![Porsche at Le Mans: 911 French Connection]()
by John Glynn | Jun 7, 2014 | Porsche News, Race and Rally
There’s just one week to go until the 2014 Le Mans 24 Hour. Porsche will tackle LMP1 with its 919 Hybrid racecar and a star crew of drivers, but Le Mans is not all about prototypes. The reduced-power Porsche 911 Le Mans RSR faces a tough challenge to repeat last year’s win in both GTE-Pro and GTE-Am classes.
Watch Out for Corvette at Le Mans
It always feels like there are cars everywhere on track at Le Mans, but the GTE-Pro field is very compact. Nine cars will race in GTE-Pro: three Ferarris, two Corvettes, two 911s and two Aston Martins. While the GTE Pro Porsches finished 1-2 at Silverstone, the gap to third placed Aston was less than a minute behind. Both Aston and the P4 Ferrari finished on the lead lap in class.
Bruni’s Ferrari won at Spa, a lap ahead of Pilet/Bergmeister in an RSR that had been getting quicker as the race wore on. Now Pilet leads the RSR charge at home, in the third round of the eight for 2014 WEC championship and the final WEC race held in Europe this year.
““Le Mans is a very special race, especially for me as a Frenchman,” says Patrick. “It’s always an incredible feeling to go racing on such an extreme circuit in front of so many fans. We are well prepared and our 911 RSR is a strong contender, especially on the long straights. It would be fantastic if we could turn this into a win.”
Less Power for the Le Mans Porsche 911 RSR
It would indeed be fantastic as thanks to the “balance of performance” ruling, the RSR now weighs 25 kilos more and has a smaller air restrictor, reducing engine power. No one wants to see how this affects the 911’s chances in France more than the second French Porsche works driver, Fred Makowiecki.
“A Frenchman simply has to race – and win – at Le Mans. Your family is watching at the track, your friends are there supporting you. This makes it hugely motivating. As a child I dreamed of Porsche; I launched my racing career with Porsche. If I could now win Le Mans with Porsche, that would be the best thing in the world. But first we have to face 24 hours where pretty much anything can happen.”
Porsche Works Driver Le Mans Crash
Fred has bitter personal experience of this, as he crashed out of an established GTE-Pro lead last year when his Aston smashed into the barriers at a Les Hunadières chicane. “It was wet, and at the exit of the chicane the car just snatched, went 90 degrees and into the wall. We were going well, but as always the most important thing is to be first in the last minute. It was a small mistake on my side; I take the blame.”
Running at the last minute means everything at Le Mans. In eight days, we’ll know how that went for Porsche. Here’s how the French commentators reported Fred’s crash last year:
![Porsche at Le Mans: 911 French Connection]()
by John Glynn | Jun 4, 2014 | Porsche News, Race and Rally
“Le Mans in a way is what drives us all. It’s the hardest race: night, day, hot, dirty. It’s one race, one year and one winner.” So said Tom Kristensen in 2013, at the start of a great short documentary by Michelin called “24 Hours: A Matter of Seconds.”
Made in conjunction with Audi, the video followed the team through the full 2014 Le Mans, a gripping race (which we blogged live on Ferdinand), when the lead Audi lost 45 minutes due to an electrical problem, leaving only one Audi car in contention for the win. Fending off a strong race-long challenge from the Toyotas, Kristensen’s Audi took the chequered flag after 24 hours of racing.
This made it nine wins for Kristensen at Le Mans: an all-time driver record. Porsche has gone to the next level: taking outright victory at Le Mans 16 times. But motorsport is a team effort, and racing cars are nothing without good rubber. Michelin tyres have claimed a mighty 22 Le Mans wins. I’m surprised that no one at Michelin has worked out how many miles that would be, driven at 200 mph or more, but no doubt that Michelin is a premier motorsport competitor and no doubt it cares about winning.
This year, Michelin’s Le Mans videos focus on Porsche. The latest video, “We Are Racers” – which Michelin has kindly allowed Ferdinand to share ahead of its official release – is challenging at first watch but it grows on you. No surprise to see Webber given headline billing as first driver on camera, followed by Hartley and then Marco Holzer, but the star of the show is Vincent Barthe.
Over a dramatic jazz soundtrack, tyre tech Monsieur Barthe is credited as Porsche’s ‘rain master’, delivering the 911s safely through torrential rain to victory at Silverstone and helping the 919 LMP1 hybrid to claim a podium first time out. “The battle isn’t just between the racers,” says Barthe. “You have to fight the weather too: you have to beat it. I used to be a sailor, so I don’t mind challenging weather conditions.”
