After a trouble-free race debut for the two Porsche AG Team Manthey cars at Silverstone, the attention of the Meuspath-based team now turns towards the second round of the FIA World Endurance Championship at Spa this weekend.
At the wheel of the No.91 Porsche 911 RSR, Porsche works drivers Joerg Bergmeister (Germany), Patrick Pilet (France) and Timo Bernhard (Germany) will take their place in the hotly-contested LMGTE Pro class. Sharing the cockpit of the No.92 vehicle are their works driver colleagues Marc Lieb (Germany), Richard Lietz (Austria) and Romain Dumas (France).
In the LMGTE Am class, two customer teams run the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR from last year. Driving for Proton Competition in the No.88 entry are Christian Ried (Germany) and his Italian teammates Paolo Ruberti and Gianluca Roda, with the all-French line-up of Raymond Narac, Christophe Bourret and Jean-Karl Vernay racing for IMSA Performance Matmut in the No.76 Porsche.
The Porsche 911 RSR delivers 470 hp and is based on the seventh generation of the iconic 911 sports car. As the successor to the winning 911 GT3 RSR, with which Porsche customers have scored many victories and title wins since 2004, it is characterised by an ultra-lightweight design and sophisticated aerodynamics. The look is dominated by the flared mudguards and the deep cooling air intakes at the front. The exceptional vehicle styling honours the anniversary “50 years of the 911”.
Hartmut Kristen, Head of Porsche Motorsport: “After the successful debut in Silverstone we are hoping to make another step forward in Spa with the 911 RSR. The track is interesting and very challenging for the drivers. The weather is usually very changeable and this plays an important role.”
Joerg Bergmeister (# 91): “Spa is virtually a home race for me. A good hour in the car and I’m there. I’m feeling very confident and hope for our first podium result with the new 911 RSR.”
Patrick Pilet (# 91): “Spa is one of the most beautiful race tracks in the world. I’m looking forward to racing the 911 RSR there. The vehicle is good in fast corners and Spa has plenty of those.”
Timo Bernhard (# 91): “As we saw at the first race in Silverstone, the 911 RSR has a really good basis and this gives us confidence. Driving in Spa is always a huge challenge.”
Marc Lieb (# 92): “Spa is super cool, it’s my absolute favourite race track. I look forward to this race the whole year. And with our new car it’s certain to be even more fun.”
Richard Lietz (# 92): “The many fast corners should suit our car. Marc feels right at home on this track, so I’m sure we’ll do well in qualifying. In the race, we have our sights set on a podium spot.”
Romain Dumas (# 92): “Whether the track is dry or wet – Spa is something very special. For the new 911 RSR, this race is the final rehearsal for its first Le Mans campaign.”
From Porsche AG press release
Photo: SILVERSTONE CIRCUIT (TOWCESTER, NORTHAMPTONSHIRE, UK), 6 HOURS OF SILVERSTONE, SUNDAY 14TH APRIL 2013 (COURTESY OF PORSCHE AG)
