Porsche notched another victory in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring – number 72 in the marque’s 65 years of competition at Sebring International Raceway. Nick Tandy (Great Britain) and his French teammates Patrick Pilet and Frédéric Makowiecki took the flag in first-place driving the No. 911 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR at round two of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship on March 16. With this success, the trio repeated their win in the event from last year. The No. 912 sister car driven by Earl Bamber (New Zealand), Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium) and Mathieu Jaminet (France) finished the long-distance classic in Central Florida in fifth-place.
For only its second time in history – the first time since the inaugural run in 1952 – the race on the 3.74-mile, 17-turn circuit started the race in the rain. The No. 911 led the field from the GTLM pole position by virtue of Pilet’s qualifying lap the day before. The start clock began its countdown under yellow-flag conditions, , as standing water covered the former World War II bomber base race track . When the green flew over 45-minutes in, a lack of grip in the heavy rain initially hurt the lap times of the 510 HP machines, dropping them down in the field. As conditions improved near the race’s six-hour mark, the experienced Porsche GT Team utilized the strengths of the car. With key tactical decisions, strong driving and flawless teamwork, the No. 911 car fought its way back to be among the leaders. In a gripping final two hours, Tandy was able to make a pass for the lead, fend off the competition and cross the finish line after twelve hours with a 1.951-second lead over the runner-up. Tandy, Pilet and Makowiecki are the first driver trio to win the IMSA race at Sebring in consecutive years.
The success at Sebring positions the No. 911 Porsche GT Team first in the GTLM team point standings. The No. 912 line-up fell back two laps in the early phase, but the Rolex 24 At Daytona podium-finishers put in a spirited charge through the field, and took the checkered flag in fifth-place.
In the GTD class, the Porsche 911 GT3 R fielded by the Pfaff Motorsports customer team held the lead for nearly half of the race distance. Despite this strong performance from Porsche development driver Lars Kern (Germany) and his Canadian teammates Scott Hargrove and Zach Robichon, both Porsche Young Driver Academy participants and Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama Champions, did not render the desired results. A faulty sensor in the 500 hp GT3 racer from Weissach, Germany forced the team to pit for repairs while in full contention for the race win. The lost track time resulted in a tenth-place finish. Prior to this, the trio had held a comfortable lead over long stretches. In the 911 GT3 R entered by Park Place Motorsports, Porsche factory driver Patrick Long (Manhattan Beach, California) and his compatriots Nicholas Boulle (Dallas, Texas) and Patrick Lindsey (Santa Barbara, California) finished with a sixth-place result.
Round three of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship will be contested on April 13 on the street circuit in Long Beach, California.
Fritz Enzinger, Vice President Motorsport.
“I’ve been in motorsport for a long time, but I’ve never experienced anything like this. Within 48 hours we won a 1,000-mile race and a twelve-hour race with our factory teams at one venue. That’s phenomenal. I was impressed by how focused every single person worked. That’s what sets Porsche apart. And we mustn’t forget the successful performances from our customer teams. It was one of the best motor racing weekends I’ve ever experienced – just brilliant.”
Pascal Zurlinden, Director GT Factory Motorsport.
“Perhaps we should rename the event the ‘Porsche Super Sebring’ race weekend. Three pole positions, three victories – what more could you want. Our team did everything right. Ultimately, when things went down to the wire, we were there. The key moment was when we reclaimed the lead after a perfectly timed pit stop. Our strategy was to wait and strike at the right moment. Now it’s time to celebrate!”
Patrick Pilet, Driver, No. 911 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR.
“It somehow feels unreal. We started from pole position, and then we were running last, and now we celebrate our second Sebring victory in a row – unbelievable! Our team is simply something very special. We never gave up, we always believed that we had a chance and now we’re standing here as winners. It’s indescribable.”
Nick Tandy, Driver, No. 911 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR.
“It was a totally crazy race that one rarely experiences. We got the lot: extremely wet at the beginning, a dry track, then predicted rain, which didn’t happen. We started from pole, then quickly fell back, only to end up in the lead again. You only get such things at a long-distance race. And this is the precisely the kind of discipline that Porsche excels at. Never give up, always push and then pull out all stops at the right moment. That’s how it’s done.”
Frédéric Makowiecki, Driver, No. 911 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR.
“I’m lost for words. We had major problems in the rain early on in the race, but we battled our way forward again in an incredible manner. Like last year, it was a perfect team effort. With such successes, it really becomes clear just how important it is for the entire squad to work perfectly.”
Earl Bamber, Driver, No. 912 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR.
“Initially, both Porsche 911 RSR lost ground in the rain. But we got faster later on. Unfortunately, the timing of a pit stop didn’t work out for us. While our sister car regained the lead, we were still a lap down. We fought hard, but we couldn’t really do much. Congratulations to our colleagues. It was a dream weekend for Porsche.”
Laurens Vanthoor, Driver, No. 912 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR.
“Unfortunately, we lost too much time in the rainy start phase. Otherwise we could have fought for victory. Our car was incredibly good, especially on slicks in the final phase. For me personally, I’m a bit disappointed. But it is outweighed by the joy of an incredibly successful weekend for Porsche.”
Mathieu Jaminet, Driver, No. 912 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR.
“Of course I’d have loved to win, so I regard this weekend with mixed feelings. From Porsche’s point of view, however, it was a dream. From our perspective, for the number 912 car, it’s kind of sad. We could have won, too, but it didn’t work out this time. Still, we’re delighted for our teammates.”