I subscribe to Michelin’s motorsport feed on Youtube as I enjoy the authenticity of their motorsport videos. No hard sell on “race tyres driving road tyre development”, no deep voice-overs or blockbuster soundtrack, just a real racer’s grasp of the spirit of motorsport, and plenty of slow motion footage, showing what the tyres endure through the toughest of corners.
“I don’t want to see how tortured the tyres look at full speed through Eau Rouge and Raidillon,” said Audi’s Allan McNish at Spa last year, when Michelin brought the first-ever SLICK wet tyre to the party. Who knows what they’ll have for P0rsche at Le Mans 2014? We’ll enjoy watching. Here is “We Are Racers”.
![Porsche at Le Mans: 911 French Connection]()
by John Glynn | Jun 1, 2014 | Porsche News, Race and Rally
Testing for the 2014 24 Heures du Mans/Le Mans 24 Hours took place yesterday at Circuit de la Sarthe. While the Porsche team said it was happy with progress on the LMP1 hybrid – 90 laps completed in the morning session and 103 laps in the afternoon – both prototypes suffered small engine/overheating fires while stationary in the garage, and there were rumbles of discontent in the paddock concerning Porsche 919 flexible bodywork.
Sam Collins from Racecar Engineering magazine broke the body story on Saturday, following the pre-testing photo session held at the circuit. Sam’s photos show Audi engineers taking more than a passing interest in the 919’s rear bodywork, which at the time was missing a piece right at the back, allegedly pushing it outside the bodywork rules.
For the Sunday test, the missing component was present, and the appearance seemed to satisfy the regulations. But, as other teams had intimated on Saturday evening, photos were found that apparently showed the 919 bodywork deflecting at speed. This reduces drag and is not allowed in the rules – just as in F1.
“During the official pre-event photo session, the updated 919 was seen for the first time by rival teams and it was noted that a significant portion of its engine cover and rear bodywork flexed with a gentle finger push,” Sam reported. “This seems to be in breach of article 3.4 of the technical regulations which states that ‘movable bodywork parts/elements are forbidden when the car is in motion’.”
Collins’ intriguing piece – please read his complete report here – goes on to share these pictures: one of the 919 LMP1 at rest, and the other showing Porsche’s Le Mans prototype at speed. The rear bodywork is seen to be deflecting downwards at speed, relative to the static breather pipe. Audi and Toyota are said to have requested clarification of the legality of Porsche’s design.
I’m sure Porsche is not alone in testing the boundaries and no doubt rules are rules, so Weissach will make any changes required. But, as a motorsport diehard and Porsche engineering fan, I am always happy to see envelopes being pushed in the quest for performance. Porsche 911 RSR engine power has long been restricted by the governing body, damaging our race-winning chances more than once, so why not stretch rules to the max on this LMP1 car?
As Brundle always says of F1: if you’re not giving pressure in motorsport, you’re taking it. Let’s apply a bit of pressure to the regs and see what happens. I’m sure you will have feedback to offer: it will be interesting to see how it works out for Stuttgart.
Thanks to Sam for letting me share this. Racecar Engineering is a great magazine, and you can also catch Sam as an energetic pit lane commentator on the excellent Radio Le Mans Internet service.
![Porsche at Le Mans: 911 French Connection]()
by John Glynn | May 16, 2014 | Porsche News, Race and Rally
Porsche has been running the 919 Hybrid on long distance reliability tests in Northern Spain. A three-day test at Aragon circuit saw all six 919 drivers clock up seat time in one 919 test car, including some night running.
Porsche 919 LMP1: Le Mans Testing
“This test focussed on reliability,” said Team Principal, Andreas Seidl. “Experience from our previous tests and first two races forced modifications which proved to be effective. This test showed some new weaknesses, which we will now try to fix. The coming two weeks will be used to prepare the two race cars and their spare parts for the pre-race test on 1st June in Le Mans. Furthermore, we will keep practicing all race specific procedures, especially pit stops.”
I wish I could say my recent radio silence was because I was down in Spain with the test team, but sadly not! Full workload at the minute and a couple of very high profile websites to build and fill with JG’s own brand of web copy. So busy that I’ve cancelled my Le Mans trip: will blog it from the sofa.
