Porsche Racing had a disappointing run at yesterday’s Long Beach Grand Prix in California. Racing in the Tudor IMSA series ‘showcase’ at Long Beach, the 100-minute street race left little time to fight back from a low starting position.
While Richard Lietz and Patrick Pilet initially went well in qualifying, running P2 and P3 early on and driving the wheels off their Porsche 911 RSRs (see the video below), the cars started the race further down the field. The tight and twisty street circuit is tough for overtaking, so when Lietz put a move on Oliver Gavin’s Corvette at the start, there was no room for error. Sod’s Law, that is what happened.
“An accident at the start is something you can really do without, particularly on a street circuit like Long Beach,” said Lietz. “You know that the race is short and that overtaking is difficult, so you try everything to make up positions at the start. That didn’t work this time. I didn’t expect the Corvette to swerve towards me. I couldn’t avoid him and ended up in the wall.”
Looks more like he ended up in the Corvette (above), but Pilet made the most of his team mate’s misfortune, to come home in fourth place. “I was lucky in the first corner after the start. While Richard’s car was forced into the wall, I just managed to scrape through. Our car wasn’t easy to drive in the first laps, but it improved over the course of the race and the balance got better. In fact, we weren’t far off the top with our times. Still, on this narrow circuit it was impossible to overtake.”
IMSA Porsche Racing California
The number 911 RSR eventually finished eighth overall, with local driver and polesitter Bill Auberlene on the top step in the BMW Z4. No surprise to see a win from pole on this super short race. If you’re wondering why teams put all that time and money into racing an almost nonexistent event, look at where Long Beach is situated, just south of Los Angeles central. It’s the easiest place to market to those who won’t come to a circuit.
Not done the maths yet, but I think this keeps Porsche at the bottom of the championship table in the GT Le Mans class of the Tudor IMSA series. Next round is Laguna Seca at the start of May: another short race of just 2 hours 40 minutes, but with more room to get past the rest. We’ll have to see how things pan out with Michael Christensen in the number 911 RSR, while some of the boys come home for Spa WEC.
Watch the IMSA Tudor Sportscar Showcase Long Beach qualifying on video here:
The awesome Kévin Estre will join the Porsche works drivers for the second round of this year’s World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) at Spa Francorchamps. The current McLaren factory driver has been let off Woking’s leash to come play with 911s in Belgium.
Estre is a proper racing driver, as proved by his 2013 Carrera Cup Deutschland title. Anyone who wins this series – undoubtedly the world’s most challenging one-make championship – is a monster behind the wheel, especially when they beat Nicki Thiim as their Attempto Racing team mate.
Estre and the Porsche Works Drivers
I was surprised when Kévin did not get a Porsche works drive after winning that championship in such fine style. Stuttgart was rammed with pilots at the time, so I can see why they picked the lineup they went with. It is very exciting to have the 26 year-old Frenchman back in a 911: and the full-fat number 92 factory Porsche Manthey Racing RSR, at that.
Estre went to McLaren at the end of 2013 and made the most of the opportunity, outperforming expectations for the chassis. He also kept his hand in with Porsches, sharing a GT3R with Jaap van Lagen in GT Masters and picking up a couple of wins last year (below at Zandvoort).
Alongside the GT Masters wins and that 2013 Carrera Cup DE championship, Kévin was runner up in the Porsche Supercup that year, Rookie of the Year in 2012, and French Carrera Cup champion in 2011. Estre excels in the wet, so if it rains in Spa (not that unlikely), we are in for a proper 911 race.
Sharing the car is Sven Müller, the quick Porsche Junior who was very impressive in testing following his maiden win in Porsche Supercup at Monza last September. Muller was impressive at Spa, qualifying fourth and finishing just off the podium, behind Bamber, Thiim and Bachler. No shame there.
The Spa-Francorchamps round of the 2015 WEC season runs from May 1-2. You can watch the race live online if you know where to go: WEC rounds are also shown in full on Motors TV and Fox Sports.
Kevin Estre versus Sean Edwards Nürburgring video
Now for some video! Here’s Kévin racing Sean Edwards at the Nürburgring during his 2013 season. Christian Engelhart won this race, but the real action was behind, as Estre and Alex Riberas gave Sean a hard time. Running wide across the grass in the duel with Alex earned Sean a stop/go penalty, hence what happens at the end. Fantastic driving – Edwards was an old-school Nürburgring hero.
The 6 Hours of Silverstone was a gripping opening race for the 2015 World Endurance Racing championship. Incredible speed in the LMP1 class set a new distance record in an event that will go down as one of the best: scroll down for the Porsche AG video report.
