Porsche’s 911 RSRs are readying for the ultimate season of endurance.
The World Endurance Championship makes a welcome return this weekend, with six 911 RSRs now competing in both GTE-Pro and GTE-AM classes. An epic 15-month long Super Season awaits us to ensure that Le Mans will be the final race of the year from now on. But for this year we have the pleasure of its company twice.
First up, however, is the Six Hours of Spa, a tough start to any season on the famously fast and demanding 7km circuit with its unpredictable weather and tricky altitude changes.
The factory is fielding two 911 RSRs in GTE-Pro against tough competition from Aston Martin, Ferrari, Ford and BMW. Car no.91 will sees Richard Lietz and Gianmaria Bruni paired up for the first time, while car no.92 will be shared by the familiar faces of Kévin Estre and Michael Christensen.
Vice President Motorsport and GT Cars Dr Frank-Steffen Walliser is looking forward to opening Porsche’s account in 2018: “Our GT Team is facing a long and exciting season. The Prologue in Le Castellet underlined that we’re ready for this task. Together with the three customer teams, the fans can look forward to seeing six Porsche 911 RSR in action at the first race in the Ardennes. For all the drivers and motorsport enthusiasts, the racetrack is a very special place. This huge interest motivates us even more to fight for victory in both categories and to show them what potential our 911 RSR has. It’s important for us to make a good start into the Super Season before we tackle Le Mans.”
Meanwhile, in the GTE-Am class, three customer teams are now running a total of four 911 RSRs. Project 1 finds Germany’s Jörg Bergmeister alongside American Patrick Linsdsey and Norwegian Egidio Perfetti, while UK-based Gulf Racing sees Brits Ben Barker and Michael Wainwright teamed up with Australian Alex Davison.
The other customer team is Dempsey Proton Racing, who are fielding two RSRs this year to provide Porsche’s driver pyramid with an unofficial testbed. Australian Porsche Young Professional Matt Campbell and French Porsche Junior Julien Andlauer join Christain Ried from Germany in the first car, while the second sees Italian Matteo Cairoli – also a Porsche Young Professional – team up with Kaled Al Qubaisi from the UAE and fellow Italian Giorgio Roda.
Matt Campbell, who has yet to drive the 510bhp 911 RSR in anger, seemed up for the sizeable challenge in hand: “For me, the six-hour race at Spa is the second most important event after the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Kicking off the season with such a highlight is a big challenge. The sports car world championship is a big step in my career. I still need to gain experience in the 911 RSR, however the official tests were very promising. Our car offers a lot of downforce and that gives us drivers a great deal of confidence.”
The race starts at 14.30 local time and can be seen on www.sport1.de, Eurosport and direct from the WEC through a chargeable online live stream.