|
Porsche Wins LMP2 Class at 2008 Le MANS with RS SPYDER
The 24 Hours of Le Mans premiere for the Porsche RS Spyder could not have gone better as, at the world’s toughest long distance race, the sports prototype from Weissach celebrated a one-two finish in the LMP2 class. After a trouble free run without a single technical problem, Jos Verstappen, Jeroen Bleekemolen and Peter van Merksteijn crossed the finish line first. The trio from the Van Merksteijn Motorsport team held an eight lap advantage at the finish over the second-placed RS Spyder of John Nielsen, Casper Elgaard and Porsche works and Penske Racing driver Sascha Maassen. Starting the sports car marathon from first and second on the grid, the two teams controlled the race with their 476 horsepower RS Spyder right from the start.
In contrast, the three teams with the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR in the production-based GT2 category experienced bad luck. After qualifying on the pole and running first and second at the beginning of the race, an accident and technical trouble robbed all hopes of repeating last year’s class victory.
 “I’m thrilled that the expectations of our customer teams, Van Merksteijn Motorsport and Essex, have been fulfilled. The RS Spyder has proven that it’s not just fast but also particularly reliable in its first 24 hour race. The professional work of the teams was also an important key to success,” said Hartmut Kristen, Head of Porsche Motorsport. “The performance of the GT3 RSR was also excellent but unfortunately they lost their chance through an unlucky accident with two of the cars early on in the race.”
For the second-place Essex pilots, a touch of wistfulness was mixed with their joy over second place. In the first third of the race, the Danish team had led for some time – and hopes had justifiably grown for a Le Mans win. Two slow punctures and an additional pit stop due to electronic problems robbed them of this chance. “It’s incredibly moving to secure second at our very first 24 hour race as a team,” said John Nielsen, who acts as driver and team boss and who claimed overall victory at the long distance classic in 1990. Sascha Maassen, who competes in the American Le Mans Series in a similar RS Spyder, and has won Le Mans in GT3 class 911s, also had positive feedback about his Essex team. “Right from the start I felt great in my guest team and I was surprised at the level of engagement and determination at which they worked,” said the Porsche works driver. “It was a highlight to drive the RS Spyder here in Le Mans. Thanks to the unusually good balance and road holding of the car you always had total trust in the vehicle even in the ultra fast passages.”
 Audi MotorSport History: Now with eight victories in nine attempts, Audi MotorSport adds yet another year of bragging rights as one of the premier motorsports companies in the world. Such accomplishments not only showcase the German marque’s dominance on the track but exemplifies its position as a world class builder of road ready sportscars as is the case with the Audi R8 and R8 TDI Le Mans which features a twelve-cylinder turbo-diesel. It allows engineers to experiment with race technologies such as braking, transmissions, direct injection, turbo charging, etc.
The teams in the production-based GT2 class also started the race with their Porsche 911 GT3 RSRs showing great promise. In qualifying, the Porsche works driver Patrick Long had broken the magical four-minute mark with a lap time of 3:58.152 minutes in the sports car category for the first time and with his German works driver team mate Wolf Henzler, claimed the first two positions on the grid as a result. In the race, two Porsche 911 GT3 RSR held a clear lead over the rival Ferraris. After two hours an unlucky collision between Long and his compatriot Seth Neiman robbed them of any chance to win. For the French IMSA Performance Matmut team with Long, works driver Richard Lietz and Raymond Narac this signaled the end of their race.
The 911 of the Flying Lizard Motorsports team could rejoin the race, but sat more than 30 laps behind to secure sixth at the flag with drivers Joerg Bergmeister, Neiman and Johannes van Overbeek. With this, Bergmeister turned the fastest race lap by far in the GT2 category in 3:59.887 minutes.
|
|