Porsche AG Team Manthey will be coming to the Bahrain International Circuit this weekend determined to do all possible to help its LMGTE Pro drivers Marc Lieb and Richard Lietz to win the first World Endurance Cup for GT drivers. The German-Austrian pairing is up against Aston Martin Racing’s Darren Turner and Stefan Mücke and Ferrari’s Gianmaria Bruni and Giancarlo Fisichella in a three-way fight for the title, to be battled out on track in the 6 Hours of Bahrain on Saturday, 30th November.
The No.91 and 92 Porsche 911 RSRs to be used by the factory squad in Bahrain will feature modifications that will be employed for the 2014 season – an ‘evo’ specification. Le Mans winners Lieb and Lietz currently rank third with 110 points, 15.5 away from the leading Aston Martin pair, with their team mates Joerg Bergmeister and Patrick Pilet in 6th place.
In the GTE-Am class, Frenchmen Raymond Narac and Jean-Karl Vernay are still within striking distance of taking home the FIA Endurance Trophy. The Le Mans LMGTE Am winners compete for IMSA Performance Matmut with the No.97 911 GT3 RSR from last year, and are joined by Markus Palttala (Finland). Proton Competition fields a 911 GT3 RSR with team owner Christian Ried (Germany) and his Italian teammates Paolo Ruberti and Gianluca Roda.
The 470 hp Porsche 911 RSR 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 scored many victories and title wins since 2004 in international endurance championships, it is characterised by its consequent lightweight design and sophisticated aerodynamics. The look is dominated by the flared fenders and the distinctive cooling air intakes at the front. The exceptional vehicle styling honours the anniversary “50 years of the 911”.
Hartmut Kristen, Porsche Head of Motorsport: “An exciting WEC season draws to a close in Bahrain. It was the first for the new 911 RSR which immediately followed on from Porsche’s great long distance successes with a terrific double victory in the GTE-Pro class at the Le Mans 24 Hours. In Bahrain, the 911 RSR lines up in the spec homologated for 2014. This means that the season final will be an important test for us under competition conditions, and it will undoubtedly produce some interesting information with regard to next season.”
Joerg Bergmeister (# 91): “I’ve never been to Bahrain. We’re racing there for the first time with our 2014-spec Evo-Kit which will certainly be a very interesting experience. I hope we take a step forward.”
Patrick Pilet (# 91): “Bahrain is the fourth new circuit for me this season, after Sao Paulo, Austin and Shanghai. The temperatures there ensure that it’ll be a heated battle in the truest sense of the word. This means we’ll need to prepare the car perfectly – not to mention the drivers and teams, as well.”
Marc Lieb (# 92): “The fact that we’re driving our 2014-spec car in Bahrain for the first time makes it a very special race for us. I’m confident that we’ll do well there and manage to wind up the season successfully.”
Richard Lietz (# 92): “I hope that the improvements we’ve made on our car for Bahrain have a positive effect and things go better for us than they have at the last few races. The track is great and I’m looking forward to an interesting season finale.”
Quotes taken from Porsche press release
