The current FIA World Endurance Champions Brendon Hartley/Timo Bernhard and Mark Webber have won the fourth round of the 2016 season, the 6 Hours of Nürburgring. The pairing fought back to take the win after a puncture in the first hour.
Second home was the No.8 Audi R18 of Duval/Jarvis and Di Grassi who have been able to reduce points gap in championship after the #2 Porsche 919 Hybrid of Jani/Dumas and Lieb were denied another win after collision with LMGTE Am car, eventually coming home fourth.
This is the third victory this season for the Porsche 919 Hybrid, after wins at the Silverstone and Le Mans races. In total the prototype has won ten races since its 2014 debut. For Bernhard/Hartley/Webber it is their fifth success. Porsche now leads the manufacturers’ standings with 164 points ahead of Audi (129) and Toyota (97). Dumas/Jani/Lieb lead the drivers’ standings by 33 points.
How the race went for car number 1:
Immediately after the start Timo Bernhard overtakes the number 8 Audi and improves from third to second. From the 15th lap onwards he attacks the leading number 7 Audi but cannot overtake. Only when the first pits stops are due, the number 1 Porsche takes the lead. When refuelling, changing tyres and drivers after 31 laps, the Porsche crew works faster than the competition. Now Brendon Hartley is leading the race but is put under pressure. On lap 45 and 48 respectively, he is overtaken by the two Audis and drops back to third.
The team identifies a tyre pressure loss and calls the car in for an early stop. After 53 laps Hartley hands over to Mark Webber who passes the leading car on to Bernhard after 86 laps. Short after half distance the race’s third “full course yellow” is in operation, this time both cars pit. After 108 laps Hartley gets behind the wheel again. The title defenders are running in P2. When the course is “yellow” for the fourth time, after 139 laps, Webber takes over again and leads the race. After 165 laps, at a pit stop during full course yellow number five, Bernhard jumps in again to bring home the winning car after 194 laps.
How the race went for car number 2:
Neel Jani holds fourth at the start. On lap 22, in turn one, he attacks the third placed Audi number 8. He almost gets past him but then loses the rear under braking and slips off the track. However, he continues in P4. After 30 laps Marc Lieb jumps into the car. When the sister car has its slow puncture and the Audis have their next pit stops, on lap 57, Lieb takes the lead. After 62 laps he hands over to Romain Dumas.
When 91 laps are completed, the number 2 trio benefit from the second “full course yellow” for another pit stop and driver change. Jani continues with the leading car. At the stop after 108 laps, during the third “full course yellow”, an unhappy stint for Lieb begins. On lap 138 he touches the GT Porsche (number 88) when he wanted to lap the car. From lap 139 Jani continues with a new nose cone in P2 and is soon in the lead again. After 147 laps he has to take a drive through penalty for the earlier collision and drops back to P3. On lap 156 he tries to overtake the number 8 Audi but is pushed outside the track limits.
Then Jani finds himself in a sandwich between the two Audis. A thrilling battle for positions two and three develops – touching cars included. The next pit stop follows during full course yellow number five on lap 165. An unscheduled stop for rear repairs was ordered by race control after 172 laps. Jani continues and finishes in P4.
“It is incredible,” commented Fritz Enzinger, Vice President LMP1. “We have won nine out of the last ten races, including the 24 hours of Le Mans twice. With this result we are going into the summer break and you cannot ask for more. I feel sorry for our number 2 car. It had the win within reach, too. But a fourth place is still a strong result. We saw a fantastic race and motorsport at it’s highest level, now we look forward to Mexico. Until then I wish all team members here and at home in Weissach a wonderful holiday.”
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