![Porsche at Le Mans: 911 French Connection]()
by John Glynn | May 12, 2014 | Classic Porsche Blog, Race and Rally
Tuthill Porsche driver and fellow Irishman, Howard Redhouse, has won the 2014 Mini Britannia one-day rally in an ice-driving Porsche 911 taken straight out of Sweden!
Tuthill Porsche wins Britannia Tour
Three Tuthill Porsche-prepared 911s took part in this precursor to the full Tour Britannia: the Belgian Historic Championship challenger of Glenn Janssens, Duncan Buck’s RSR-style rally car, and a Tuthill-built 3-litre 911, which had last run at Tuthill Porsche’s Below Zero ice driving camp on the frozen lakes of Sweden.
In changeable damp-to-wet conditions, Tuthill Porsche 911s traded fastest times on every stage of the historic motorsport event, including those run on the BBC Top Gear track at Dunsfold Park (pics by Steve Kilvington Motorsport Photography). In the end, the winning driver was long-time Tuthill competitor and experienced endurance racer, Meath’s own Howard Redhouse.
“This event was excellent fun,” smiled the victorious Redhouse. “It was my co-driver Scott Nicholson’s first motorsport outing, and we pushed flat out from the start. The sometimes damp, sometimes wet conditions were a great leveller in the inter-team battle between our 3-litre ice driving car and Glenn Janssens’ championship-winning monster. It’s a very satisfying victory!”
“Only one thing beats watching Tuthill Porsche cars in competition, and that’s watching our drivers compete for the win,” said team boss, Richard Tuthill. “Howard, Glenn and their co-drivers gave it everything and it’s especially rewarding to see one of our Below Zero Ice Driving cars take the win. A well-prepared Tuthill Porsche with a capable driver stands a chance on any event.
Tuthill’s Winning Week
“In the last seven days, Tuthill Porsche has claimed a category win in the British Historic Rally Championship, taken second and fourth place on the 2014 Sydney London Marathon rally and we’re about to confirm a former World Champion for our team on the Classic Rally of South Africa in September: another great Tuthill 911 adventure for experts and novices alike. It’s been a week to remember!“
![Porsche at Le Mans: 911 French Connection]()
by John Glynn | May 9, 2014 | Classic Porsche Blog, Race and Rally
It’s the Mini Britannia this weekend and there’s plenty of Porsche content racing. Tuthill Porsche has prepared three 911s for the event: the mega hot 3.5-litre Porsche 911 with dog box of Glenn Janssens, a Tuthill 3.0-litre arrive-and-drive rally car for Howard Redhouse, and the very pretty RSR-style Porsche 911 of Cate and Duncan Buck.
Buck’s blue beauty will be new to many of you. Previously running an SC on the Tour Britannia, this car and the last one both feature Porsche body panels from the EB Motorsport catalogue. I had a good look at the new 911 in preparation at Tuthills and, with the improvements made at Wardington, it should be a lot of fun tomorrow.
Howard Redhouse is a very experienced race and rally competitor and has previously raced at the 24 Hours of Spa and Zolder endurance. Howard’s grey Porsche 911 SC mount looks good: preparation included a refresh in the Tuthill bodyshop after a season on the frozen lakes of Below Zero Ice Driving.
Glenn Janssen’s Porsche needs no introduction. His fire-breathing 911 featured in a Chris Harris Drive video before it won the Belgian Historic Championship. It then suffered a huge 100mph crash on frozen ground and was fully rebuilt back at Tuthill Porsche. The car won the last Belgian championship round at Rallye de Wallonie and will be fighting hard to reclaim its Belgian title.
About Mini Britannia and full Tour Britannia
Precursor to the full Tour Britannia, held over three days (August 7-9, 2014), Mini Britannia lasts just one day and comprises competition and regularity events under the one banner.
While Tour Britannia is based around North Wales and Cheshire, Mini Britannia is held down south, around Surrey. Scrutineering takes place today at the Royal Automobile Club’s Woodcote Park and is followed by an evening briefing.
Competition starts tomorrow at 8.15am. Rally competitors depart Woodcote, destination Dunsfold Park: home of the Top Gear TV show. From Dunsfold, the cars go to Brooklands, where they can explore the historic banking before heading back on track at the Mercedes World centre.
After lunch at Brooklands, the cars return to Dunsfold for on track laps and some special tests. The final stage of the day is back at Woodcote, before prizegiving.
