In an interesting PR move, timed to make the monthly motoring press just as its former WEC rivals take to the track at Spa Francorchamps for the first race of the 2018 World Endurance Championship on May 3-6, Porsche has run a modified version of its lightened 919 Hybrid with over 50% more downforce around the Spa Francorchamps circuit, setting a time twelve seconds quicker than the WEC pole position lap from last year’s Spa Six Hours.
Porsche took 39 kilos off the 919 LMP1’s dry weight in race trim by losing the 919 race car’s air jacks, lights, air conditioning, windscreen wiper, race control trackers and other parts, allowing the car to top the scales a smidge under 850 kilos. The maths here are a little strange, as the minimum dry weight allowed under LMP1 regs is 875 kilos, so you would think it might have been lighter, but anyway.
The car was then fitted with a much-improved aero package, including a larger front wing and a massive rear wing, both fitted with hydraulically controlled drag reduction systems (DRS) to strip away downforce on Spa’s long Kemmel Straight. Together with changes to the floor and turning vanes, the downforce produced by this tweaked 919 was 53% higher than the WEC-legal 919 LMP1 that took pole at Spa in 2017.
The real benefit of the improved downforce at this particular track is that the driver can run the car absolutely flat out from the exit of the La Source hairpin, through Eau Rouge and Radillion and the Kemmel Straight up to the braking for Les Combes: a distance of more than 2 kilometres. We don’t know the top speed difference with the higher entry speed and DRS being used, but I guess that it’s not a small number.
The lighter weight and higher downforce was pushed along by more horsepower from the 2-litre V4 Turbo engine, which enjoyed substantial improvements when freed from the fuel consumption limits imposed as part of the endurance racing regs, where the fuel usage at Spa was capped at just under 2.5 litres per lap. Set to use as much fuel as the engine could handle, power from the V4 rose from 500 bhp to over 720 horsepower – approaching 50% more. The hybrid systems were tweaked to add ten percent more power, so 440 horsepower.
With 440hp driving the front wheels and 720 bhp driving the rear wheels, Weissach added reinforced wishbones to all four corners, added an “actively controlled lockout system” (whatever this does, it was not fitted to the WEC compliant 919) and a new brake-by-wire system to limit yaw as the car piled through Spa’s twists and turns. With so much more power, downforce and electronic controls, the car set a lap time some three quarters of a second quicker than Lewis Hamilton’s F1 pole position lap from 2017.
Obviously there is some satisfaction for Porsche in demonstrating the potential of an unleashed 919, but it is hardly a like-for-like comparison with cars running in a fully FIA compliant form in higher ambient temperatures later in the year, so what the exercise actually tells us is hard to say. However, there can be no doubting the intention of the timing of this release, which will definitely be a talking point at next month’s Spa 6 Hours and will also form part of the chatter all the way through the 2018 season.
WEC mandarins might be pretty cross at Porsche’s timing, but spectators have every right to feel equally annoyed that the governing body won’t let manufacturers spending millions of Euros in race car development run these cars at their full potential, all of the time. Instead, WEC (and F1) fans are challenged to follow quieter racing with arbitrary fuel economy targets. Obviously endurance is partly about deploying energy with intelligence but capping the engines at less than two-thirds of their potential is a huge downside: a 2-litre engine making 720 bhp is something quite special and worth shouting about.
I like the 919 hot rod story, but am not sure what to take away from it other than Volkswagen is pretty unhappy with the handicaps applied to its prototypes and wants to make a point right at the start of the first season it won’t be running with Porsche or Audi in LMP1. The other big stone flipped over by this is that, if an F1 car was allowed to pick a time and date to run at its full potential with unhindered engine power, full electronics and optimum aero around Spa Francorchamps, then a tweaked 850-kilo LMP1 car probably wouldn’t see it for very long. Whether that matters or not is another story. Pretty sure I know which of my race friends will squeak the loudest.
The Porsche team literally went balls-out from pole position in the final race of the 2017 World Endurance Championship season (see Neel Jani’s photo below), but even that was not enough to stop Toyota Gazoo Racing from taking its fifth win of the year.
At the chequered flag in Bahrain, the number eight Toyota of Sébastien Buemi, Kazuki Nakajima and Anthony Davidson claimed victory ahead of the two Porsche 919 Hybrids, but that was only after the number 1 919 had a collision with the number 86 Gulf Porsche while leading the race. Tandy was forced into the pits, Davidson took over the lead and built a 70-second cushion ahead of the number 2 919, which had pitted for fresh front bodywork during hour one.
