WEC: Porsche takes up the 24 Hours of Le Mans from fourth

Drivers’ parade

The drivers took part in the traditional parade in the Le Mans city centre.

Drivers' parade, FIA WEC, Le Mans, 2019, Porsche AG

Frederic Makowiecki (F), Porsche GT Team, Drivers' parade, FIA WEC, Le Mans, 2019, Porsche AG

Porsche GT Team (91), Gianmaria Bruni (I), Richard Lietz (A), Frederic Makowiecki (F), l-r, Drivers' parade, FIA WEC, Le Mans, 2019, Porsche AG

Porsche GT Team (92), Kevin Estre (F), Laurens Vanthoor (B), Michael Christensen (DK), l-r, Drivers' parade, FIA WEC, Le Mans, 2019, Porsche AG

Porsche GT Team (93), Nick Tandy (GB), Earl Bamber (NZ), Patrick Pilet (F), l-r, Drivers' parade, FIA WEC, Le Mans, 2019, Porsche AG

Porsche GT Team (94), Dennis Olsen (N), Sven Müller (D), Mathieu Jaminet (F), l-r, Drivers' parade, FIA WEC, Le Mans, 2019, Porsche AG

Team Project 1 (56), Egidio Perfetti (N), Patrick Lindsey (USA), Joerg Bergmeister (D), l-r, Drivers' parade, FIA WEC, Le Mans, 2019, Porsche AG

Team Project 1 (56), Patrick Lindsey (USA), Egidio Perfetti (N), Joerg Bergmeister (D), l-r, Drivers' parade, FIA WEC, Le Mans, 2019, Porsche AG

Dempsey Proton Racing (77), Matt Campbell (AUS), Christian Ried (D), Julien Andlauer (F), l-r, Drivers' parade, FIA WEC, Le Mans, 2019, Porsche AG

Proton Competition (78), Philippe Prette (I), Louis Prette (I), Vincent Abril (F), l-r, Drivers' parade, FIA WEC, Le Mans, 2019, Porsche AG

Dempsey Proton Racing (88), Satoshi Hoshino (JAP), Matteo Cairoli (I), Giorgio Roda (I), l-r, Drivers' parade, FIA WEC, Le Mans, 2019, Porsche AG

Gulf Racing (86), Michael Wainwright (GB), Ben Barker (GB), Thomas Preining (A), l-r, Drivers' parade, FIA WEC, Le Mans, 2019, Porsche AG

Dennis Olsen (N), Porsche GT Team, Drivers' parade, FIA WEC, Le Mans, 2019, Porsche AG

Porsche GT Team (93), Nick Tandy (GB), Patrick Pilet (F), Earl Bamber (NZ), l-r, Drivers' parade, FIA WEC, Le Mans, 2019, Porsche AG

Drivers' parade, FIA WEC, Le Mans, 2019, Porsche AG

Drivers' parade, FIA WEC, Le Mans, 2019, Porsche AG

Mark Webber at Le Mans

Mark Webber has landed in Le Mans and has his fingers crossed for the Porsche GT Team.

Mark Webber



Qualifying GTE

In sunny conditions and temperatures of 21 degrees Celsius for the second qualifying session, only small improvements in times were possible. Only at the beginning of the third qualifying session in the evening, when the 13.626-kilometre racetrack offered more grip, could lap times be slashed. At this point, Tandy managed to leap ahead, while his colleagues in the sister cars were plagued by bad luck. Multiple caution phases, interruptions to the session and a dirty track surface in the second half of the final run hampered them from turning faster laps. 

The No. 92 Porsche 911 RSR, shared by the drivers’ championship leaders Michael Christensen (Denmark) and Kévin Estre (France) with Belgium’s Laurens Vanthoor, takes up the race from position seven. Their factory driver colleagues, Gianmaria Bruni from Italy, Richard Lietz (Austria) and Frédéric Makowiecki (France), will tackle the world’s toughest endurance race from 13th on the grid in the No. 91 car. Works driver Sven Müller (Germany) and the Porsche Young Professionals Mathieu Jaminet from France and Dennis Olsen from Norway head into the race from position 15. 

