In qualifying for the six-hour race of the FIA World Endurance Championship WEC in Spa-Francorchamps, the Porsche GT Team has secured a solid starting position. In the hunt for top times in Belgium’s Ardennes, Michael Christensen from Denmark and the Frenchman Kévin Estre initially planted the ca. 515-hp Porsche 911 RSR (#92) on pole position, only to eventually lose it. According to race officials, Estre had breached regulations by exceeding the track limits during his flying lap. His lap time was voided and the vehicle was relegated to the last position. In the No. 91 sister car, his works driver colleagues Gianmaria Bruni (Italy) and Richard Lietz (Austria) scored position three in the fiercely contested GTE-Pro class. In the GTE-Am category, three Porsche 911 RSR (model year 2017) fielded by the customer teams Dempsey-Proton Racing and Project 1 locked out the first three grid spots. Christian Ried from Germany, factory driver Matt Campbell (Australia) and the Italian Riccardo Pera will take up round six of the 2019/2020 FIA WEC on Saturday from position one.

In sunny conditions in Belgium’s Ardennes region, the reigning World Endurance Champions gave an impressive performance in the works-run RSR with the starting number 92. At the beginning of the critical session, Christensen topped the timesheets with a lap time of 2:14.223 minutes. His teammate Estre then promptly undercut this mark by 0.032 seconds. After analysing video footage, the race stewards concluded that all four wheels of the Frenchman’s car had veered off the racetrack during his fast lap. With that, the seemingly secure fourth pole position of the season was lost. Bruni and Lietz employed a tactical approach on the 7.004-kilometre rollercoaster circuit. In contrast to most of their rivals, the pair in the number 92 car saved a set of fresh tyres in order to have a strategic advantage for the endurance race on Saturday. The durability of the Michelin tyres is an important factor in the fight for class victory.

n the GTE-Am category, the customer squads clearly demonstrated the strengths of the ca. 510-hp, 2017-spec Porsche 911 RSR. Factory pilot Campbell lapped the “Ardennes rollercoaster” in the No. 77 vehicle in 2:15.300 minutes, and promptly posted the fastest time. Team owner Ried later managed to beat the identical models of the customer team Project 1. The second 911 fielded by Dempsey-Proton Racing will take up the race from P8. The Gulf Racing outfit qualified on tenth.

The six-hour race of the FIA World Endurance Championship in Spa-Francorchamps gets underway on Saturday (15 August) at 1:30 pm (CEST).

Qualifying quotes
Alexander Stehlig (Head of Operations FIA WEC): “It was an almost perfect start after the six-month break due to the coronavirus pandemic. Kévin and Michael posted extremely fast lap times and planted the car on position one – unfortunately their time was cancelled. Allegedly, Kévin left the track in the first corner. We have to analyse this and assess it for ourselves. Gimmi and Richard were strong, as well. We opted for different strategies with our two Porsche 911 RSR to cover all bases. We’ll go all-out on Saturday and our aim is to earn as many points as possible. Congratulations to our customer teams who managed to achieve equally impressive results in the qualifying. After such a successful qualifying session, I’m really looking forward to the race.”

Michael Christensen (Porsche 911 RSR #92): “Our Porsche 911 RSR was simply fantastic in qualifying! My aim was to pull out all stops in my first flying lap. It may not have been perfect here and there, but the time was really good. Then Kévin pulled it all together in the first lap – but unfortunately, he may have briefly left the track. We’re looking ahead and we still have high expectations for the six-hour race.”

Kévin Estre (Porsche 911 RSR #92): “My lap was perfect, but now I’m surprised that they say I veered off the track in a corner. Personally, I’m convinced that I drove within the track limits at all times on my fast lap. Our car is great. Despite starting from sixth place, I’m feeling confident that we can still achieve a top result.”

Gianmaria Bruni (Porsche 911 RSR #91): “We head into the race from P3 and still have a fresh set of tyres. That’s the ace we have up our sleeve for race day. If it stays dry on Saturday, the tyres will play a key role. We hope to get the chance to turn our tactical advantage into success.”

Richard Lietz (Porsche 911 RSR #91): “Our car performed well in qualifying with solid lap times. We’ll have to wait and see if our tactics will pay off. Changeable weather is forecast for race day. We hope it stays dry because then we have a fresh set of tyres at our disposal, which could give us a decisive advantage in the close competition. It’s a game in which the winner is only known after six hours.”

Matt Campbell (Porsche 911 RSR #77): “We worked systematically on the car setup during the three practice sessions: with great success as the qualifying result clearly shows. I managed a clean and really quick lap, Christian then finished the job. We’re well prepared for the race and are determined to finally score our first victory of the season. I’m feeling very optimistic.”

Qualifying result
GTE-Pro class
1. Lynn/Martin (GB/B), Aston Martin Vantage #97, 2:14.635 minutes
2. Sörensen/Thiim (DK/DK), Aston Martin Vantage #95, + 0.008 seconds
3. Lietz/Bruni (A/I), Porsche 911 RSR #91, + 0.288 seconds
4. Rigon/Molina (I/E), Ferrari 488 GTE #71, + 0.721 seconds
5. Calado/Pier Guidi (GB/I), Ferrari 488 GTE #51, + 0.748 seconds
6. Christensen/Estre (DK/F), Porsche 911 RSR #92, no time

GTE-Am class
1. Campbell/Ried/Pera (AUS/D/I), Porsche 911 RSR #77, 2:16.519 minutes
2. Perfetti/Hörr/Cairoli (N/D/I), Porsche 911 RSR #56, + 0.130 seconds
3. Keating/Fraga/Bleekemolen (USA/BR/NL), Porsche 911 RSR #57, + 0.626 seconds
8. Giraudi/Sanchez/Legeret (I/MEX/CH), Porsche 911 RSR #88, + 2.322 seconds
10. Wainwright/Barker/Watson (GB/GB/GB), Porsche 911 RSR #86, + 2.428 seconds