR driven by Gianmaria Bruni and Richard Lietz

However, for the pairing of Kévin Estre/Michael Christensen, their start from pole position was marred by a collision with a rival car. In the ensuing chase, the #92 car fell back down the field as a result of a stop-and-go penalty. The few overtaking manoeuvres possible on www.porscheroadandrace.com

this infamously bumpy track hampered the car from catching the leading pack, and they finished in fifth place. As a result of the weekend’s results, the #91 winning pair has improved their ranking and moved up to second place behind their #92 teammates who still lead the championship.

WEC 1000 Miles of Sebring, 15 March 2019: The #91 Porsche 911 RSR of Gianmaria Bruni and Richard Lietz calls into the pits during the night hours

In the GTE Am class, the #77 Dempsey Proton Racing team of Matt Campbell/Julien Andlauer/Christian Ried celebrated another win, following a consistent and flawless drive. In the process, Matt Campbell also posted a fastest lap in class. The #56 Project 1 team with works drivers Jörg Bergmeister, together with and secured third place, defending their overall class leading position. The #86 Gulf Racing Porsche 911 RSR driven by Thomas Preining/Ben Barker/Michael Wainwright finished in www.porscheroadandrace.com

fourth place. Driving the #88 Porsche 911 RSR, with Giorgio and Gianluca Roda finished the race in seventh place.

WEC 1000 Miles of Sebring, 15 March 2019: The GTE Am class-winning #77 Dempsey Proton Racing Porsche 911 RSR driven by Christian Ried, Matt Campbell and Julien Andlauer www.porscheroadandrace.com

WEC 1000 Miles of Sebring, 15 March 2019: The jubilant trio from the class-winning #77 Dempsey Proton Racing Porsche 911 RSR – (from L-R): Matt Campbell, Julien Andlauer and Christian Ried

WEC results after round 6 at Sebring Class: GTE Pro Drivers’ Championship

Pos No Car Team Driver Points

Porsche 911 1 91 Porsche GT Team Kévin Estre 125 RSR www.porscheroadandrace.com

Porsche 911 1 91 Porsche GT Team Michael Christensen 125 RSR

Porsche 911 2 92 Porsche GT Team Gianmaria Bruni 100 RSR

Porsche 911 2 92 Porsche GT Team Richard Lietz 100 RSR

Ferrari 488 3 51 AF Corse 80.5 GTE EVO

Ferrari 488 3 51 AF Corse 80.5 GTE EVO www.porscheroadandrace.com

WEC 1000 Miles of Sebring, 15 March 2019: #92 Porsche 911 RSR driven by Michael Christensen and Kévin Estre calls into the pits during the night hours

Class: FIA Endurance Trophy GTE Am Drivers

Pos No Car Team Driver Points

Porsche 911 1 56 Team Project 1 Jörg Bergmeister 103 RSR

Porsche 911 1 56 Team Project 1 Egidio Perfetti 103 RSR www.porscheroadandrace.com

Porsche 911 1 56 Team Project 1 Patrick Lindsey 103 RSR

Ferrari F488 2 54 Spirit of Race Francesco Castellacci 78 GTE

Ferrari F488 2 54 Spirit of Race 78 GTE

Ferrari F488 2 54 Spirit of Race Thomas Flohr 78 GTE

Aston Martin 3 98 69 Vantage Racing

Aston Martin Aston Martin 3 98 69 Vantage Racing

Aston Martin Aston Martin 3 98 69 Vantage Racing www.porscheroadandrace.com

WEC 1000 Miles of Sebring, 15 March 2019: #56 Team Project 1 Porsche 911 RSR driven by Jörg Bergmeister, Patrick Lindsey and Egidio Perfetti

IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Round 2,

Once was not enough for the trio in the #911 Porsche 911 RSR, as Nick Tandy, Patrick Pilet and Frédéric Makowiecki repeated their 2018 win with a victory in the 2019 event as well. The Porsche works team echoed the results of their colleagues in the WEC race, with #912 sister car of , and also finishing the race in fifth place. www.porscheroadandrace.com

Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring, 16 March 2019: #912 Porsche 911 RSR driven by Earl Bamber, Laurens Vanthoor and Mathieu Jaminet

Early on in the race, heavy rain saw both Porsche 911 RSRs drop back down the field, but as conditions improved around the half-way point, the trio in the #911 Porsche pulled out all the stops with some top-class driving and excellent teamwork. In a gripping finale, Tandy fended off the attacks of the opposition and crossed the finish line after twelve hours with a 1.951-second lead. Tandy, Pilet and Makowiecki are the first driver trio to win the IMSA race at Sebring twice in a row. Thanks to their victory, the #911 crew now ranks first in the overall classification. www.porscheroadandrace.com

Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring, 16 March 2019: The #911 Porsche 911 RSR of Patrick Pilet, Nick Tandy and Frédéric Makowiecki splashes through the rain

The #912 team fell back two laps in the early phase, but they put in a spirited charge through the field to finish the race on the same lap as the winning car. Laurens Vanthoor put it this way, “Unfortunately, we lost too much time in the rain at the start, otherwise we could have fought for victory. Our car was incredibly good, especially on slicks in the final phase but for me personally, I’m a bit disappointed.” www.porscheroadandrace.com

Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring, 16 March 2019: The #912 Porsche 911 RSR was driven by Earl Bamber, Laurens Vanthoor and Mathieu Jaminet

In the GTD class, the #9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R held the lead for about half of the total race distance. Unfortunately, this did not translate into a podium finish as the team lost crucial time switching out a faulty sensor in their car. Lars Kern, Scott Hargrove and Zacharie Robichon finished down the order in tenth place in class. www.porscheroadandrace.com

Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring, 16 March 2019: The #9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R was driven by Scott Hargrove, Zacharie Robichon and factory test driver Lars Kern

In the identical #76 Park Place Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R, Porsche factory driver together with Nicholas Boulle and Patrick Lindsey crossed the line in sixth place after twelve hours. To highlight the close racing, the first eight cars all finished on the class-winning lap. www.porscheroadandrace.com

Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring, 16 March 2019: The #73 Park Place Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R was driven by factory driver Patrick Long with Patrick Lindsey and Nicholas Boulle

GTLM class*

Porsche leads the manufacturers’ table on 65 points followed by BMW and Ford with 63 and 60 points respectively. Patrick Pilet, Nick Tandy and Frédéric Makowiecki are lying in joint second place in the drivers’ standings with 61 points, and they lead the team table with the #911 Porsche. www.porscheroadandrace.com

Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring, 16 March 2019: The crew with the class-winning #911 Porsche 911 RSR of Patrick Pilet, Nick Tandy and Frédéric Makowiecki

GTD class*

The #73 Park Place Motorsports Porsche is lying sixth in the team standings with the #9 Pfaff Motorsports car in twelfth place. Patrick Long, Nicholas Boulle and Patrick Lindsey (Park Place Motorsports) are all in sixth place in the drivers’ table in class with 49 points.

Round three of the IMSA Weathertech SportsCar Championship will be held on 13 April in Long Beach, Southern California (USA).

*At the time of publication these results were still showing as Provisional www.porscheroadandrace.com

Edited by: Glen Smale Images by: Porsche Werkfoto

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