The Porsche GT Team has successfully defended its lead in the manufacturers’ championship at round seven of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium) and Earl Bamber (New Zealand) secured second place at the wheel of their No. 912 Porsche 911 RSR at Lime Rock Park (USA).
Their brand colleagues Patrick Pilet (France) and Nick Tandy (Great Britain) claimed fourth place in the No. 911 sister car. In the GTD class, the customer team Pfaff Motorsports achieved their first class victory in the North American championship with the Porsche 911 GT3 R.
“Ford gambled with three pit stops and won this time,” commented Bamber. “I can only congratulate them. We’re satisfied with second place, because this position earns us critical points towards the championship. The race was fantastic, on the whole. There were fierce fights from start to finish, with several changes at the front and spectators were treated to a great show.”
The two Porsche 911 RSR fielded by the works team headed into the race sharing the first grid row after a strong qualifying performance. In the morning session, Laurens Vanthoor had set pole position in a time of 49.133 seconds – a new record for the GTLM class at Lime Rock.
Nick Tandy planted the No. 911 sister car on position two for round seven. At the start, both ca. 510 hp vehicles from Weissach defended their front spots, with the pair extending the gap until the first scheduled pit stop.
In the second half of the race, the two vehicles were repeatedly hampered by traffic. Moreover, with temperatures of around 33 degrees Celsius, by the end of a stint, the tyres had deteriorated more than the victorious Ford, which had opted for an additional pit stop.
With 20 minutes left on the clock, Pilet was able to maintain the lead, but fell back due to lack of grip. In the final few minutes, Bamber could no longer keep the No. 67 Ford at bay. Porsche still holds a 24-point lead in the manufacturers’ championship. Bamber/Vanthoor have extended their lead in the drivers’ championship, with Pilet/Tandy still on second.
The GTD class delivered suspense to the flag. The Porsche 911 GT3 R run by Pfaff Motorsports had taken up the race from fifth on the gird. Start driver Zacharie Robichon (Canada) gained one position during his stint, with Porsche Young Professional Dennis Olsen following up with an inspired drive.
The Norwegian systematically worked his way up the field to second place. In the final two laps, he made repeated attempts to get past the leading Acura. He finally succeeded and won the class by a slim 0.01-second margin.
The identical 500+hp car fielded by Park Place Motorsports and driven by works driver Patrick Long (USA) and Germany’s Marco Seefried reached the flag in fourth place. Directly behind them, Porsche Young Professional Matt Campbell (Australia) and his American teammate Anthony Imperato crossed the finish line in the car campaigned by Wright Motorsports.
Race result
GTLM class
1. Briscoe/Westbrook (AUS/GB), Ford GT, 182 laps
2. Bamber/Vanthoor (NZ/B), Porsche 911 RSR, 182 laps
3. Hand/Müller (USA/D), Ford GT, 182 laps
4. Pilet/Tandy (F/GB), Porsche 911 RSR, 182 laps
GTD class
1. Olsen/Robichon (N/CDN), Porsche 911 GT3 R, 178 laps
2. Farnbacher/Hindman (D/USA), Acura NSX GT3, 178 laps
3. Foley/Auberlen (USA/USA), BMW M6 GT3, 178 laps
4. Long/Seefried (USA/D), Porsche 911 GT3 R, 178 laps
5. Campbell/Imperato (AUS/USA), Porsche 911 GT3 R, 178 laps
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