Both Porsche 963 fielded by the Porsche Penske Motorsport works team finished in the points at the USA round of the FIA World Endurance Championship. The 509 kW (692 PS) No. 6 hybrid prototype charged from P14 on the grid to cross the finish line in sixth place on the Circuit of the Americas. The identical sister car achieved seventh place after a difficult start to the race. With this result, works drivers Kévin Estre from France, André Lotterer from Germany and Belgium’s Laurens Vanthoor defended their lead in the drivers’ championship. In the manufacturers’ championship, Porsche ranks second with two races left on the calendar. The Manthey customer team continued its strong performance in Texas: Both Porsche 911 GT3 R finished the race on the podium in the LMGT3 class.

After a mediocre qualifying session on Saturday, Porsche Penske Motorsport experienced a difficult race day. On the hot 50-degree asphalt of the Circuit of The Americas (COTA), the two works-run Porsche 963 cars managed to match the pace of the frontrunners. However, an unscheduled pit stop for the No. 5 car and a drive-through penalty for the sister car hampered their chance of a better result. Over 65,000 spectators travelled to the track on the outskirts of the Texas capital Austin and were treated to a gripping six-hour race from lights to flag.

“We came here with high expectations and were disappointed with the overall result," said Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Porsche Motorsport. “The close competition over six hours clearly showed how many cars are now in the fight – even those that joined the championship this year. The race was okay in terms of lap-time performance, however, under the current competitive conditions, we have to start further up the grid to make it onto the podium.”

“That was anything but easy today,” says Urs Kuratle, Director Factory Motorsport LMDh. “Our drivers didn’t have optimally set-up cars in the qualifying or the race. What’s more, we faced sweltering conditions, which put extreme physical demands on the drivers and the team. Our works drivers did a great job, and the team delivered perfect pit stops. We’re not overly thrilled with the results but we did what we could under the given circumstances.”

“The race didn’t run entirely smoothly for both works cars. We need to take a closer look at that,” states Jonathan Diuguid. The Managing Director of Porsche Penske Motorsport explains: “Since Le Mans, Ferrari and Toyota have been faster than us. It’s now up to us to make the right call for the upcoming race in Japan and get back among the frontrunners. The situation in all championship classifications is still tight. Our goal hasn’t changed: we’re here to win titles.”

In the manufacturers’ championship, Porsche ranks second, just eleven points shy of the leader. Estre/Lotterer/Vanthoor have successfully defended their lead in the drivers’ championship, with their teammates Campbell/Christensen/Makowiecki lying fourth.

Despite steady lap times, the six-hour race in Austin proved only moderately successful for the Hertz Team Jota customer team. The No. 38 contender earned one world championship point for tenth place, with the No. 12 sister car spending a long time in the pits due to a technical defect – and thus finished outside the rankings. Proton Competition’s identical racing car took the flag in eleventh place.

Manthey plants both Porsche 911 GT3 R on the LMGT3 podium
In the LMGT3 class, the seasoned Manthey customer team again underlined its blistering form. Championship leaders Alex Malykhin from Great Britain, Joel Sturm from Germany and Austrian Klaus Bachler finished second in the No. 92 car, with third place going to the sister car shared by Yasser Shahin (Australia), Morris Schuring (Netherlands) and Richard Lietz (Austria). The team from Germany’s Eifel region heads into the two final races of the year with a significant points advantage.

The seventh and penultimate race of the FIA World Endurance Championship WEC will be contested on 15 September at the Fuji Raceway in Japan.

Drivers’ comments on the race
Frédéric Makowiecki (Porsche 963 #5): “Unfortunately, we had to make an unplanned pit stop very early in the race. What a shame. Still, there are also many positives: our pace was great. I think we can be proud of the work we’ve done. Our car was difficult to drive at the beginning of the weekend. But by the start of the race, we’d made significant progress. We’re now looking forward to Fuji.”

André Lotterer (Porsche 963 #6): “We successfully limited the damage. Had we not been handed a drive-through penalty, fifth place would probably have been within reach but our comeback was still pretty decent after a disappointing qualifying. It was the first race weekend this year where not everything went perfectly. Despite that, we earned some important points. We’re still leading the drivers’ championship. Next up is Fuji. I’ve spent many years in Japan, so it’s a home race for me.”

Phil Hanson (Porsche 963 #38): “We put in a strong drive today and at times were the fastest Porsche on the track. However, we’re not happy with the final result. We were between the two works cars and looked sure to harvest points. Unfortunately, a late puncture set us back significantly. We did a good job and got the car into the ideal operating window – we couldn’t do much more today. Luck simply wasn’t on our side.”

Julien Andlauer (Porsche 963 #99): “We learned a lot as the race progressed and improved bit by bit – with the car and me personally. My driving style is slightly different to that of my teammate Neel Jani. I had to get used to the chosen setup during the first stint. Over the weekend, we made big progress in terms of our experience with the Porsche 963. Hopefully, that’ll show at the next race.”

Joel Sturm (Porsche 911 GT3 R #92): “We achieved a great result under difficult conditions. It’s not what we expected, so we’re all the happier with the result. It has further boosted our lead in the championship. Although we climbed the podium again, we still need to make more tweaks for the next race."

Morris Schuring (Porsche 911 GT3 R #91): “It was a day of surprises. After starting from P16, we would have been completely happy with a result in the points – the fact that we clinched a podium result was truly unexpected. Richie and Yasser did a great job. I’m also satisfied with my performance. As far as the team’s concerned, everything was fantastic: setup, pit stops, strategy – just perfect.”

Race result
Hypercar class:
1. Kubica/Schwartman/Ye (PL/ISR/CHN), Ferrari #38, 183 laps
2. Conway/Kobayashi/de Vries (UK/J/NL), Toyota #7, + 1.780 seconds
3. Fuoco/Molina/Nielsen (I/E/DK), Ferrari #50, + 26.282 seconds
6. Estre/Lotterer/Vanthoor (F/D/B), Porsche 963 #6, + 1:36.873 minutes
7. Campbell/Christensen/Makowiecki (AUS/DK/F), Porsche 963 #5, + 1:41.494 minutes
10. Hanson/Button/Rasmussen (UK/UK/DK), Porsche 963 #38, - 1 lap
11. Andlauer/Jani/Tincknell (F/CH/UK), Porsche 963 #99, - 1 lap
DNF. Ilott/Stevens/Nato (UK/UK/F), Porsche 963 #12, - 111 laps

LMGT3 class:
1. James/Manchinelli/Riberas (UK/I/E), Aston Martin #27, 164 laps
2. Bachler/Malykhin/Sturm (A/UK/D), Porsche 911 GT3 R #92, + 20.538 seconds
3. Lietz/Shahin/Schuring (A/AUS/NL), Porsche 911 GT3 R #91, + 51.859 seconds

Full results and championship standings at fiawec.alkamelsystems.com