PORSCHE SECURES LMP2 AND GT2 MANUFACTURERS TITLES WITH KEY PERFORMANCES
BY PENSKE RACING, FLYING LIZARD MOTORSPORTS AT LAGUNA SECA FINALE
ATLANTA - October 18 - Porsche entered today's Monterey Sports Car
Challenge, the final round of the 2008 American Le Mans Series, with the
LMP2 prototype drivers championship and the GT2 production-based drivers
championship already clinched, but the manufacturers titles in both
classes were still up for grabs.
But, when the checked flag fell on the four-hour sports car classic
early Saturday evening, a Porsche race team in each class scored a third
point finish - good enough for the marquee to win both manufacturers
championships.
In a race which featured 13 yellow flags and a racing surface which
lost its grip due to excessive gravel on the track from the many racing
incidents, the 2007 and 2008 LMP2 drivers champions, Romain Dumas
(France) and Timo Bernhard (Germany), overcame an off- track incident
of their own to guide their Penske Porsche RS Spyder to a third-place
finish - just high enough to edge Acura by a single point in the final
standings. Porsche ended up with 214 points, and Acura, with its one-two
finish at Laguna, finished second with 213. Penske Racing had previously
clinched their third straight LMP2 team title,
In the production-based GT2 class, Porsche had a more comfortable lead
of 15 points going into the last event, but a strong contingent of
Ferraris threatened to overcome those points with a sweep of the top
position in the four-hour finale. But the Flying Lizard Motorsports
Porsche 911 GT3 RSR of Patrick Pilet (France)/Johannes van Overbeek
(USA) finished fourth in class to seal the manufacturers championship,
220 - 215. Originally, Dirk Werner (Germany)/Bryce Miller (USA) in the
Farnbacher Loles Racing Porsche 911 GT3 RSR had finished third, but the
car was excluded at post-race tech for a ride height violation due to a
broken right front spring.
Previously, Joerg Bergmeister and Wolf Henzler (both Germany) had
clinched the drivers championship in their Flying Lizard Porsche, and
Flying Lizard Motorsports had sealed the team title - their first.
Hartmut Kristen, head of Porsche Motorsport, couldn't have planned the
season any better for this final result.
"To win all six championships - team, driver, and manufacturers titles
in both LMP2 and GT2 - is so much satisfying than any individual race
that we could win. This team effort included all our teams, their
drivers and crews, our engineers - both at the track and in Germany
- and all the Porsche AG, Porsche Motorsport, and Porsche Cars North
America employees that helped make this happen. A special thanks must go
to Penske Racing and Flying Lizard Motorsports, the teams that produced
the drivers championships and contributed heavily to the manufacturers
titles," said Kristen.
Paul Ritchie, president of Porsche Motorsport North America, was
particularly gratified with the success of the 2008 Porsche 911 GT3
RSR after the 2007, when Ferrari got the best of Porsche for the
championship.
"Over the winter, the engineers at Weissach, led by Roland Kussmaul,
completely revamped the race car, including a new aerodynamic package
and a four-liter engine, and provided us with a great package - and our
teams did the rest. A special thanks must go to my staff at Porsche
Motorsports North America, who provided critical parts and service
support to keep everyone on the track," said Ritchie, whose organization
is based in Santa Ana, Calif.
Other LMP2 Porsche finishers included Helio Castroneves/Ryan Briscoe
in the Penske Porsche RS Spyder (fourth); Guy Smith/Chris Dyson in the
Dyson Racing Porsche RS Spyder (fifth); and Marino Franchitti/Butch
Leitzinger in the other Dyson Racing Porsche RS Spyder.
Other GT2 Porsche finishers the Darren Law/Seth Neiman Flying Lizard
Porsche (fifth); the Joerg Bergmeister/Wolf Henzler Flying Lizard
Porsche (ninth after an early-race accident resulting in a long pit
stop for suspension replacement). The Francesco Pastorelli/Nicky
Pastorelli/Mark Basseng VICI Racing Porsche did not finish due to an
early-race accident.
-credit: porsche
