The qualifying
With this, the Frenchman repeated his qualifying success from Spa-Francorchamps. His Italian teammate Gianmaria Bruni set the third quickest time on the undulating circuit in the backcountry of the Algarve in 1:38.389 minutes and takes up the race from the second grid row. Like at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the highlight of the WEC season, each of the two factory-run 911 fielded by Manthey will be manned by three drivers for the eight-hour race. The championship leaders Estre and Neel Jani (Switzerland) receive support from Denmark’s Michael Christensen. Bruni and the Austrian Richard Lietz join forces in the cockpit with French factory driver Frédéric Makowiecki.
Estre used his second flying lap in the short ten-minute qualifying session to set his top time. Unlike the competition, he kept his 911 RSR within the track boundaries of the Grand Prix circuit. Bruni posted his fastest time in his first hot lap. Ultimately, the native of Rome was a mere three-hundredths of a second off a front-row spot.
“Positions one and three, just like at Spa-Francorchamps: the second qualifying success for us this year,” said a delighted Alex Stehlig, Head of Operations FIA WEC. “Still, the challenges here in Portugal are big – from the demanding circuit to the warm temperatures. But the team did a great job and worked perfectly to plan, which resulted in pole position for our number 92 car. Now we have a great starting position for this very important eight-hour race – there are a lot of points up for grabs at this event. Tomorrow we’ll try to continue our form from today.”
In the GTE-Am class, two Porsche customer teams share the first grid row. Egidio Perfetti drove the fastest time with the Project 1 squad’s No. 56 911 RSR in 1:40.191 minutes. The Norwegian was 0.045 seconds faster than the Dempsey-Proton Racing team owner Christian Ried from Germany in the No. 77 Porsche. Britain’s Michael Wainwright turned the tenth quickest lap in the GTE-Am category at the wheel of GR Racing’s No. 86 car, with the American Dominique Bastien planting the second Dempsey-Proton 911 (#88) on P13.
Round two of the World Endurance Championship WEC, which runs over eight hours, takes off on Sunday, 13 June at midday (CEST).
Drivers’ quotes on the qualifying
Gianmaria Bruni (Porsche 911 RSR #91): “My lap wasn’t great. We’re still searching for the last fractions of seconds. We changed two things on the car prior to the qualifying but that didn’t quite pay off. Now let’s see what we can do in tomorrow’s race.”
Kévin Estre (Porsche 911 RSR #92): “That was a tough qualifying, to be honest. The conditions were different compared to the third free practice session, where we’d prepared for the qualifying. But I reckon no one managed a really perfect lap here. Everyone made a minor mistake, for example, with the track limits. It was all about having a good car and turning a clean lap. I managed that. I’m thrilled because we‘ve made a mega start to the season. Still, the big day won’t come until tomorrow.”
Egidio Perfetti (Porsche 911 RSR #56): “I’m extremely pleased with pole position, of course. After the accident at Spa-Francorchamps, the team put in a huge effort to repair the car in time for Portimão. Matteo Cairoli also did a fantastic job of setting up our car. We’ve been extremely strong so far this weekend. I’m looking forward to the race. Let’s see what happens.”
Result GTE-Pro class
1. Estre/Jani/Christensen (F/CH/DK), Porsche 911 RSR #92, 1:37.968 minutes
2. Pier Guidi/Calado (I/GB), Ferrari 488 GTE #51, 1:38.359 minutes
3. Bruni/Lietz/Makowiecki (I/A/F), Porsche 911 RSR #91, 1:38.389 minutes
Result GTE-Am class
1. Perfetti/Cairoli/Pera (N/I/I), Porsche 911 RSR #56, 1:40.191 minutes
2. Ried/Evans/Campbell (D/NZ/AUS), Porsche 911 RSR #77, 1:40.236 minutes
3. Lacorte/Sernagiotto/Fuoco (I/I/I), Ferrari 488 GTE EVO #47, 1:40.885 minutes
10. Wainwright/Barker/Gamble (GB/GB/GB), Porsche 911 RSR #86, 1:41.604 minutes
13. Bastien/Seefried/Andlauer (USA/D/F), Porsche 911 RSR #88, 1:43.374 minutes
The preview
The Porsche GT Team has prepared intensively for the upcoming task in Portugal’s Algarve with test drives and simulator sessions. The Manthey factory squad fields two Porsche 911 RSR cars in the GTE-Pro class. The drivers in each of the cars are the same crews that will tackle the 24 Hours of Le Mans in August. In the GTE-Am category, the customer squads Dempsey-Proton Racing, Project 1 and GR Racing campaign a total of four 911 cars at the endurance race.
“After the big success at Spa-Francorchamps, we’re heading to the second round of the season as the championship leaders. Our goal is very clear: when the chequered flag comes out after the eight-hour race in Portugal, we want to still be in first place in all GTE-Pro categories,” says Pascal Zurlinden, Director Factory Motorsport. “Our team has worked hard to prepare for the first WEC event in Portimão. We’re ready to tackle the race. What’s more, this eight-hour event complements our preparations for this year’s Le Mans 24-hour race perfectly. It helps our driver crews, engineers and mechanics work even better together and streamline the procedures.”
