Porsche wins endurance racing crown
PORSCHE CREDITED its “innovative” Le Mans Prototype Porsche 919 Hybrid race car for its success in securing the manufacturers’ title in the FIA World Endurance Championship. The team has won the crown even if there is one more race left in the season.
Porsche took the title at the six-hour race in Shanghai, China held on Nov. 6. The driver trios of Timo Bernhard, Brendon Hartley and Mark Webber, and Romain Dumas, Neel Jani and Marc Lieb finished first and fourth to earn Porsche 38 points.
With a total haul of 301 points, other teams cannot catch Porsche’s lead at the event’s last round that’s scheduled in Bahrain on Nov. 19.
“The second manufacturers’ world championship title for Porsche is another confirmation of the 919 Hybrid’s brave concept. The Weissach developed prototype joins other important Porsche race cars that were also ahead of their times, such as the 718 RS, 904, 917 or 956,” said Michael Steiner, board member for research and development at Porsche AG.
Besides the latest title, Porsche said its 919 Hybrid has won the Le Mans 24- hour race twice, taking overall victory in 2015 and in 2016. In 2015, which was the second season for the young team, Porsche said it also won the manufacturers’ world championship.
The 919 Hybrid’s power plant puts out more than 900hp, with the system’s turbo-charged 2.0-liter V4 gasoline engine making nearly 500hp while a pair of energy recovery units that feed a bank of lithium-ion batteries produces an extra 400hp or so. The engine drives the front wheels, the electric motor powers the rear axle.
Porsche said the knowledge it gains from the 919’s hybrid systems will allow the developers of the brand’s production cars to introduce a four-door concept car called the Mission E — set to be the first purely electric- driven road car from Porsche. The company said the model will go into production within the decade.