The Dempsey-Proton Racing Porsche 911 RSR has won the GTE-Am class in the 6-hour race of the FIA WEC in Monza. Team owner Christian Ried and the two Brits Sebastian Priaulx and Harry Tincknell prevailed against strong competition in the number 77 car. The identically constructed car from Project 1 drove in third place. The two factory cars finished fourth and fifth in the GTE-Pro class.

The German Porsche customer team Dempsey-Proton Racing has won the GTE-Am class at the 6-hour race in Monza. Christian Ried and the two Brits Sebastian Priaulx and Harry Tincknell crossed the finish line first at the wheel of the #77 car. The number 46 from Project 1 finished round four of the FIA World Endurance Championship WEC in third place in the amateur class. In the GTE Pro category, the two factory 911s finished fourth and fifth after a tough battle in the high-speed temple of Monza. Porsche thus maintained its lead in the manufacturers' championship.

In bright sunshine and high temperatures of over 30 degrees Celsius, a heated race developed on the fast Formula 1 track immediately after the start. Again and again, the field was slowed down after incidents by caution phases. After around two and a half hours, the safety car was even deployed, reducing the gaps again. At that point it was important to choose the best strategy for the remaining race time. The customer teams Dempsey-Proton Racing and Project 1 managed this optimally, and the final drivers Harry Tincknell (number 77) and Matteo Cairoli (number 46) delivered extremely strong performances in a closely fought final sprint. At the finish, the winning Porsche car had a lead of almost 20 seconds on the fastest pursuers. “This is the second win within a week for Dempsey-Proton Racing at Monza – success in the ELMS race seven days ago, now in the FIA WEC. That cheers us up a bit on a difficult day,” says Alexander Stehlig, Head of Factory Motorsport FIA WEC.

Things didn't go nearly as well for the Porsche works team in the GTE-Pro class as for the German customer teams. The two 911 RSR with around 378 kW (515 hp) were unable to keep up with the pace of the competition and, despite a bold strategy and total commitment from the drivers, had no chance of a place on the podium. “Our cars were set up very well, the drivers gave their all and the choice of tires was ideal,” explains Stehlig, adding: “But that was the end of the good news, everything else was a big disappointment. Before the race weekend, the vehicles were reclassified. We didn't agree with this changed balance of performance right from the start - rightly so, as we clearly saw in qualifying and the race. Because of this classification, we hardly had a chance. Under these conditions, we couldn’t do better than fourth and fifth place.”

In the end, the number 92 car driven by Kévin Estre (France) and Michael Christensen (Denmark) crossed the finish line in front of the sister car. The number 91 was shared by local hero Gianmaria Bruni from Italy in Monza with Frenchman Frédéric Makowiecki, who stood in for regular driver Richard Lietz (Austria), who was ill.

In the GTE-Am class, the number 88 crew from Dempsey-Proton Racing not only collected numerous championship points, but also the number 77 and 46 podium visitors. The two Americans Fred Poordad and Patrick Lindsey as well as Jan Heylen from Belgium finished the race in sixth place. Due to incidents in the early stages, the two Porsche 911 RSR from Project 1 (number 56) and GR Racing (86) had nothing to do with the battle for the class podium and finished tenth and twelfth.

In the overall standings, Le Mans class winner Porsche was able to defend its lead in the manufacturers' championship. Factory driver Gianmaria Bruni is now second in the drivers' championship. Brand colleagues Kévin Estre and Michael Christensen follow in third place. Round four of the FIA World Endurance Championship WEC takes place on September 11 at Fuji Speedway in Japan.

Driver comments on the race
Gianmaria Bruni (Porsche 911 RSR #91): “We had a really hard time at the beginning, but later the pace picked up a bit. But we were still miles away from the lap times of the competition. At least we scored a few points for the championship today. Thanks to Fred, who gave me great support today. At the next race I'll attack together with Richard again.”

Frédéric Makowiecki (Porsche 911 RSR #91): “We just didn't have the necessary pace to keep up at the front. The strategy with our car wasn't ideal either. We did the exact opposite of everyone else. There's usually not a great chance that you'll be the only one to get it right – but we had to try something.”

Kévin Estre (Porsche 911 RSR #92): “I fought as hard as I could. We just didn't have the necessary pace today. With full commitment we were able to keep ourselves within striking distance for long stretches. I don't agree with the pit drive-through penalty towards the end of the race – that was tough but respectful racing. It wasn't enough for a podium finish today.”

Michael Christensen (Porsche 911 RSR #92):“We did everything right. But today the conditions in the competition were not given for us, so you have no chance of a podium place. It's a very disappointing day for us.”

Christian Ried (Porsche 911 RSR #77): “Our Porsche was absolutely great, the team did everything right in terms of pit stops and strategy. We are super happy about the class victory. In the end, we decided to put everything on one card: full throttle and a short refueling stop. That worked out perfectly because Harry was able to set an incredibly strong pace. It's a wonderful day for us.”

Nicolas Leutwiler (Porsche 911 RSR #46):“Third place is a great and, above all, hard-fought result. We have made strategically bold decisions that have even steered us to the top in the meantime. Unfortunately, this advantage was gone again during the safety car period – a real shame. In the end we had to do without telemetry. Third place almost flying blind, that's not bad.”

Results race
GTE-Pro class:
1st Milner/Tandy (USA/UK), Corvette C8.R #64, 181 laps
2nd Molina/Fuoco (E/I) , Ferrari 488 GTE #52, 181 laps
3rd Pier Guidi/Calado (I/UK), Ferrari 488 GTE #51, 181 laps
4th Christensen/Estre (DK/F), Porsche 911 RSR #92, 181 laps
5th Bruni/Makowiecki (I/F), Porsche 911 RSR #91, 180 laps

GTE-Am class:
1 Ried/Priaulx/Tincknell (D/UK/UK), Porsche 911 RSR #77, 179 laps
2 Frey/Gatting/Bovy (CH/DK/B), Ferrari 488 GTE #85, 178 laps
3 Cairoli/ Pedersen/Leutwiler (I/DK/CH), Porsche 911 RSR #46, 178 laps
6th Poordad/Lindsey/Heylen (USA/USA/B), Porsche 911 RSR #88, 177 laps
10th Iribe/Millroy/Barnicoat ( USA/UK/UK), Porsche 911 RSR #56, 176 laps
12. Wainwright/Barker/Pera (UK/UK/I), Porsche 911 RSR #86, 163 laps