The best Porsche 963 fielded by the Porsche Penske Motorsport works team will tackle the six-hour race in Austin from the third grid row. In qualifying, Matt Campbell planted the 509 kW (692 PS) hybrid prototype on position six. The Australian shares the cockpit of the number 5 car with his works driver teammates Michael Christensen from Denmark and Frédéric Makowiecki from France. The sister car crewed by Kévin Estre (France), André Lotterer (Germany) and Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium) will start the race from P14. In the LMGT3 class, Manthey PureRxcing’s Porsche 911 GT3 R will tackle round six of the FIA World Endurance Championship WEC from fourth place. The customer team’s racing car currently leads the team championship.

In sunny conditions and air temperatures of 31 degrees Celsius, the heated asphalt on the Formula 1 circuit near the Texas capital Austin offered little grip. In the top Hypercar class qualifying, close lap times made for a nail-biting battle to advance into the Hyperpole session. While works driver Kévin Estre missed out on the shootout of the fastest ten cars with 14th place, Matt Campbell put in a last-ditch sprint to improve to sixth place. The Australian also turned heads in the Hyperpole: On his last flying lap, Campbell again catapulted to sixth place.

“We’d hoped to do better and aren’t happy with the result,” states Urs Kuratle. The Director of Porsche Factory Motorsport LMDh adds: “We didn’t give our drivers an optimally set-up car today – and the timesheets clearly underlined this. I hope we’re better prepared for the six-hour race.” Jonathan Diuguid, Managing Director of Porsche Penske Motorsport, says: “In the practice sessions, we noticed that our pace was consistently fast over longer distances. We need to deliver another flawless performance, then anything is possible on race day.”

The two Porsche 963 racers fielded by the Hertz Team Jota customer outfit will head into the so-called “Lone Star Le Mans” event from positions ten and 17. Proton Competition’s identical vehicle will start the third-to-last race of the FIA WEC season from position 16.

Manthey PureRxcing’s Porsche 911 GT3 R achieves commendable grid spot
The best Porsche 911 GT3 R in the LMGT3 class will start from the second row. Alex Malykhin qualified fourth in the shootout of the ten fastest cars. The Belarusian-born driver shares driving duties in Manthey PureRxcing’s No. 92 contender with Germany’s Joel Sturm and the former Porsche Junior Klaus Bachler from Austria. The trio currently leads the championship. Yasser Shahin missed out on advancing into the Hyperpole with 16th place. The Australian shares the No. 91 car run by Manthey EMA with the Dutchman Morris Schuring and the Austrian Porsche works driver Richard Lietz.

Focus on tyres: fast and twisty turns pose unique challenges
With air temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius and glaring sun, the temperatures on the dark asphalt of the “Circuit of The Americas” (COTA) often rise above the 50-degree mark. This puts stress on the Michelin tyres in the fast, snaking corners at the beginning of the second sector: Between turns 2 and 6, these stresses reach peak values. The swift changes of direction dramatically increase the temperatures of the slick racing rubber – around 30 times per stint, 60 in a double stint and over 180 times during a normal race.

“From the second-corner entrance to the exit of turn 6, we notice an increase in the surface temperature of 20 to 25 degrees Celsius,” explains Romain Gineste, Head of Track Engineering LMDh WEC Porsche Motorsport. The upper limit of the Michelin slicks’ operating window is 110 degrees Celsius. “High temperatures mean increased tyre wear. To survive longer distances, we must caution our drivers to be careful. It’s a vicious circle: if you overstress the tyres, the temperatures rise so much that they drop out of the ideal operating window. As a result, this increases the risk of sliding – which then makes the tyre temperatures rise even further. As the lap times increase, the tyres deteriorate more quickly. There is only one to prevent this: ease off at the right time!”