Porsche Racing at Silverstone
Both Porsche 919 LMP1 Hybrids qualified on the front row and had a good start. The number 17 Webber/Hartley car set the early pace, ahead of the number 18 919 of Dumas/Lieb/Jani. While the Audis got trapped behind a Toyota, Webber built a lead of more than 12 seconds up to quarter race distance, through a full course yellow and virtual safety car.
Just over an hour and half into the race, the 17 car entered pit lane earlier than expected. The leading 919 Hybrid was pulled back into the garage and taken to bits. Rear drivetrain issues (gearbox failure) was the reason given for what would become its early retirement, with all attention switching to the number 18 919.
Meanwhile, the 911 RSRs battled hard to run in the lead of both GT classes early on. The 92 RSR of Pilet/Makowiecki hit problems with a damper failure mid-race, but kept running at the back of the pack to pick up any stray points in the manufacturer championship.
The number 91 Lietz/Christensen Porsche 911 RSR took no prisoners with a robust drive to the podium. Lietz was on a mission from the start, supported by the stylish Danish driver. The Ferraris and Astons proved tough competition, with the AF Corse cars dominating the middle part of the race. A quick last pitstop by the Porsche Manthey team put Christensen into a Ferrari-splitting P2 for the final stint: a position he never relinquished.
As the incredible race hit the last twenty minutes, the number 7 Audi that had run a blistering pace all afternoon was hit with a stop-and-go penalty that could have handed the lead to the 919 Hybrid. Toyota had already done its final stop, as had the 919. The Porsche was running P2, but Buemi’s Toyota was closing the gap.
The eventual grandstand finish was the perfect end to an exceptional race. Sixteen seconds covered the top three positions: Porsche finished second, less than five seconds behind the winning Audi. Three LMP1 hybrid solutions showed amazing versatility: the torquey Audi strongest in the corners and in traffic with the Porsche insanely fast on the straights. If every race is like this through the 2015 championship, this could be the best endurance racing season ever.
Watch the Porsche AG video below and don’t miss the next round of the 2015 WEC from Spa-Francorchamps circuit.
Just back from the 2015 Circuit of Ireland Rally with Tuthill Porsche, doing team media and shooting some video of the Porsche 911 R-GT rally car. As the first contemporary Porsche 911 rally car to take part in ‘The Circuit’ (as we call it in Ireland) for almost thirty years, this was a proper weekend, worthy of my volunteer status!
Circuit of Ireland Porsche drivers
Robert Woodside and co-driver Allan Harryman were in the car for this event: two great guys whose fathers have both won previous Circuits. Having set fastest stage times in the production class last year, they would be quick and precise. Testing went well and Robert put huge effort into sorting out some great sponsors for the event, including Karcher UK and Rushmere Shopping Centre: Ireland’s second-largest shopping mall.
I flew in on Thursday and went straight to service in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter. It’s eleven years since I was last in Belfast and it looks pretty different now! Titanic Quarter is based around the docks and slipways where the most famous ship in history was constructed. It’s super interesting and a great place for the rally HQ. We were right by the entrance, so our tent was surrounded by spectators throughout the weekend.
As soon as I arrived, we were off: the car was due in scrutineering and we had to make tracks. I’ve just started using a Sony HXR-NX30E camcorder (awesome device), so I had a little play with that as the car went through technical inspection and received official approval to take part. The Sony’s complete lens and sensor unit is internally stabilised – check out the video at the bottom.
Once back from scrutineering with permission to compete, we had a short while to change tyres and get the car ready for shakedown. Robert and Allan took over the Porsche from here, and did two runs on a closed course to see how the car felt (top pic). That all worked out fine, so then they headed off to Belfast City Centre for the ceremonial start, while we retired to the hotel to make preparations for the following day. More of this story tomorrow!
Guido Lorenz has the job of Business Counsellor for the district of Rottenburg-Stuttgart. A student of Catholic theology from 1974 to 1980 at the University of Tübingen (home to some of the most influential religious thinkers of modern times), Guido took on his current role in 1983. He has been a sounding board and social advisor for Stuttgart’s workforce ever since.
Within weeks of starting his almost impossible appointment, Guido paid his first visit to the Porsche Zuffenhausen assembly lines. Last month, Lorenz spent two weeks working on the production lines, getting to know his workmates and understanding how things have changed at Porsche across three decades.
The Spirit of Porsche
“The previous structures were much more hierarchical,” notes Guido. “Today, every member of the team knows how to carry out every single operation. This improves the mutual understanding within the group. There is a really good team spirit among the colleagues here, regardless of gender, age or origin. Team leaders, shop stewards and foremen all make their contribution to this.
