The Porsche GT Team has won the final round of the 2018 IMSA Weathertech SportsCar Championship. Patrick Pilet (France), Nick Tandy (Great Britain) and Frédéric Makowiecki (France) won the Petit Le Mans race at Road Atlanta on Saturday.
It was a disappointing race for the #912 Porsche of Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium), Earl Bamber (New Zealand) and Mathieu Jaminet (France) finishing the last IMSA race of the year in sixth place. For 71 laps, they were on course for victory – despite a puncture early on in the ten-hour race. A drive-through penalty, however, threw the trio down the field. Bamber, Vanthoor and Jaminet tried everything to catch up, however the fierce competition in the GTLM prevented them from making up lost ground. The vehicle crossed the finish line one minute behind the winning No. 911 car.
“We definitely had a winning car today,” commented Bamber. “That’s why it was extremely disappointing to receive a drive-through penalty. It ruined our chances of winning.”
In the GTD class, the Porsche customer team Wright Motorsports concluded the final race of the season in fourth place. Works driver Patrick Long (USA), Porsche Selected Driver Christina Nielsen from Denmark and Germany’s Robert Renauer put in a strong drive in the 500 hp Porsche 911 GT3 R with the starting number 58. However, like with the No. 912 factory car, a drive-through penalty cost them a possible class win. The Porsche fielded by Park Place Motorsports had to retire early from the 2018 Petit Le Mans. Wolf Henzler (Germany) had shared the cockpit of the No. 73 car with Americans Timothy Pappas and Spencer Pumpelly.
Race result
GTLM class
1. Tandy/Pilet/Makowiecki (GB/F/F), Porsche 911 RSR, 419 laps
2. Milner/Gavin/Fässler (USA/GB/CH), Chevrolet Corvette C7.R, 419 laps
3. Krohn/Edwards/Mostert (FIN/USA/AUS), BMW M8 GTE, 419 laps
4. Sims/De Phillippi/Auberlen (GB/USA/USA), BMW M8 GTE, 419 laps
5. Briscoe/Westbrook/Dixon (AUS/GB/USA), Ford GT, 419 laps
6. Vanthoor/Bamber/Jaminet (B/NZ/F), Porsche 911 RSR, 419 laps
7. Hand/Müller/Bourdais (USA/D/F), Ford GT, 418 laps
8. Magnussen/Garcia/Fässler (DK/E/CH), Chevrolet Corvette C7.R, 417 laps
9. Vilander/Molina/Bertolini (FIN/E/I), Ferrari 488 GTE, 416 laps
GTD class
1. MacNeil/Serra/Jeannette (USA/BRA/USA), Ferrari 488 GT3, 407 laps
2. Legge/Parente/Hindman (GB/P/USA), Acura NSX GT3, 407 laps
3.Sellers/Snow/Lewis (USA/USA/USA), Lamborghini Huracan GT3, 406 laps
4. Long/Nielsen/Renauer (USA/DK/D), Porsche 911 GT3 R, 406 laps
13. Henzler/Pumpelly/Pappas (D/USA/USA), Porsche 911 GT3 R, 122 laps
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