After challenging conditions, the Porsche GT Team will head into the final round leading the world championship, after achieving its third win of the season. The No.92 Porsche 911 RSR of Kevin Estre and Neel Jani narrowly beat the No.91 sister car of Gianmaria Bruni and Richard Lietz in the six-hour race in Bahrain. After a one-two result last time out, Porsche has now moved into the lead in the manufacturers’ championship with only one round left of the season left to go. The Porsche customer teams, Dempsey-Proton Racing and Project 1 also achieved podiums in the GTE-Am class.
“It was a difficult weekend because there was a lot of pressure – we definitely had to perform today” explains Alexander Stehlig, Head of Operations FIA WEC. “We needed to earn maximum points in order to stay in the fight for the championship heading to the final round. It worked. I’d like to thank all the mechanics, engineers and drivers – that was a perfect performance. From the outside, perhaps this double victory looked easy – it was anything but that. The tyres had to endure long stints in intense heat. It always hangs on the knife’s edge. We balanced this beautifully. Now we go up against our rivals on an equal footing for the big finale next weekend. I’m really looking forward to it!”
Kevin Estre took to the starting grid in pole position with Gianmaria Bruni lining up in second. With an air temperature of 35 degrees the race got underway in incredibly hot conditions, both cars got of the grid well and entered the first corner ahead of their nearest rivals. Tyre wear was the top priority during this 6-hour endurance race, but the experience of the drivers showed and both managed to keep their tyres in perfect shape ahead of the pitstops. Fantastic work by the pit crew meant the cars were able to maintain their position on track. The chequered flag fell to mark the end of a difficult 6-hour race, with Estre and Jani finishing just 0.690 seconds ahead of the sister car, giving the team a well-deserved one-two.
Meanwhile, in the GTE-Am class, the race on the Bahrain circuit saw tight competition across the amateur drivers. They not only had to keep a competitive lap time but also had to manage tyre degradation in the hot conditions.
The No.77 car fielded by the Dempsey-Proton team owner Christian Ried along with teammates Matt Campbell and Jaxon Evans showed impressive pace throughout their stints and by the end of the race saw them claim second place in class. Project 1’s No.56 car of Egidio Perfetti, Matteo Cairoli and Riccardo Pera, maintained great pace throughout the race and finished in third place.
Estre and Jani’s win means they head into the final round, one point behind in the driver’s world championship. The sister car of Bruni and Lietz is currently behind in third place. The FIA WEC finale takes place this Saturday, 6 November. Drivers will once again race around the Bahrain circuit competing in the 8-hour finale.
Kévin Estre (Porsche 911 RSR #92): “That was a very critical victory for us in the No. 92 car and an extremely important one-two result for Porsche. This gives us every chance to fight for the title at the finale. As a team, we gave a perfect performance. I’d like to thank our teammates in the sister car for not making life too difficult for us. That really helped. Now I’m looking forward to the decisive race. We want to achieve a similar top result again.”
Neel Jani (Porsche 911 RSR #92): “A one-two success for the Porsche 911 RSR – it couldn’t be better. We drove with our sister car in formation for the entire race. Right at the end, they stopped their attack. Many thanks to our colleagues! First place today is hugely important for us to be in the best position in the drivers’ world championship for the final round. We’re now just one point behind the leaders. Next weekend we’ll do everything to scoop the title pool at the season finale.”
Gianmaria Bruni (Porsche 911 RSR #91): “Mission accomplished. We wanted positions one and two – and we did it. It couldn’t be better for Porsche. I’m very grateful to be part of this big Porsche family. We’ve taken another step towards the possible title win. Hopefully, we’ll take a much bigger step next Saturday.”
Richard Lietz (Porsche 911 RSR #91): “It was crucial to preserve the tyres over the distance. Bahrain is extremely demanding so you have to take care. If you overexploit the peak grip at the start on fresh tyres, you pay the price at the end of the stint. That’s why our focus was always on not putting too much energy into the tyres. This worked well. We also decided not to fight against our team colleagues because that would have cost us a lot of time. From my point of view, this was a perfect race for Porsche.”
Race result
GTE-Pro class
1. Estre/Jani (F/CH), Porsche GT Team, Porsche 911 RSR #92, 174 laps
2. Lietz/Bruni (A/I), Porsche GT Team, Porsche 911 RSR #91, 174 laps
3. Calado/Pier Guidi (GB/I), AF Corse, Ferrari 488 GTE #51, 174 laps
4. Serra/Molina (BR/E), AF Corse, Ferrari 488 GTE #52, 174 laps
GTE-Am class
1. Keating/Pereira/Fraga (USA/L/BR), Aston Martin Vantage GTE #33, 172 laps
2. Ried/Campbell/Evans (D/AUS/NZ), Dempsey-Proton Racing, Porsche 911 RSR #77, 172 laps
3. Perfetti/Cairoli/Pera (N/I/I), Team Project 1, Porsche 911 RSR #56, 172 laps
Wainwright/Barker/Gamble (GB/GB/GB), GR Racing, Porsche 911 RSR #86, 171 laps
6. Wainwright/Barker/Gamble (GB/GB/GB), GR Racing, Porsche 911 RSR #86, 171 laps
13. Andlauer/de Leener/Al Qubaisi (F/B/UAE), Dempsey-Proton Racing, Porsche 911 RSR #88, 166 laps