After the pre-test at the Circuit des 24 Heures, Porsche is optimistic about the 24-hour race in Le Mans. With a lap time of 3: 52.901 minutes, the 515 hp 911 RSR driven by Kévin Estre (France), Neel Jani (Switzerland) and Michael Christensen set the fastest time of the day in the GTE Pro category in the morning session. The sister car with the number 91 of the works driver trio Gianmaria Bruni (Italy), Richard Lietz (Austria) and Fréderic Makowiecki (France) finished almost equally quickly in second place with 3: 52.904 minutes at the end of the two four-hour sessions. The two Porsche customer teams WeatherTech Racing and Hub Auto Racing finished third and sixth out of a total of eight participants in this classification. Belgian works driver Laurens Vanthoor's WeatherTech car,

In the GTE Am, the starting number 99 from Proton Competition and the number 56 from Team Project 1 with identical 911 RSR achieved positions one and two. In this class, amateur pilots with the FIA driver status “bronze” or “silver” and professionals share the cockpit. Hollywood actor Michael Fassbender celebrated his GTE premiere at Le Mans behind the wheel of the number 77 Dempsey Proton Racing car. However, the Irish-German does not compete in the race.

The season highlight of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) starts next Saturday at 4 p.m. The test day traditionally offers the only opportunity to work on the mechanical and aerodynamic fine-tuning of the racing cars on the 13.626-kilometer combination of a permanent circuit and specially closed country roads before the actual Le Mans week begins. It took place at midsummer asphalt temperatures of almost 50 degrees Celsius. Taken together, the twelve 911 RSR of the 2019 model generation completed 991 laps over the course of Sunday. This corresponds to a distance of 13,503 kilometers.

With 19 overall triumphs and 108 class wins, Porsche is by far the most successful manufacturer in the French 24-hour classic. Most recently, a 911 won the GTE-Pro rating on the traditional course in 2018. Back then, Kévin Estre, Michael Christensen and the Belgian Laurens Vanthoor were behind the wheel. In addition to the works delegation, seven customer teams with a total of seven works drivers and the Porsche Young Professional Julien Andlauer (France) will take part in the 89th edition of the most famous endurance race. You can earn twice as many World Championship points as in the shorter races of the FIA WEC. After two class wins in the first three races of the season, factory drivers Estre and Jani are currently leading the drivers' standings.

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 from the WEC World Endurance Championship and the Le Mans organizer ACO offer a live stream and clear timing.

Quotes after the test day Alexander Stehlig (Porsche Head of Operations FIA WEC):“The test day went well for us. The track offered a surprisingly quick grip, contrary to what we expected, we found very representative conditions in the morning session. We can already see that the race could be very close - seven out of eight cars from the Pro classification are within three tenths of a second. The team and the car that combines the fewest mistakes with the best performance will be in front in the end. We were able to work through all of our points in sequence. We now have two days to revise the 911 RSR and analyze all the data before we continue on Wednesday afternoon. ” — Quotes after the test day
Alexander Stehlig (Porsche Head of Operations FIA WEC):“The test day went well for us. The track offered a surprisingly quick grip, contrary to what we expected, we found very representative conditions in the morning session. We can already see that the race could be very close - seven out of eight cars from the Pro classification are within three tenths of a second. The team and the car that combines the fewest mistakes with the best performance will be in front in the end. We were able to work through all of our points in sequence. We now have two days to revise the 911 RSR and analyze all the data before we continue on Wednesday afternoon. ”

Richard Lietz (Porsche 911 RSR # 91):“We were able to implement the things we learned in the morning in the second session and thus further improve the balance of the car. In the end, this resulted in a more stable driving behavior from the rear axle in fast corners. If we can now find a little more grip on the front axle in slow corners, we'll be there. ” — **Richard Lietz (Porsche 911 RSR # 91):**“We were able to implement the things we learned in the morning in the second session and thus further improve the balance of the car. In the end, this resulted in a more stable driving behavior from the rear axle in fast corners. If we can now find a little more grip on the front axle in slow corners, we'll be there. ”

Gianmaria Bruni (Porsche 911 RSR # 91): “ Today was ok. We worked through our assignment sheet and tried a variety of things in order to learn. I made a small mistake on my last exit - I tried something new on the first lap and lost the car in the process. But not much has happened . — **Gianmaria Bruni (Porsche 911 RSR # 91):** “ Today was ok. We worked through our assignment sheet and tried a variety of things in order to learn. I made a small mistake on my last exit - I tried something new on the first lap and lost the car in the process. But not much has **happened** .

