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Porsche tackles final with double title chance

Stuttgart. Porsche heads to the final of the American Grand-Am Series on the Homestead Miami Speedway on Saturday with the chance to secure two titles: After clinching four victories this season, Dirk Werner (Germany) and Leh Keen (USA) look set to grab the drivers’ championship in the GT class at the wheel of Farnbacher Loles Racing’s Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. In the manufacturers’ classification, Porsche victory is all but in the hand.

Dirk Werner and Leh Keen secured their clear points’ lead winning in Millville, Watkins Glen, Mid-Ohio and Daytona. Moreover, the pair claimed podium results at Laguna Seca and at the second Watkins Glen race. In Florida, they are determined to crown their superb season with the title. “We’ve put in a strong performance over the entire year and earned the most victories. So I think we really deserve to win the title,” says Dirk Werner. Their advantage is so comfortable that 26th position would be enough to become champions, regardless of where their competitors finish. And this, said the Porsche pilot, “should be possible.”

A total of six 911 GT3 Cup sports cars will race in Miami. With this, Porsche has by far the largest contingent in the GT class, where, according to Porsche motorsport boss Hartmut Kristen, spectators witness “the most gripping racing despite ongoing unsolved tyre problems”.

In the prototype class (DP), Penske Racing again fields the #12 Porsche Riley with factory pilots Timo Bernhard (Germany) and Romain Dumas (France). Two of the 510 hp Porsche six-cylinder vehicles are run by the customer team Brumos Racing. Sharing driving duties in the #59 cockpit are Joao Barbosa (Portugal) and JC France (USA). On the 3.7 kilometre Speedway, David Donohue (USA) and Darren Law (USA) are keen to achieve a top result to conclude the season, which began so promisingly for the pair with victory at the prestigious Daytona 24 hour race.

Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas are still awaiting their first victory of the season. After two third places in Millville and Watkins Glen as well as third in Montreal, the two-time winners of the American Le Mans Series still have a score to settle in the Grand-Am Series. “Our first win would be a wonderful way to finish the season,” says Timo Bernhard. “Several times we almost did it, but for various reasons it didn’t work. Due to the constant regulation changes this year we simply didn’t get any continuity.”

The frustration over the governing body, who kept handicapping the Porsche Riley after the season-opener in Daytona, continued throughout the season. “The many rule changes imposed on Porsche-powered vehicles were incomprehensible and hampered our teams in the championship early on,” declares Porsche’s head of motorsport, Hartmut Kristen. “Our teams don’t deserve this, especially in these tough times.”

The race in Miami starts on Saturday, 10 October, at 13.00 hours local time (19.00 hours CEST) and runs over 250 miles.



Facts and Figures

This is the Grand-Am Series

In the Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series twelve races are contested in the USA and Canada. A traditional highlight of the season is the 24 Hours of Daytona. Most races run over a distance of 250 miles. The grid is made up of two different vehicle categories: Daytona Prototypes and GT vehicles. With one exception, both categories race together but are separately classified.

Daytona Prototypes (DP): Special manufacturers, like Riley, supply the vehicle chassis. To ensure equal chances for all, large manufacturers are not permitted to enter their own team, but may supply engines. Two Porsche teams, Penske Racing and Brumos Racing, compete with the Porsche 3.99-litre six-cylinder fitted in a Riley chassis. In the Daytona Prototype specification, the engine delivers ca. 510 hp. Minimum weight of the vehicle is 1,021 kilograms.

Grand Touring (GT): The GT class is similar to the FIA GT3 class, where the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup is one of the most successful contenders. Equality of chances is attained through tyre size, rev limitations and weight. Minimum weight is between 1,043 and 1,270 kilograms.

A balanced starter field ensures thrilling racing with tough fights for positions and many overtaking manoeuvres. Porsche has won the GT championship seven times in nine years, most recently in 2007 with Dirk Werner at the wheel of a Farnbacher Loles Racing 911 GT3 Cup, and with this is one of the most successful manufacturers in the Grand-Am Series. Porsche works driver Joerg Bergmeister claimed the Prototype class title in 2006.