That was pretty much all she wrote on positions, and the top three LMP1 cars finished in this order. Toyota’s win made the TS050 Hybrid the first car in WEC or the old World Sportscar Championship to win five races in a single season: well done to all the Toyota team on a terrific battle. I also liked what Akio Toyoda, President of the Toyoda Motor Corporation had to say after the race:
“What I thought anew following our last three races with Porsche, starting with the Fuji round, was that I wanted to compete in a race that would make Porsche want to take on Toyota again. That is one of the reasons we approached Fuji, Shanghai, and, then, Bahrain determined to win, and, this time, we were able to do just that.
“It was determined at the previous race in Shanghai that Porsche would be this year’s champion. To Porsche, please let me once again offer my congratulations. Although we experienced our share of regret this year, if this final race leaves Porsche feeling it would like another chance to take on Toyota, our team would be able to end the season with a bit of pride. To all those at Porsche, by all means, someday, on some road, for our mutual making of ever-better cars, please let us compete with you again.”
Porsche had to win the GTE Pro race to claim the GT crown for 2017, but it was not to be. The Ferrari came home in front and took that title, while Aston Martin claimed honours in GTE Am. “We did a lot of things right in this first season with the new 911 RSR,” said Richard Lietz. “Ultimately, we were in a position to fight for the drivers’ world championship. In today’s race, we tried several courageous measures and learned a lot, albeit a little too late. Nevertheless, I take my hat off to the team for being so brave. We were beaten by a very strong opponent.”
Alonso takes Pole Position for Le Mans attention
Toyota also scored a huge PR win post-race by announcing that every deck chair’s favourite driver, Fernando Alonso, would test for the team in Bahrain next week, with a view to competing at Le Mans in 2018. Next year may be Alonso’s best chance to take the win en route to his dream “Triple Crown” – winning the Monaco Grand Prix, Le Mans 24 and Indy 500 – but he has a few talented team mates and the usual roll of the motorsport dice to beat first.
So we reach the end of the road for the 919 Hybrid, although it might not be the Porsche WEC team’s last hurrah. Rumours of upcoming regulation changes in the not too distant future to bring road car styling back to the top WEC category has got McLaren and Aston looking at projects. Staying at home while supercar competitors steal the marketing gold at La Sarthe would be rather un-Porschelike.
Porsche may not have won the penultimate round of the 2017 FIA Word Endurance Championship in Shanghai, China, but second and third on the podium was enough to secure the manufacturers’ title in LMP1. The positions also allowed Brendon Hartley, Earl Bamber and Timo Bernhard to secure drivers’ world championship titles.
The race took place in cool, dry conditions and began with a hitch for the Porsches, when the Jani/Lotterer/Tandy car had some problems early on and lost time in the pits. The rival Toyotas held first and second until lap 174, when the second Toyota was involved in a crash. That car was forced to pit for repairs and Porsche moved into the podium places, eventually claiming enough points to get the job done.
Quotes from the world champion Porsche Works Drivers
“I was second in the car and stayed there for 76 laps,” said incoming F1 Scuderia Toro Rosso driver, Brendon Hartley. “We lost a lot of downforce in the beginning, so the first stint was hard work. At the stop, we changed the nose which improved this issue. We also had one set of tyres less than all the other cars after we lost one in qualifying, so this was a kind of game over for us. But we definitely have had an incredibly year. Taking the World Championship title after winning Le Mans – it might take a while until it all sinks in. I’ve had a busy few weeks but, sharing this moment with Earl and Timo? I will not forget for the rest of my life.”
“World Champion! It just sounds amazing!” said a delighted Earl Bamber. “The team was fighting hard for it all year and now we’ve grabbed the manufacturers’ and drivers’ world championships. I did a double stint at the start of the race. It was okay but it didn’t look like we were on the right tyre. I just tried to manage the tyre as best as I could for the double stint. The tyres held on well, but we didn’t have a chance against the Toyota. The task was to bring it home in third position which ultimately became second. This weekend is super special. I can hardly believe that I won my first championship with Porsche back in 2013, only four years ago.”
Timo Bernhard echoed the thoughts of his team mates. “The second world championship title: this is kind of crazy and difficult to put in words. It is an honour to drive for the Porsche LMP Team and I am relieved that we have secured both titles here. Now we can face Bahrain a little more relaxed. My stint was good, but of course we knew that a third place finish would be enough. I could have pushed harder but it just wasn’t necessary. Instead we slowed the car down a bit for safety. Toyota was not really within reach today, but the car was reliable and the crew did another sensational job. This is what endurance racing is about. Many, many thanks to everyone and of course to Brendon and Earl.”
With both titles secure, I was sort of expecting Porsche to stay home from Bahrain as it has nothing left to accomplish, but it sounds like the 919 will take to the racetrack for one final event in front of the management board. That will be a fitting send-off for this technical tour de force as Porsche shuts down its LMP1 squad to allegedly focus on a secret F1 programme.
One bright spark in my inbox this morning was this nicely preserved Porsche 550A Spyder, which is heading for the Bonhams Scottsdale auction in January.
