The Porsche customer team Dempsey-Proton Racing finished this year's edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans on the podium. The Porsche 911 RSR of works driver Matt Campbell from Australia, the Italian Riccardo Pera and Proton team owner Christian Ried from Schöneburg finished the race in second place in the GTE-Am class. The Porsche GT Team, on the other hand, had a lot of bad luck with the two latest-generation 911 RSRs at the endurance classic in north-west France.

After just five hours of racing, the number 92 of the reigning world champions Michael Christensen from Denmark and Kévin Estre from France, who were supported by Belgian Laurens Vanthoor at Le Mans, fell back over ten laps due to a defect in the power steering. Further necessary repair work caused the gap to the GTE-Pro starting field to increase to a total of 15 laps in the following hours. In the end, the vehicle was rated sixth in class.

The number 91 sister car completed the Le Mans 24 Hours one position ahead. Gianmaria Bruni from Italy, the Austrian Richard Lietz and the French Frédéric Makowiecki were able to keep up with the leaders until early Sunday morning, but then a defect in the electrical system ended all podium dreams. The car with around 515 hp and the winner of the WEC race in Spa-Francorchamps was in a special red and white design for the 88th edition of the endurance classic. Porsche thus commemorated the overall victory of the 917 KH in 1970, which began the success story of the Stuttgart-based sports car manufacturer 50 years ago with the first of 19 overall victories at Le Mans to date.

The competition in the GTE-Am class offered high tension right up to the end. After a final safety car phase, the 24-hour race was opened again 24 minutes before the end. Three vehicles from two brands battled for two podium places. Works driver Matt Campbell at the wheel of the Dempsey-Proton Racing # 77 car showed the strongest nerves. The young Australian prevailed impressively in close duels and slipstream battles and drove in second place in the 510 hp 911 RSR of the previous year's specification. At the same time, Matteo Cairoli missed a jump on the podium. The Italian lost the decisive duel with a Ferrari and finished in fourth place. The starting number 56 of the Project 1 team, which Cairoli shared with last year's winner Egidio Perfetti from Norway and the Dutchman Larry ten Voorde, even led the GTE-Am class for long stretches. However, a one-minute penalty set the crew back decisively.

In the manufacturers' championship of the FIA WEC, Porsche is in second place after seven of eight races of the season. In the drivers' championship, Bruni and Lietz are fifth, the reigning GTE world champions Christensen and Estre are in fourth position. The season finale of the 2019/2020 season of the World Endurance Championship will take place on November 14th in Bahrain.

Quotes after the race
Pascal Zurlinden (overall project manager works motorsport):“Our first appearance with the Porsche 911 RSR-19 at Le Mans was anything but easy. We learned a lot. After achieving pole position, we had expected more for the race - but we were disappointed. We will pool our experiences, draw our conclusions, and come back stronger in the year ahead. Congratulations to our customer teams Dempsey-Proton Racing, Project 1 and Gulf Racing, who finished in the top 5 in the GTE-Am class. "

Alexander Stehlig (Head of Operations FIA WEC):“We continued to optimize our Porsche 911 RSR over the course of the training sessions and were able to take pole position as a reward. That was great. The start of the race was less great. We immediately noticed that we couldn't keep up in terms of acceleration and top speed. These factors are particularly painful because we have lost more and more time in traffic. There were also too many technical problems. We are now taking home some homework. We are improving our car and our processes. We'll attack again at the season finale in Bahrain. ”

Gianmaria Bruni (Porsche 911 RSR # 91):“After taking pole position on Friday, I never expected it to be this difficult in the race. We drivers gave everything in the race and did a clean job. The team did a perfect job, but unfortunately poor performance and technical problems prevented a better result. At the last race of the year in Bahrain we want to show that we have learned our lessons. ”

Richard Lietz (Porsche 911 RSR # 91):“It was a struggle with ups and downs over several days. Despite intensive preparation and successful tests, we did not have a perfect balance in the car in the first session. We got that under control quickly and finally moved into pole position. In the race, however, we couldn't quite keep up with the pace of the leaders. We gave everything and kept up - until small technical problems set us back. That's just how it works at Le Mans sometimes. Nobody should let that get them down. "

