Motorsport News August 14, 2018 No
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Motorsport News August 14, 2018 No. 56/18 Dear Journalist: Early each week, Porsche Cars North America will provide a weekend summary or pre- race event notes package, covering the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Pirelli World Challenge (PWC), the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) or other areas of interest from the world of Porsche Motorsport. Please utilize this resource as needed, and do not hesitate to contact us for additional information. - Porsche Cars North America Motorsports Public Relations Team Porsche Motorsports Weekly Event Notes: Tuesday, August 14, 2018 This Week. • Overall Look. Porsche Factory Team Targets Return to VIR Podium; Wright Goes After Two In-A-Row. • England Calling. Porsche Factory and Customer Teams Ready for Silverstone. • Clubsport Rally Concept. Porsche Runs Cayman GT4 Clubsport as Course Car. Upcoming Porsche Race Events. IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Event: Michelin GT Challenge at VIR, VIRginia International Raceway Dateline: Alton, Virginia Date: Friday – Sunday, August 17 – August 19, 2018 Track Length: 3.27-miles, 17-turn Race Duration: 2-Hours, 40-minutes Class: GTLM (Porsche 911 RSR) Public Relations Department 1 of 17 Public Relations Department Motorsport Communications Product Communications Dave Engelman David Burkhalter Phone +1.770.290.3617 Phone +1.770.290.3511 [email protected] [email protected] Motorsport News August 14, 2018 No. 56/18 GTD (Porsche 911 GT3 R) Round: GTLM. 9 of 11 GTD. 9 of 11 Next Round: Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, September 7 – 9, 2018 IMSA Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge. Event: Biscuitville Grand Prix, VIRginia International Raceway Dateline: Alton, Virginia Date: Friday – Sunday, August 17 – August 19, 2018 Track Length: 3.27-miles, 17-turn Race Duration: 2-Hours Class: GS (Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport MR) Round: GS. 7 of 10 Next Round: Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, September 7 – 9, 2018 IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama. Event: Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge, VIRginia International Raceway Dateline: Alton, Virginia Date: Friday – Sunday, August 17 – August 19, 2018 Public Relations Department 2 of 17 Public Relations Department Motorsport Communications Product Communications Dave Engelman David Burkhalter Phone +1.770.290.3617 Phone +1.770.290.3511 [email protected] [email protected] Motorsport News August 14, 2018 No. 56/18 Track Length: 3.27-miles, 17-turn Race Duration: 2, 45-Minute Races Class: Platinum (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, MY 2017 - 2018) Gold (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, MY 2015 – 2016) Round: 11 – 12 of 15 Next Round: Sonoma Raceway, Sonoma California, September 14 – 16, 2018 FIA World Endurance Championship. Event: Six Hours of Silverstone, Silverstone Circuit Dateline: Silverstone, Great Britain Date: Friday – Sunday, August 17 – 19, 2018 Track Length: 3.66-miles, 18-turn Race Duration: 6-Hours Class: LMGTE-Pro (Porsche 911 RSR) LMGTE-Am (Porsche 911 RSR) Round: 3 of 8 Next Round: Six Hours of Fuji, Fuji, Japan, October 12 – 14, 2018 Porsche Profile. Event Story Lines. Overall Look. Porsche Factory Team Targets Return to VIR Podium; Wright Goes After Two In-A-Row. Public Relations Department 3 of 17 Public Relations Department Motorsport Communications Product Communications Dave Engelman David Burkhalter Phone +1.770.290.3617 Phone +1.770.290.3511 [email protected] [email protected] Motorsport News August 14, 2018 No. 56/18 The Porsche GT Team, the official factory effort for the German marque in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, will fight for overall race honors in the Michelin GT Challenge at VIR on Sunday, August 19. The two-hour, 40-minute race at VIRginia International Raceway (VIR) is the ninth of 11 GT Le Mans (GTLM) class races this season. The race in southern Virginia, near Alton, marks the second time of 2018 that the GT cars – GTLM and GT Daytona (GTD) categories – will be the headliners for North America’s premier endurance sports car racing series. The 510-hp Porsche 911 RSR developed and built in Weissach, Germany has already scored victories at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring and the Mid-Ohio race thus far. The two-car “works” team tackles the infamously cutthroat GTLM class against strong opposition from BMW, Chevrolet and Ford with the Nos. 911 and 912. In GTD, Porsche customer team Wright Motorsports returns with the sole 911 GT3 R in the Pro-Am style class. The No. 58 Porsche Consulting/Porsche Digital machine recently celebrated its first win of the year at Road America with factory driver Patrick Long (Manhattan Beach, California) and Porsche Selected Driver Christina