Pole position for No. 88 fielded by Dempsey Proton Racing

In the GTE-Am class, Porsche’s customer teams underlined their strong performance in the first qualifying with five 911 RSR cars in the top six. The No. 88 vehicle fielded by Dempsey Proton Racing takes up the Le Mans 24-hour race from pole position. Posting a time of 3:51.439 minutes, Porsche Young Professional Matteo Cairoli (Italy) sliced around a second off his top time from the previous day. Cairoli is joined in the cockpit of the 911 campaigned by the German customer squad by his compatriot Giorgio Roda and Satoshi Hoshino from Japan. Just 0.206 seconds behind, Matt Campbell (Australia) planted last year’s winning car with the starting number 77 on the second grid spot. 


Dempsey Proton Racing (88): Patrick Dempsey, co-owner Dempsey Racing, Satoshi Hoshino, Matteo Cairoli, Giorgio Roda, l-r, Qualifying GTE, FIA WEC, Le Mans, 2019, Porsche AG
Team Dempsey Proton Racing (88): Patrick Dempsey (co-owner Dempsey Racing), Satoshi Hoshino, Matteo Cairoli, Giorgio Roda, l-r

Porsche Young Professional Thomas Preining (Austria) and Michael Wainwright and Ben Barker from Britain head into the FIA WEC season finale from P3 with Gulf Racing’s No. 86 car. Vincent Abril (France) and the Italian father/son duo Philippe and Louis Prette take up the race in the identical vehicle with the No. 78 from fifth. The Porsche 911 RSR fielded by Project 1 achieved position six. Works driver Jörg Bergmeister (Germany) shares driving duties at the wheel of the No. 56 Art Car with Egidio Perfetti (Norway) and the American Patrick Lindsey. The No. 99 Porsche 911 campaigned by Dempsey Proton Racing will not contest this year’s 24-hour race after an accident in free practice on Wednesday. 

Qualifying quotes

Pascal Zurlinden (Director GT Factory Motorsport): “In the GTE-Am class, we have three 911 RSR on the first three grid spots and five cars in the top six. Everything ran perfectly. We had less luck with our factory cars. We were constantly hampered by incidents and heavy traffic. Our cars are well prepared for the race. We’ll do better over the distance than in qualifying.”

Gianmaria Bruni (Porsche 911 RSR #91): “I was really unlucky. The conditions were good when I attempted my hot lap in the last qualifying session. The sector times indicated a significant improvement, but then the yellow flag came out in the Porsche corners and I had to reduce speed. After that we focussed on preparing for the race.” 

Michael Christensen (Porsche 911 RSR #92): “We’re actually better than the qualifying result indicates. On my flying lap I had to let two prototypes pass in the middle sector, and then I had to overtake a GT car. This cost me a lot of time. Of course we would have preferred to start from further up the grid, but our car is really well balanced, which means we’ll be able to make up a lot of ground in the race. I’m heading into the season finale feeling really good.”

Nick Tandy (Porsche 911 RSR #93): “You can’t compare the qualifying at Le Mans with any other race. Most of the time, you have to work on the setup rather than going for fast lap times. At some point you give it a go with little fuel and fresh tyres, but everything has to come together perfectly. This decisive attempt worked better for us than for many of the others. Fourth on the grid isn’t perfect, but it’s totally fine for the start of a 24-hour race.” 

Mathieu Jaminet (Porsche 911 RSR #94): “Fifteenth is disappointing for us. Still, we just have to deal with it. Our car is definitely better than it might seem at first glance. In the race we’ll be able to set a good pace. And that’s all that matters.”

Matteo Cairoli (Porsche 911 RSR #88): “This is my second pole position in a row at Le Mans – I’m blown away! My fastest lap was good, but I still lost a little time in some places. At the end I was nervous because it looked as if some other Porsche 911 RSR might still pose a threat. But it was enough. We’re heading into the big race feeling terrific.” 

Matt Campbell (Porsche 911 RSR #77): “Second is a great starting position. But much more important is the fact that our Porsche 911 RSR has a very good setup. Our speed over the distance will be consistently high. In a 24-hour race, that is always one of the key factors for a top result.” 