Kévin Estre (Porsche 911 RSR # 92):“Compared to previous years, the track was very clean and easy to grip from the start, the organization here at Le Mans did a very good job. We were able to start working on the set-up very early - that's usually not the case. Our Porsche was very good from the start and we got to the music quickly. Nevertheless, we went through our voting program and found a few things. We now have to analyze and discuss a lot of data. But it's always difficult to understand what the competition is doing. We focus on ourselves and are happy because we learned a lot and were always there in terms of balance and lap times. ” — **Kévin Estre (Porsche 911 RSR # 92):**“Compared to previous years, the track was very clean and easy to grip from the start, the organization here at Le Mans did a very good job. We were able to start working on the set-up very early - that's usually not the case. Our Porsche was very good from the start and we got to the music quickly. Nevertheless, we went through our voting program and found a few things. We now have to analyze and discuss a lot of data. But it's always difficult to understand what the competition is doing. We focus on ourselves and are happy because we learned a lot and were always there in terms of balance and lap times. ”

Neel Jani (Porsche 911 RSR # 92):“My first laps in a GT race car at Le Mans were a new experience for me, but they were just as much fun. Above all, it was very hot today - I can hardly remember the last time I saw it at Le Mans. Since it is supposed to be very warm on the race weekend, the high temperatures were good for us. Maybe we have to work a little more on the car so that we can handle the heat better. ” — **Neel Jani (Porsche 911 RSR # 92):**“My first laps in a GT race car at Le Mans were a new experience for me, but they were just as much fun. Above all, it was very hot today - I can hardly remember the last time I saw it at Le Mans. Since it is supposed to be very warm on the race weekend, the high temperatures were good for us. Maybe we have to work a little more on the car so that we can handle the heat better. ”

Florian Latorre (Porsche 911 RSR # 99): “ I think we got off to a good start into the race week. Every driver was able to show a good pace. We didn't make any mistakes and were able to improve the car further - and for me it was my first outing in the 911 RSR. We are very satisfied with today's test day. " — **Florian Latorre (Porsche 911 RSR # 99):** “ I think we got off to a good start into the race week. Every driver was able to show a good pace. We didn't make any mistakes and were able to improve the car further - and for me it was my first outing in the 911 RSR. We are very satisfied with today's test day. "

Michael Fassbender (Porsche 911 RSR # 77):“That was my first attempt with a 911 RSR here at Le Mans. I take it step by step. It feels great to be here and a part of this event. ” — **Michael Fassbender (Porsche 911 RSR # 77):**“That was my first attempt with a 911 RSR here at Le Mans. I take it step by step. It feels great to be here and a part of this event. ”

Results, GTE-Pro class:
1. Estre / Jani / Christensen (F / CH / DK), Porsche GT Team, Porsche 911 RSR # 92, 3rd place : 52.901 minutes
2nd Lietz / Bruni / Makowiecki (A / I / F), Porsche GT Team, Porsche 911 RSR # 91, 3: 52.904 minutes
3rd MacNeil / Bamber / L. Vanthoor (USA / NZ / B), WeatherTech Racing, Porsche 911 RSR # 79, 3: 52.938 minutes
6. Martin / Parente / D. Vanthoor (B / P / B), HubAuto Racing, Porsche 911 RSR # 72, 3: 53.221 minutes

Porsche 911 RSR, HubAuto Racing (# 72), Maxime Martin (B), Alvaro Parente (P), Dries Vanthoor (B)15/27

GTE-Am class
1. Inthraphuvasak / Latorre / Tincknell (T / F / GB), Proton Competition, Porsche 911 RSR # 99, 3: 54.472 minutes
2. Perfetti / Cairoli / Pera (N / I / I), Team Project 1, Porsche 911 RSR # 56, 3: 54.502 minutes
4. Andlauer / Bastien / Arnold (F / USA / D), Dempsey-Proton Racing, Porsche 911 RSR # 88, 3: 54.619 minutes
6. Wainwright / Barker / Gamble (GB / GB / GB), GR Racing, Porsche 911 RSR # 86, 3: 54.668 minutes
9. Haryanto / Picariello / Seefried (RI / B / D ), Absolute Racing, Porsche 911 RSR # 18, 3: 55.011 minutes
14th Renauer / Ineichen / Bohn (D / CH / D), Herberth Motorsport, Porsche 911 RSR # 69, 3: 55.595 minutes
18th Ried / Campbell / Evans / Fassbender (D / AUS / NZ / IRL), Dempsey-Proton Racing, Porsche 911 RSR # 77; 3: 55.895 minutes
20. Olsen / Buchardt / Foley (N / N / USA), Team Project 1, Porsche 911 RSR # 46, 3: 56.190 minutes