Nielsen (Denmark). The rear-engine machine, in the hands of Long, has secured two consecutive pole positions for the class and looks to VIR to earn a second race win on the season. The 3.27-miles, 17-turn race track on the North Carolina state border has a storied history with the brand dating back to its first race when Bob Holbert piloted a Porsche 550 Spyder RS to an SCCA win. Porsche has 22 total major class victories at VIR including its most recent Virginia victory in 2017 when RS1 took honors in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge with current driver Dillon Machavern (Charlotte, Vermont) co-driving the No. 28 Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport MR with Dylan Public Relations Department 4 of 17 Public Relations Department Motorsport Communications Product Communications Dave Engelman David Burkhalter Phone +1.770.290.3617 Phone +1.770.290.3511 [email protected] [email protected] Motorsport News August 14, 2018 No. 56/18 Murcott. In 2015, the Porsche GT Team had a one-two finish in the GTLM class with Patrick Pilet (France) and Nick Tandy (Great Britain) winning in the No. 911 while the No. 912 of Earl Bamber (New Zealand) and Jörg Bergmeister (Germany) finished in second-place. Pilet, Tandy and Bamber reprise their roles in the respective cars again this weekend while Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium) joins Bamber in the No. 912 this weekend. Dr. Frank-Steffen Walliser, Vice President Motorsport and GT Cars, Porsche AG. “With the race in Virginia we turn onto the finish straight of a gripping and hotly contested IMSA SportsCar Championship season. Although it looks as if we’re out of contention for the title, we are determined to underline the potential of our 911 RSR with a strong performance. After our victories at Sebring and Mid-Ohio, our aim is to bring home our third victory of the season with our 911 RSR.” Pascal Zurlinden, Director GT Factory Motorsport. “The Virginia International Raceway is a circuit that demands a great deal of precision from the drivers. The tiniest error usually ends up in the grass. The team will do its utmost to find again the perfect setup for our 911 RSR for this race. The conditions aren’t easy for all competitors, not least due to the heat and high humidity we’re expecting.” Sebastian Golz, Project Manager, Porsche 911 GT3 R. “After securing the second pole position and the first victory for the 911 GT3 R in the USA, our customer team Wright Motorsports is well prepared to continue the series of successes on the Virginia International Raceway. However, this typical American Public Relations Department 5 of 17 Public Relations Department Motorsport Communications Product Communications Dave Engelman David Burkhalter Phone +1.770.290.3617 Phone +1.770.290.3511 [email protected] [email protected] Motorsport News August 14, 2018 No. 56/18 racetrack has its quirks. For the drivers there’s a very fine line between a fast lap time and losing traction.” Patrick Pilet, Driver, No. 911 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR. “Racing in Virginia is always great fun. The track is very fast and demanding – a real challenge. The fact that we’re going for overall victory gives us an additional boost. In 2015, we scored a one-two finish here with Porsche and I hope we’ll be amongst the frontrunners again this year. However, to do this, everything has to come together perfectly because with all the fast corners you can’t afford to make the slightest mistake. A trip onto the green turns your car into a lawnmower and by the time your pit crew has removed all the grass from the radiator the race will be over.” Nick Tandy, Driver, No. 911 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR. “I’m really looking forward to this race. Virginia is a beautiful region with a lot of forests. It reminds a little of the region where I live in the UK. The circuit has a lot of fast corners and this should really suit our 911 RSR. I have fond memories of our victory here three years ago. It’s always especially motivating to return to a race track where you’ve won before.” Laurens Vanthoor, Driver, No. 912 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR. “Virginia is the third to last race of the season. It’s crazy how fast time flies. The circuit is very special because it doesn’t leave any room for error. If you don’t watch out, you end up on the grass and heading for the forest. You can never regain the time you lose. It’s a cool race track that should suit our 911 RSR well.” Earl Bamber, Driver, No. 912 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR. Public Relations Department 6 of 17 Public Relations Department Motorsport Communications Product Communications Dave Engelman David Burkhalter Phone +1.770.290.3617 Phone +1.770.290.3511 [email protected] [email protected] Motorsport News August 14, 2018 No. 56/18 “Virginia marks the critical phase of the championship.