Thomas Preining (Porsche 911 RSR #86): “Pole position would have been possible for us. Unfortunately, after top times in the first two sectors, I lost a bit of time in the last section. Never mind, P3 is a good position to tackle such a long race. We three drivers in the number 86 car are more than happy with our Porsche 911 RSR. The race can begin.” 

Qualifying result

GTE-Pro class
1. Thiim/Sörensen/Turner (DK/DK/GB), Aston Martin Vantage, 3:48.000 minutes
2. Priaulx/Tincknell/Bomarito (GB/GB/USA), Ford GT, + 0.112 seconds 
3. Magnussen/Garcia/Rockenfeller (DK/E/D), Corvette C7.R, + 0.830 seconds
4. Pilet/Bamber/Tandy (F/NZ/GB), Porsche 911 RSR, + 0.907 seconds
7. Christensen/Estre/Vanthoor (DK/F/B), Porsche 911 RSR, + 1.196 seconds
13. Lietz/Bruni/Makowiecki (A/I/F), Porsche 911 RSR, + 1.921 seconds 
15. Müller/Jaminet/Olsen (D/F/N), Porsche 911 RSR, + 2.278 seconds

GTE-Am class
1. Hoshino/Roda/Cairoli (J/I/I), Porsche 911 RSR, 3:51.439 minutes
2. Campbell/Ried/Andlauer (AUS/D/F), Porsche 911 RSR, + 0.206 seconds
3. Wainwright/Barker/Preining (GB/GB/A), Porsche 911 RSR, + 0.505 seconds
5. Prette/Prette/Abril (I/I/F), Porsche 911 RSR, + 0.995 seconds
6. Bergmeister/Lindsey/Perfetti (D/USA/N), Porsche 911 RSR, + 1.311 seconds

Full results: http://fiawec.alkamelsystems.com

GTE Qualifying 1

At the first qualifying for the final round of the FIA World Endurance Championship WEC in Le Mans (France), the Porsche GT Team has left a strong impression. In the GTE-Pro class, all four Porsche 911 RSR claimed a spot in the top six. 

At the wheel of the 911, Nick Tandy achieved the second quickest lap time with 3:49.558 minutes in the two-hour qualifying session on the storied 13.626-kilometre racetrack. The British driver shares the No. 93 car with Patrick Pilet (France) and Earl Bamber (New Zealand).


911 RSR (93), GTE Qualifying 1, FIA WEC, Le Mans, 2019, Porsche AG

The sister car driven by Porsche works drivers Gianmaria Bruni (Italy), Richard Lietz (Austria) and Frédéric Makowiecki (France) wrapped up the night session on fourth place. Sven Müller (Germany) and the Porsche Young Professionals Dennis Olsen (Norway) and Mathieu Jaminet (France) clocked the fifth quickest time in their No. 94 911 RSR. The fourth Porsche works vehicle with the starting number 92, which is shared by last year’s winners Kévin Estre (France), Michael Christensen (Denmark) and Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium), ended the first major showdown at the 24 Hours of Le Mans on sixth. 

In temperatures of around 13 degrees Celsius, the Porsche customer teams delivered impressive performances. The Italian Matteo Cairoli was the fastest in the GTE-Am class at the wheel of Dempsey Proton Racing’s No. 88 Porsche 911 RSR. Second place was occupied by the crew of the championship leader, Project 1. The No. 77 car fielded by Dempsey Proton Racing rounded off this outstanding achievement with third place. 

Comments on the 1st qualifying

Pascal Zurlinden (Director GT Factory Motorsport): “We witnessed a great first qualifying. In the GTE-Pro class, our four cars were amongst the top six. In the GTE-Am class, the three Porsche 911 RSR locked out the first three positions after the first qualifying session. It was a very good first day, but tomorrow the lap times could even fall a bit more if it stays dry.” 

Comments of the drivers can be found in the press release.