There can’t be too many 550A Spyders left with the provenance of this one. Apparently the penultimate 550A Spyder produced, chassis number 0145 began its racing life in the 1958 season, including taking part in the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, where it finished 11th. Eleventh was also last place but owning an ex-Grand Prix Porsche is a good story.
Going by some online detectiving, this particular 550A has been with the current owner since 2013, and appeared back on the market in 2015 with Fiskens at Retromobile Paris. Offered for sale at $6.5 million back then, it subsequently popped up again at Goodings Pebble Beach sale the following year, with an estimate of five to six million dollars – quite a bit lower. No estimate has been placed on 0145 for Scottsdale just yet, so Bonham’s sense of where the market might be for the car will be interesting. My own feeling is that they will match Goodings’ guidelines at 5 to 6 million dollars.
Porsche 550A Spyder race history
One previous sales text for the car says it was a works race car, competing at four events through 1958 before passing into private hands, but another text tells a different story, with the car being bought by privateer Count Carol Godin de Beaufort from new and raced all over Europe, including Aspern-Vienna airport, Nürburgring 1000kms, Dutch Grand Prix, Le Mans 24 hours, the 12 Hours of Rheims, Zandvoort NAV, Trento-Bondone hillclimb, 10 Hours of Messina, Zandvoort, the Rheinland Palatine Prize, Nürburging Grand Prix, Karlskoga Grand Prix, Goodwood, Innsbruck and more.
After Count Carol sold the car, it spent time in Canada and then sold into America, where it raced extensively. It came home to Germany in the early 1990s and then moved to Italy in 2002, with an owner who campaigned it on ten Mille Miglia reruns. Good times! Now it is back up for sale.
Scottsdale is always an interesting auction. It takes place at the start of the year, when many classic collectors may be feeling less certain about how tastes have changed through the end of the previous year. Some come into the new year feeling upbeat about prospects but hanging back on bidding just to see what their rivals think. Other buyers will be looking to score a bargain and this can encourage some competitive bidding up to a preset maximum, usually well below the reserve. It is then up to the auctioneer to keep bids coming in, with the backroom team trying to make a deal happen if the car fails to sell on the block.
550 Spyders are often a good signpost on high end collector sentiment. A nicely patinated but unraced 550 was offered at Goodwood Revival in Sep 2016 and sold for £4.6 million – just over $6 million at current exchange rates but well short of the £6.2 million top estimate. How this is estimated and what it actually tops out at (or sells for) will set a tone for the start of 2018. All very interesting.
Photos by Bonhams/P. Litwinski
Ferdinand blogs my freelance adventure with Porsche at the centre. To support the blog or engage with me in other ways, you can:
This weekend’s 6 Hours of Shanghai is the penultimate race for the successful Porsche 919 LMP1 hybrids. It will be Porsche’s second-last race in the premier league of endurance racing.
Current championship leaders, Earl Bamber, Timo Bernhard and Brendon Hartley have scored 172 championship points while second-placed Toyota drivers, Nakajima and Buemi, are on 133. Should the Toyota (Nak/Buemi and our hero, Ant Davidson) take maximum points in China and score 26 points, the Porsche trio need to finish the race in at least third position for them to clinch the drivers’ world championship title.
In theory, this should not be difficult. There are only four LMP1 cars taking part, so even if the leaders are running last and Toyota is running first and second, Porsche could apply team orders and move the 919 in front of the sister car. But that assumes they reach the finish, and as we all know, nothing is certain in racing.
Brendon Hartley odds-on for F1 drive
Well, that may not be quite true, as it seems Brendon Hartley is 99% certain to clinch the Toro Rosso drive in 2018. Team boss Franz Tost has been open about Gasly and Hartley as his top picks for next year in press conferences so it’s likely to happen. This is great news for Brendon and a well deserved drive in F1. A final WEC championship title would keep him warm while he battles with the Scuderia’s incoming Honda power unit next year, so we’re all wishing him well with that.
How Hartley might jump from a Toro Rosso drive into the full Red Bull team will also be interesting. Red Bull has Ricciardo and Sainz under contract for the next year or two, and Max is signed up for another three years, so Hartley’s path is not clear cut. Who cares for now: as long as he’s racing in decent cars and on my TV that is all I’m really bothered about. It is clear that Porsche was not getting the sort of spectator engagement in WEC that teams get in F1, so I am still putting money on an F1 entry after the new engine rules are announced.
Porsche wants third WEC crown
“After three consecutive Le Mans overall wins, we also want to get both world championship titles for the third time,” said Fritz Enzinger, Porsche’s LMP chief. “This would be the crown of our LMP1 programme and this is what we are aiming for. At the most recent six-hour race in Japan, we had our first match point but we didn’t succeed. Instead we lost ground to our competitor Toyota. In Shanghai we’ve got our next chance, so staying fully focussed remains our priority.”
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