The peak temperatures built up in the so-called “esses” are quickly put into perspective as the race continues. Even before the hairpin bend (turn 11), the data approaches the normal range, and the tyres cool off further on the following back straight. “As soon as we change the wheels, I check all the values,” explains Philippe Rocher, who supports Porsche Penske Motorsport as the Tyre Technician at Michelin Motorsport. “The limiting factors in Austin are the rear right and front left tyres, so we keep a close eye on them.” The temperatures on the surface of the slicks vary considerably over a lap on the 5.513-kilometre racetrack. “These peaks are pronounced in Austin, but we’re more concerned with the average values over a lap,” explains Romain Gineste. “Interestingly, despite all the pronounced upward swings, the core temperature of the tyre and the air inside the wheel remain very constant. That’s how it should be!”

The six-hour race of the FIA WEC near the Texas capital Austin gets underway on Sunday, 1 September at 13:00 hours local time (20:00 CEST).

Drivers’ post-qualifying quotes
Matt Campbell (Porsche 963 #5): “We encountered some difficult conditions in Qualifying and Hyperpole. It was a stark contrast to Free Practice in the morning. Ultimately, we finished sixth on the grid. I think that the position is okay. I’m confident we’ll look good in the six-hour race.”

Kévin Estre (Porsche 963 #6): “The car was tricky to drive. I didn’t manage to pull together an optimum lap time under these conditions. My first attempt was okay. On the second lap, it looked like I would shave some more time off. Unfortunately, I veered slightly off the track limits. It probably wouldn’t have made a big difference anyway. We may be starting far back, but we still have plenty of time to work our way up the field in the race.”

Norman Nato (Porsche 963 #12): “That was my very first qualifying in a Hypercar. I’m satisfied: first attempt, entry into the Hyperpole as one of only two Porsche drivers. Nevertheless, the race against the clock was anything but easy. Compared to this morning’s third Free Practice session, the track temperatures were significantly higher. This changed the behaviour of the car. I’m sure we’ll perform better in the race. That has always been the case so far.”

Jenson Button (Porsche 963 #38): “That wasn’t too illustrious. My first lap didn’t go to plan because I probably didn’t yet have the tyres in the ideal operating window. The second attempt was better – until I spun. It likely wouldn’t have been enough for a grid position near the front anyway. I’m really disappointed because our car felt great in the morning.”

Alex Malykhin (Porsche 911 GT3 R #92): #92): “I made a few mistakes in qualifying, especially during my fastest lap in the final sector. Maybe I made the wrong decision regarding my flying lap: I probably should’ve attempted it one lap earlier. I then did the same in the Hyperpole. Everything went much better there. I don’t think much more would’ve been possible. In terms of our position in the championship, things are looking positive.”

Qualifying result
Hypercar class:
1. Pier Guidi/Calado/Giovinazzi /I/UK/I), Ferrari #51, 1:50.390 minutes
2. Kubica/Schwartzman/Ye (PL/ISR/CHN), Ferrari #83, 1:50.667 minutes
3. Bamber/Lynn (NZL/UK), Cadillac #2, 1:50.680 minutes
6. Campbell/Christensen/Makowiecki (AUS/DK/F), Porsche 963 #5, 1:50.874 minutes
10. Ilott/Stevens/Nato (UK/UK/F), Porsche 963 #12, 1:51.532 minutes
14. Estre/Lotterer/Vanthoor (F/D/B), Porsche 963 #6, 1:51.984 minutes
16. Andlauer/Jani/Tincknell (F/CH/UK), Porsche 963 #99, 1:52.225 minutes
17. Hanson/Button/Rasmussen (UK/UK/DK), Porsche 963 #38, 1:52.320 minutes

LMGT3 class:
1. James/Mancinelli/Riberas (UK/I/E), Aston Martin #27, 2:05.587 minutes
2. Bovy/Gatting/Frey (B/DK/CH), Lamborghini #85, 2:05.759 minutes
3. Heriau/Mann/Rovera (F/USA/I), Ferrari #55, 2:06.001 minutes
4. Bachler/Malykhin/Sturm (A/UK/D), Porsche 911 GT3 R #92, 2:06.176 minutes
16. Lietz/Shahin/Schuring (A/AUS/NL), Porsche 911 GT3 R #91, 2:07.691 minutes