Result Qualifying 1

GTE-Pro class
1. Priaulx/Tincknell/Bomarito (GB/GB/USA), Ford GT, 3:49.530 minutes
2. Pilet/Bamber/Tandy (F/NZ/GB), Porsche 911 RSR, + 0.028 seconds
3. Martin/Lynn/Adam (B/GB/GB), Aston Martin Vantage AMR, + 0.507 seconds
4. Lietz/Bruni/Makowiecki (A/I/F), Porsche 911 RSR, + 0.569 seconds 
5. Müller/Jaminet/Olsen (D/F/N), Porsche 911 RSR, + 0.748 seconds
6. Christensen/Estre/Vanthoor (DK/F/B), Porsche 911 RSR, + 0.938 seconds

GTE-Am class
1. Hoshino/Roda/Cairoli (J/I/I), Porsche 911 RSR, 3:52.454 minutes
2. Bergmeister/Lindsey/Perfetti (D/USA/N), Porsche 911 RSR, + 0.296 seconds
3. Campbell/Ried/Andlauer (AUS/D/F), Porsche 911 RSR, + 0.954 seconds
7. Prette/Prette/Abril (I/I/F), Porsche 911 RSR, + 1.870 seconds
10. Wainwright/Barker/Preining (GB/GB/A), Porsche 911 RSR, + 2.579 seconds

Full results: http://fiawec.alkamelsystems.com

The race

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is considered the most venerable long-distance event in the world. The first running of the race was in 1923 to showcase automotive innovation, durability and performance. The only years the classic was not contested in the city in north-western France was in 1936 (general strike in France) and between 1940 and 1948 (WWII and reconstruction). This year marks the 87th running of the Le Mans 24-hour race. On the afternoon of 15 June, 62 vehicles will head off into the race in four classes – the represents a record starting field on the 13.626-kilometre racetrack. The course is a combination of permanent racetrack (Circuit Bugatti) and public roads that are closed to traffic during the event. The famous Mulsanne straight – also known as Hunaudières – usually serves as the main route between Le Mans and Tours. The fast Porsche curves are famous and notorious. High speeds and narrow run-off zones guarantee extra thrills and spectacular racing. 

The Porsche GT Team drivers

The 2018 winners, Michael Christensen (Denmark), Kévin Estre (France) and Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium), join forces again in the No. 92 Porsche 911 RSR. The No. 91 sister car is driven by Gianmaria Bruni (Italy) and Richard Lietz (Austria) as well as Frédéric Makowiecki (France), who supported them at last year’s Le Mans endurance race. The two 911 from the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship will be decked out in the livery of the highly successful North American team, Brumos Racing. Sharing the cockpit of the No. 93 car are Earl Bamber (New Zealand), Nick Tandy (Great Britain) and Patrick Pilet (France). The youngest Porsche crew, Sven Müller (Germany) and the two Porsche Young Professionals Mathieu Jaminet (France) and Dennis Olsen (Norway), share the No. 94 cockpit. The Porsche GT Team from the U.S. endurance series recently won the three races at Sebring, Long Beach and Mid-Ohio. 

Gianmaria Bruni (I), Richard Lietz (A), Frederic Makowiecki (F), l-r, 911 RSR (91), scrutineering, FIA WEC, Le Mans, 2019, Porsche AG

Laurens Vanthoor (B), Michael Christensen (DK), Kevin Estre (F), l-r, 911 RSR (92), scrutineering, FIA WEC, Le Mans, 2019, Porsche AG

Earl Bamber (NZ), Nick Tandy (GB), Patrick Pilet (F), l-r, 911 RSR (93), scrutineering, FIA WEC, Le Mans, 2019, Porsche AG

Sven Müller (D), Dennis Olsen (N), Mathieu Jaminet (F), l-r, 911 RSR (94), scrutineering, FIA WEC, Le Mans, 2019, Porsche AG

Customer teams

With support from the American actor Patrick Dempsey, the Porsche customer team Proton Racing faces its largest undertaking by now at the Le Mans 24-hour race. The squad from the Swabian town of Ummendorf fields four Porsche 911 RSR. Sharing the wheel of the No. 77 car is team owner Christian Ried (Germany), Porsche Young Professional Matt Campbell (Australia) and Porsche Junior Julien Andlauer from France. In the No. 88 sister car, Porsche Young Professional Matteo Cairoli (Italy) joins forces with Satoshi Hoshino from Japan and the Italian Giorgio Roda. Porsche works driver Patrick Long (USA) shares the No. 99 cockpit with his compatriot Tracy Krohn and Niclas Jönsson (Sweden). Representing Proton Competition, the Italian father-son duo Louis and Philippe Prette as well Vincent Abril (France) compete in the No. 78 Porsche 911 RSR.