The Autódromo Internacional do Algarve is nestled in the hilly hinterland close to the coastal resorts of Portimão and Lagos. The 4.684-kilometre circuit, on which Formula One has raced twice, features 16 corners and many uphill and downhill passages. The steepest downhill section of the track has an incline of more than 12 per cent. Drivers are also faced with blind corners and deep gravel beds. The start-finish straight stretches over 969 metres, on which the GTE-Pro vehicles can reach top speeds of about 270 km/h.
“The upcoming race in Portugal offers a number of special features. Since it’s an eight- hour event, more points are awarded compared to the normal WEC races, which gen- erally run over six hours. So we can harvest a bigger haul. That gives us extra motiva- tion,” explains Alexander Stehlig, Head of Operations FIA WEC. “The racetrack in Portimão is physically demanding for the drivers, so it makes sense to compete with the same three-man crews that will contest the Le Mans event. We regard the WEC debut in Portugal as an early trial run for the endurance classic in France and we’re heading to the race weekend feeling very well prepared.”
Round two of the World Endurance Championship in Portugal is ideal for three drivers per vehicle. Given that the race runs over eight hours, all drivers get plenty of track time at the wheel of the Porsche 911 RSR. The race on 13 June – the original date for the 24 Hours of Le Mans – marks the first time that the FIA WEC will be contested on the Algarve track. Meanwhile the 89th edition of the French endurance classic will take place on 21/22 August, at the fourth round of the WEC season.
The Porsche GT Team drivers
In the No. 91 Porsche 911 RSR, the works team relies on regular drivers Gianmaria Bruni and Richard Lietz from Austria. They will be joined by Frenchman Frédéric Makowiecki for the eight-hour race in Portugal. The works driver from Montpellier will also compete at Le Mans. His compatriot Kévin Estre and Neel Jani from Switzerland share driving duties in the No. 92 sister car with Denmark’s Michael Christensen. Estre and Jani won the GTE-Pro class at the opening round at Spa-Francorchamps and currently lead the world championship.
The customer teams
Dempsey-Proton Racing fields two Porsche 911 RSR cars at round two of the WEC season. Works driver Matt Campbell from Australia joins forces in the No. 77 car with the team owner Christian Ried (Germany) and the former Porsche Junior Jaxon Evans, from New Zealand. Porsche Young Professional Julien Andlauer from France, as well as Dominique Bastien from America and Germany’s Marco Seefried, have been announced as the crew in the No. 88 sister car. The German customer team Project 1 campaigns the No. 56 Porsche 911 RSR with drivers Egidio Perfetti from Norway as well as the two Italians Matteo Cairoli and Riccardo Pera. The all-British driver crew of Michael Wainwright, Ben Barker and Tom Gamble compete for GR Racing in the No. 86 car.
Drivers’ comments before the race
Richard Lietz (Porsche 911 RSR #91): “After achieving a mediocre result with our number 91 car at the season-opener in Spa-Francorchamps, we’re now determined to earn maximum points. The track promises a lot of action and poses special challenges to teams and drivers. The durability of the tyres over two stints will be particularly tricky, but I think we’re well prepared.”
Gianmaria Bruni (Porsche 911 RSR #91): “The anticipation for the first WEC race in Portimão is huge. I really like taking on the new challenge of a new circuit. Finding an ideal setup that offers maximum grip even in the dips and on the crests will be our top priority in Portugal. Our team is very experienced and we also know the racetrack from our tests there, among other things. After our sister car won the opening round of the season in Belgium, we’d now like to finish at the front with our number 91 car.”
Frédéric Makowiecki (Porsche 911 RSR #91): “It’s great that the WEC has included an eight-hour race on its calendar in the lead-up to the Le Mans highlight. This allows me to familiarise myself again with the Porsche 911 RSR and take in the team pro- cesses. The same applies to Michael in the sister car. I think that our car should be well suited to the special features of this racetrack. I’m heading to the race weekend feeling very excited and I’m thrilled that I can finally drive the fast GTE racer for Porsche again.”
Kévin Estre (Porsche 911 RSR #92): “Portimão is a really cool track. It’s a real rollercoaster circuit with some blind bends that add even more suspense. There are a lot of corner combinations. This means that almost all braking is done when we’re already turning into a corner. That tends to make the car pretty twitchy. We’ll opt for a special setup to ensure that our Porsche 911 RSR stays as stable as possible under braking. I’m feeling confident that we’ll be very competitive in Portugal.”
Neel Jani (Porsche 911 RSR #92): “I know the track layout from one of the initial tests we did there with the eventual Le Mans-winning Porsche 919 Hybrid. That was in 2013, so it’s a while ago. Back then the asphalt was very uneven but a new surface was laid before the first Formula One event so we’ll be less shaken up. The tyres will definitely be a major topic, especially in the last corner, which leads onto the start-finish straight where the loads on the wheels are extremely high.”
Michael Christensen (Porsche 911 RSR #92): “My last race in the Porsche 911 RSR was some time ago – at the final round of the 2020 season in Bahrain. We’ve done a few tests since then so I’ll immediately feel right at home in the car. The racetrack in Portugal is spectacular. Like Spa-Francorchamps, the undulating nature of the track makes it seem like a rollercoaster ride. It’s great fun and a big challenge for us drivers.”
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