Porsche celebrates double victory at Le Mans 24-hour marathon

PORSCHE has once again made history and won both GTE classes at the world’s toughest long distance race. In the Pro category, the Porsche 911 RSR with the starting number 92 concluded the 86th edition of the Le Mans 24 Hours in first place after 344 laps. The driver trio of Kévin Estre (France), Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium) and Michael Christensen (Denmark) held the lead for almost the entire distance and controlled the race on the tradition-steeped 13.626-kilometer racetrack. The works drivers crowned their flawless performance with class victory number 106 for Porsche.

The sister car (#91) shared by Richard Lietz (Austria), Frédéric Makowiecki (France) and Gianmaria Bruni (Italy) perfectly rounded off the double victory for Porsche in the GTE-Pro class. Frédéric Makowiecki provided a special highlight. The Frenchman fought an epic duel with a competitor for an hour and a half, fending off all attacks to claim second place. With these two triumphs at the 24-hour marathon in France, Porsche has extended its lead in the drivers’ and manufacturers’ classifications of the FIA WEC world championship.

“An absolutely perfect weekend for Porsche,” said Dr Wolfgang Porsche, the Chairman of the Supervisory Board. “You can’t wish for more than this in our anniversary year. It’s impossible to plan such a thing, but when it happens it’s an indescribable feeling. Congratulations to the drivers, the teams and all the employees who made this success possible. It makes me very proud.”

Technical problems with the #93 911 threw the car far behind during the night. Patrick Pilet

(France), Earl Bamber (New Zealand) and Nick Tandy (Great Britain) lost 25 minutes due to repairs and ultimately finished on 11th. For Romain Dumas (France), Timo Bernhard and Sven Müller (both Germany), the race was over after seven hours. Their car (#94) retired in the night with suspension damage.

The #77 Porsche fielded by Dempsey-Proton Racing celebrated an impressive win in the GTE-Am class. Putting in an inspired drive, Porsche Young Professional Matt Campbell (Australia), Christian Ried (Germany) and Porsche Junior Julien Andlauer (France) notched up the 107th class win for Porsche. At just 18 years of age, Julien Andlauer has become the youngest class winner at Le Mans.

While the second car fielded by the Dempsey-Proton Racing team (#88) was sidelined with suspension damage, the 510 hp 911 (#99) run by Proton Competition narrowly missed out on a podium spot in fourth place. The Porsche 911 RSR with the starting number 80 (Ebimotors) and 56 (Team Project 1) finished the Le Mans 24hour marathon on 6th and 7th, respectively. The vehicle campaigned by Gulf Racing (#86) was relegated to the back of the field at the beginning of the race after becoming entangled in an accident caused by another competitor. Pulling out all stops, the team fought their way back up the order to finish 10th. “We prepared meticulously for this race and have worked towards this for months. The entire team did a perfect job. We’re incredibly proud of this double victory in the GTEPro class and of winning the amateur classification. This is a fantastic achievement from our employees. Porsche belongs to Le Mans and Le Mans belongs to Porsche,” said Oliver Blume, CEO of Porsche AG, on the double victory.

For more information, contact Porsche Philippines at 7270381 to 85 or visit any Porsche showroom in Alabang, Global City, Greenhills and SM Seaside City Cebu.

“YOU CAN’T WISH FOR MORE THAN THIS IN OUR ANNIVERSARY YEAR. IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO PLAN SUCH A THING, BUT WHEN IT HAPPENS IT’S AN INDESCRIBABLE FEELING. CONGRATULATIONS TO THE DRIVERS, THE TEAMS AND ALL THE EMPLOYEES WHO MADE THIS SUCCESS POSSIBLE. IT MAKES ME VERY PROUD.”