For the second time in a row, Porsche has won the manufacturers' title in the Intercontinental GT Challenge, or IGTC for short. In the last race of the season at the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit in South Africa, Matt Campbell from Australia and the two French Mathieu Jaminet and Patrick Pilet in the Porsche 911 GT3 R of the GPX Racing customer team achieved third place. The trio of drivers scored important points for winning the championship again, but narrowly missed the driver's crown. In the end, only five points were missing from first place. The Dinamic Motorsport 911 GT3 R finished seventh in heavy rain in Kyalami. The more than 500 PS strong Lechner Racing car reached tenth place and won the Pro-Am rankings.

The nine-hour race on the famous facility near the metropolis of Johannesburg started in sunny and humid conditions. The two GT3 vehicles from Weissach that started in the Pro category stayed within striking distance of the leaders on a dry track. A tire damage on the number 12 of GPX Racing threw the car back in the middle of the race. While Campbell, Jaminet and Pilet were able to work their way up again, their brand colleagues Laurens Vanthoor from Belgium, Kévin Estre from France and New Zealander Earl Bamber had no more chances of victory after six and a half hours. The repair of a defective front splitter threw the crew back two laps.

Around 80 minutes before the end, heavy rain caused great tension again. The field was brought together behind the safety car, and start number 12 was suddenly fighting for victory again. But the weather thwarted the team's plans. Matt Campbell, who had set a new course record with his fastest lap in the early afternoon, was no longer allowed to make a final attack on victory: the race was ended due to severe aquaplaning of the vehicles under safety car conditions. The two South Africans Saul Hack and Andre Bezuidenhout as well as Dylan Pereira from Luxembourg showed a flawless performance at the wheel of the Porsche 911 GT3 R. Tenth overall and winning the Pro-Am class were the wages earned after nine hours.

Ranks three and seven in the Pro category brought Porsche another 21 points in the championship. With a total of 100 counters, the sports car manufacturer from Stuttgart celebrated the brand championship again after 2019.

Quotes about the race
Sebastian Golz (Project Manager Porsche 911 GT3 R):“Winning the title for Porsche was our big goal. We achieved that. The driver's crown would have been the icing on the cake, but we missed it by just five points. Nevertheless: The renewed win of the manufacturers' championship expresses how hard all those involved worked towards mutual success in 2020. This applies to the customer teams and drivers as well as to our Porsche employees and partners. Congratulations also to Lechner Racing, who showed a flawless performance in the Pro-Am class despite the most difficult conditions. "

Matt Campbell (Porsche 911 GT3 R # 12):“We are on the podium. Third place is a good result. But unfortunately it wasn't good enough to win the drivers' title. That's too bad. But we won't let that spoil our mood. Porsche has the manufacturer's title, we were well on the way as third. The team did a great job. We tried everything and did everything right, but we just couldn't get it today. ”

Mathieu Jaminet (Porsche 911 GT3 R # 12):“I am very disappointed, because for the second time since 2019 the driver's title slips out of my hands at the season finale in Kyalami. I have to digest that now. We were traveling extremely quickly. But a little thing like a puncture ruined everything. After all, Porsche won the manufacturer's title. That's a great success. I am proud that I was able to make my contribution. "

Patrick Pilet (Porsche 911 GT3 R # 12):“We were on a very good course until we were hit by a puncture. We never gave up and worked our way up again with strong rides and a smart strategy. More would have been possible, but unfortunately the race was not opened again in the end. We would have loved to have put everything on one card again and fought for the race win and the drivers' championship in an exciting finale. Unfortunately that didn't work. "

Kévin Estre (Porsche 911 GT3 R # 54): “We are of course dejected. In the race we had a car with which we could drive well ahead. Everything was there to get the driver's crown. When the splinter came off in front, of course, it was all over. Extreme shame! At the end of the race the conditions were extremely difficult. The rain, the lightning and the darkness made sure that we couldn't see anything even when driving very slowly under full course yellow conditions. I couldn't even drive the allowed 80 km / h. It was scary. "

Saul Hack (Porsche 911 GT3 R # 9):“We thoroughly enjoyed the race. Our pace was good, and as a whole team we really acted flawlessly. To end such a difficult year 2020 in this way is simply a dream for me. I'm a racer through and through, but couldn't drive this year due to the pandemic. In Kyalami the time had finally come. I'll live off that for many weeks. ”

Results race
1. Farfus / Catsburg / van der Linde (BR / NL / ZA), BMW M6 GT3, 277 laps
2. Bortolotti / Weerts / Vervisch (I / B / B), Audi R8 LMS GT3, 277 laps
3rd Campbell / Pilet / Jaminet (AUS / F / F), Porsche 911 GT3 R # 12, 277 laps
7th Bamber / Vanthoor / Estre (NZ / B / F), Porsche 911 GT3 R # 54 , 276 laps
10th Hack / Bezuidenhout / Pereira (ZA / ZA / L), Porsche 911 GT3 R # 9, 271 laps