Frédéric Makowiecki (Porsche 911 RSR # 91):“I'm disappointed and exhausted at the same time. Le Mans is my home race that I really want to win one day. We all invest tremendous energy in this very special event, which only takes place once a year. Then when things go bad, it really hurts. In this year's race it was immediately clear that the competition is not as balanced as hoped. If you still want to keep up, you always have to drive to the limit. Under such conditions there can be technical defects. That's annoying, but completely normal. "

Michael Christensen (Porsche 911 RSR # 92):“We were amazed at the speed the competitors were able to set right after the start. We didn't really keep up, but always gave everything. When the power steering malfunctioned during Laurens' stint and we stood in the pits for ten laps, all hopes were finally gone. When a lack of competitiveness and technical bad luck come together, it won't be a good day - that's just the way it is. "

Kévin Estre (Porsche 911 RSR # 92):“During the race it quickly became clear that our performance compared to the competition would hardly be sufficient to reach the podium. It was difficult to digest at first. Then a repair threw us back twelve laps. From that moment at the latest, it was mentally a tough nut to crack for us drivers, but also for all team members. Nevertheless, we bit our teeth and always gave everything. The experiences from this year will help us to be much stronger in 2021. ”

Laurens Vanthoor (Porsche 911 RSR # 92):“We weren't good enough. After the practice sessions and qualifying, we had calculated more, but the pace was not enough compared to the competition. In addition, technology has thrown us far behind. This year at Le Mans no podium or victory was within reach. We now want to change that as quickly as possible and celebrate again after the 24 Hours of Le Mans next year. ”

Matt Campbell (Porsche 911 RSR # 77): “ Second place is a dream result for us, because the winner was absolutely nothing more than that, given the speed possible. We drivers and everyone in the team did an excellent job. We can all be very proud. The final after the last safety car phase was great fun. I just attacked fully. We celebrate second place like a victory. "

Larry ten Voorde (Porsche 911 RSR # 56): “The race week was extremely exhausting with my start in the Porsche Carrera Cup Le Mans, which I won, and the subsequent participation in the 24-hour race. But I'm really happy that both assignments went so well. In my last stint, I gave everything to win another position. It's a shame that the podium didn't work out in the end. ”

Result race
Class GTE-Pro
1. Lynn / Martin / Tincknell (GB / B / GB), Aston Martin Vantage, 346 laps
2. Calado / Pier Guidi / Serra (GB / I / BR), Ferrari 488 GTE, 346 laps
3rd Sörensen / Thiim / Westbrook (DK / DK / GB), Aston Martin Vantage, 343 laps
4th Pla / Bourdais / Gounon (F / F / F), Ferrari 488 GTE, 339 laps
5. Lietz / Bruni / Makowiecki (A / I / F), Porsche 911 RSR, 335 laps
6. Christensen / Estre / Vanthoor (DK / F / B), Porsche 911 RSR, 331 laps
DNF. Rigon / Molina / Bird (I / E / GB), Ferrari 488 GTE, 340 laps
DNF. MacNeil / Vilander / Segal (USA / FIN / USA), Ferrari 488 GTE, 185 laps

Class GTE-Am
1st Yoluc / Eastwood / Adam (TR / GB / GB), Aston Martin Vantage, 339 laps
2nd Campbell / Ried / Pera (AUS / D / I), Porsche 911 RSR, 339 laps
3rd Collard / Nielsen / Perrodo (F / DK / F), Ferrari 488 GTE, 339 laps
4th Perfetti / ten Voorde / Cairoli (N / NL / I ), Porsche 911 RSR, 339 laps
5th Wainwright / Barker / Watson (GB / GB / GB), Porsche 911 RSR, 337 laps
10th Inthraphuvasak / Legeret / Andlauer (T / F / F), Porsche 911 RSR, 331 laps
12. Felbermayr / Beretta / v. Splunteren (A / I / NL), Porsche 911 RSR, 330 laps
14th Keating / Fraga / Bleekemolen (USA / BR / NL), Porsche 911 RSR, 326 laps
16th Brooks / Piguet / Laskaratos (F / F / GR) , Porsche 911 RSR, 313 laps
18. Preining / Bastien / de Leener (A / USA / B), Porsche 911 RSR, 238 laps