The Project 1 team fights for the title in the GTE-Am class with works driver Jörg Bergmeister (Germany) as well as Patrick Lindsey (USA) and Egidio Perfetti (Norway). In their maiden season in the FIA WEC, the customer squad from Lohne in Germany heads to the final round at Le Mans leading the team and drivers’ classifications. Project 1 lines up on the grid with the No. 56 Porsche 911 RSR painted as an Art Car. The American pop art artist Richard Phillips created the distinctive design that was unveiled at the Le Mans pre-tests on 2 June. Porsche Young Professional Thomas Preining (Austria) shares driving duties in Gulf Racing’s vehicle (No. 86) with the two British drivers Benjamin Barker and Michael Wainwright. 

Porsche’s successes at the 24 Hours of Le Mans

Porsche is by far the most successful marque in the almost 100-year history of the long-distance race in France. The sports car manufacturer has notched up 19 overall victories and 107 class wins. Porsche drivers have set many records on the storied racetrack. Hans Herrmann (Germany) and Richard Attwood (Great Britain) achieved the first overall victory for Porsche at Le Mans at the wheel of a 917K. A year later, Helmut Marko (Austria) and Gijs van Lennep (Netherlands) set a distance record (5.335.31 kilometres) in an identical car that remained unbroken for 39 years. Prior to this, Britain’s Jackie Oliver posted a lap time of 3:13.600 minutes in the Porsche 917LH – an achievement that has yet to be matched in an official session. In 2018, Gianmaria Bruni set a new record for GT cars at Le Mans with a qualifying lap time of 3:47.504 minutes. 

The Porsche 911 RSR

The latest Porsche 911 RSR celebrated its debut in the WEC Sports Car World Championship at Silverstone in 2017. In the current 2018/2019 Super Season, the racer from Weissach has clinched first and second in the GTE-Pro class at Le Mans as well as the GTE-Am category class win. The water-cooled four-litre boxer engine is based on the seventh generation of the iconic 911 sports car and produces around 510 hp depending on the restrictor. The works vehicles tackle the 2019 Le Man race decked out in special liveries. The two Porsche 911 RSR from the FIA WEC bear the world champion logo on the roof, with gold stripes to symbolise the title victory. The sister cars from North America will race in the same Brumos finish that was used at the first two races of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season on the storied Daytona and Sebring racetracks.


911 RSR, Porsche GT Team (93), pre-test for the 2019 Le Mans 24-hour race, 2019, Porsche AG
The 911 RSR will be decked out in speical liveries

The schedule

The track will be closed to competitors on Friday (14 June), however fans, teams and drivers can look forward to a highlight. From 5pm, the drivers will take part in the traditional parade in the Le Mans city centre. The 87th running of the world’s toughest long-distance race begins on Saturday, 15 June, at 3pm. At this year’s event, Porsche legend Hurley Haywood assumes the honorary role of Grand Marshal. The American won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1977, 1983 and 1994 driving a racing car from the Stuttgart sports car manufacturer.

The race on TV and in the Internet
The sports channel Eurosport broadcasts the free practice, qualifying sessions and the entire race live on its Eurosport 1 channel and as a live stream in Eurosport Player. The pay-TV streaming service Motorsport.TV also offers live footage of all sessions for a fee, as does the FIA WEC app. The German free-to-air station SPORT1 televises extensive highlights on Monday, June 17, from 8.30pm as well as in the Porsche GT Magazine on Wednesday, June 19, from 11pm. The pay-TV channel SPORT1+ will show a roundup of the race action on Monday, June 17, from 7.15pm.