The starting phase of the 24 Hours of Le Mans was marked by difficult weather conditions. The Porsche works team and the WeatherTech Racing customer team were nevertheless able to establish themselves in promising positions. The American private team's starting number 79 took third place in the hard-fought GTE-Pro class for long stretches in the first four hours. Due to an alternative pit stop strategy, the car dropped to fifth just before the four-hour mark. The works team's approximately 515 hp Porsche 911 RSR are in fourth and seventh position after four hours. Gianmaria Bruni in the number 91 and Kévin Estre in the sister car with the number 92 suffered from a less than optimal tire choice in their first stints and were also involved in incidents.

Shortly before the start of the 89th edition of the long-distance classic in France, heavy rain had caused extremely slippery conditions on the 13.626-kilometer route. At the beginning, the race management left the safety car on the course for another two laps. The asphalt then dried so quickly that the works cars on rain tires had to struggle with too little grip. Gianmaria Bruni could not avoid a slowly moving LMP2 prototype. The Italian's starting number 91 was slightly damaged on the side of the vehicle. Factory driver colleague Kévin Estre fell behind due to a spin and also lost more time after switching to slicks with a short ride in a gravel bed. During a safety car phase after around three and a half hours, the crew around Gianmaria Bruni,

“The first hours were very eventful. Both works cars lost some ground in the early stages due to a lack of grip and minor incidents. Since the second hour of the race we have been chasing back ”, summarizes Alexander Stehlig, head of operations at the FIA WEC. “In the safety car phase, the starting number 92 was lucky enough to land behind the same lead vehicle as we were in the lead. So the backlog is only small. Number 91 caught the second safety car and lost touch with the leaders. We still have many hours ahead of us. The result is anything but cemented. It remains exciting! "

In WeatherTech Racing's number 79, works driver Laurens Vanthoor showed a strong performance in the early stages. The Belgian consistently worked his way forward in changing track conditions and handed the Porsche 911 RSR over to Earl Bamber after two stints. The New Zealander drove in third place for around two hours, just a few seconds behind. Because of a longer pit stop, the American Cooper MacNeil has since been in fifth place. The identical car from the HubAuto Racing customer team is in eighth position. In the GTE-Am category, the 911 from Dempsey-Proton Racing (number 88) with Porsche Young Professional Julien Andlauer initially stayed in the lead. However, due to a long pit stop, the vehicle then fell back.

Driver comments on the starting phase
Kévin Estre (Porsche 911 RSR # 92):“At the start we were unfortunately wrong with our choice of tires. That made it extremely difficult in the first stint. The balance in the car was not good, there was not enough grip. I also turned once. When the track dried up quickly, we drove a lap longer than our colleagues in the sister car because we didn't want to handle both vehicles at the same time. We lost a lot of time on this one additional lap because the conditions were no longer suitable for wet tires. Our car was much better on slicks. I hope that we can fight our way back to the top by night at the latest. ”

Gianmaria Bruni (Porsche 911 RSR # 91):“There was a lot of chaos at the start. Some of the LMP2-class cars that started ahead of us were extremely slow on the wet track. In the meal in front of the Tertre Rouge, one of these cars suddenly appeared in front of us. I dodged to one side, Kévin with the sister car to the other. However, neither of us could avoid contact. Our car suffered a few damages on the side, so the balance was not optimal in my stints. When the driver changed, the team repaired the damage as quickly as possible. "

Laurens Vanthoor (Porsche 911 RSR # 79):“With the track still very wet at the beginning, the race director decided to leave the safety car on the track for two more laps after the start. It was perfect for us because we started on the tires for drying conditions. The longer the first stint lasted, the better we were on the way. Still, I couldn't hold the two Ferraris. Especially on the straights, she looks pulled away. That surprised us very much. ”

Julien Andlauer (Porsche 911 RSR # 88):“The first phase after the start clearance was wild. I couldn't see anything in the sometimes thick spray. Under these conditions, for me it was simply a matter of handing the car over to my colleague Dominique in one piece. I was able to ride in the top field with stability and my pace was good. If we go on like this, a lot is definitely possible. ”

The race on TV, via live stream and on the Porsche Motorsport microsite
The free TV broadcaster RTL NITRO will broadcast the long-distance classic in Le Mans live for the first time in full, after the RTL Group acquired the broadcasting rights for the FIA WEC and the 24 Hours from Le Mans. The Eurosport sports channels also report extensively on the 89th edition of the race. The paid apps for the WEC World Endurance Championship and the Le Mans organizer ACO offer a live stream and clear timing.

Porsche Motorsport summarizes all information about the Porsche 911 RSR, the team and the works drivers as well as the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2021 on the website https://media.porsche.com/motorsport. In addition to the latest news and background stories, image galleries as well as extensive video features and news are available for media multipliers.