“It’s impressive how strongly all Porsche employees identify with the brand. When you look at the sports cars, it’s easy to understand why.”
Guido Lorenz on the Porsche production lines makes a decent PR story, but this man is not here to make companies feel good. His vocation lies with the workforce. As people will not open their hearts to him at the drop of a hat, he often works alongside his compatriots to develop trust and encourage communication. Previous missions have included spells as a bin man, mailman and long-distance truck driver.
With additional qualifications in marriage guidance and psychological counselling, Lorenz has expanded his remit over the last thirty years to include both employed and unemployed people. Decent conditions, jobs for young workers and fair wages and distribution of wealth have never been far from Lorenz’s agenda, which one assumes must have caused some friction through his career.
Dean of Stuttgart, Monsignor Christian Hermes, recently led a celebration of Lorenz’s contribution to working life in the city. “I know that you experience solidarity with the workers, but also amongst the unemployed. Man and his work have not only an economic value, but a human dignity: we must not let this be threatened by our own consumption needs and the mechanisms of repression.”
Brought up as a Catholic, I met no end of inspirational people through that faith over my formative years. None were doctrine obsessed: they understood the joy of shared effort, and possessed a huge internal appetite for work. This is something I have certainly absorbed.
Any sprinklings of religious fervour left me long ago, but there is an enduring sense of solidarity and collective spirituality in the connections people make. It is comforting to see that Porsche is not oblivious to the gentle power of Guido Lorenz and others like him. Those gifted with Guido’s faith in humanity can help so many people to experience a meaningful life, without bringing heaven and hell into it.
Transcript of Porsche CEO, Matthias Müller’s address at the launch of the Cayman GT4 and Porsche 991 GT3 RS in Geneva this morning. Interesting that the Glorious Leader’s first Porsche company car was a 997 GT3.
Matthias Müller Porsche 991 GT3 RS launch speech
“Ladies and gentlemen, Porsche builds sports cars. This also applies in an age when the best-selling Porsche today has four doors.
“The great success we have had by transferring sports car genes to our SUVs helps us to expand our lineup of extremely sporty cars. “Fit for the track, and fit for the road,” works in technical terms for each and every Porsche model and in economic terms for the entire Porsche fleet.
“Why is that the case? Well, striving for victory at the absolute limit on the race track was very often a source of information for extreme Porsche sports cars: for Porsche dream cars.
“For instance, the 911 Carrera RS 2.7 from 1972, which today is a coveted collectors’ item, or all past generations of the 911 GT3. I can speak from experience here, because the 997 GT3 was not [just] for a long time one of my dream cars, it was also my first company car when I joined Porsche.
“These two extreme sports cars that I am presenting [to] you here today – the Cayman GT4 and the 911 GT3 RS – follow this tradition and are continuing it with vigour and power. Both of them have set record times on the North Loop of the Nürburgring when they came into production and this says more than anything I can say for our GT customers. Most of our customers regularly drive their cars in races and they know what I am talking about.
“The 911 GT3 RS has a time of 7 minutes 20 seconds which beats many much stronger and more expensive sports cars. It’s 400 horsepower* have their maximum effect on the racetrack and nevertheless in everyday driving they are very comfortable. It is the top 911 that is still allowed to bear a licence plate for on-road driving.
“Ladies and gentlemen, ten years after the launch of the Cayman as a puristic mid-engine sports car, we have the GT4, which is introducing the crown glory of this model series. Its North Loop time of 7 minutes and 40 seconds is also unequalled in its segment.
“A pure racetrack version will follow during the course of the year: 385 horsepower and it’s irrepressibly fun to drive. The Cayman GT4 represents the lowest cost entry into Porsche’s GT world.
“Ladies and gentlemen, it is not a coincidence that we are presenting the Cayman GT4 and the 911 GT3 RS here at the Geneva Motor Show. Switzerland and Porsche: that is a uniquely close connection. 8 million inhabitants: 39,000 Porsche sports cars registered. More Porsche per capita cannot be found in any market in the entire world.
“The Swiss when they select their models often like to go right to the top: more than 40% of all 911s here are Turbos or GT3s. In 2014, when we introduced the Macan, people in Switzerland also decided to opt mostly for the Turbo. Our continuing success here is represented by the sales figures last year, which speak volumes: they were up by more than 29%.
“So, the fact that the new Cayman GT4 and the 911 GT3 RS are being launched in Geneva is, among other things, a homage to our loyal Swiss customers. I am certain that they will provide a very good reception to these new extreme sports cars because dream cars are always in demand. Thank you very much for your attention.”
*as read by the translator. The new Porsche 991 GT3 RS in fact has 500 bhp.
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