Three In A Row For Porsche #17

In a thrilling final hour of the six-hour race in Fuji, Porsche car #17 took the chequered flag to win their third consecutive race. They had been running a comfortable P2, around 50 seconds behind the sister #18 car. But #18 received a drive through penalty for gaining an improvement whilst the track was in full course yellows. A lot of other cars received this punishment or were investigated for it. With the drive through the gap between the Porsche dropped to about 30 seconds. Bernhard sensed the opportunity and his pace instantly increased, with the gap slowly dropping down. With ten minutes left, it wasn’t clear whether or not Bernhard would manage to close the gap and pass the car but suddenly the thirteen second gap disappeared, becoming a 1.8 second gap with #17 ahead. It is not exactly clear what happened or how the #17 got passed so swiftly but Bernhard said, once out of the car, that #18 was suffering with a problem at the end which is what allowed them to get passed. Whether this was the case or if the team sent out team orders for seventeen to be ahead is unknown, but #17 leave Fuji with the maximum points available.

The LMP2 race came to an exciting and controversial end. G-Drive #26 came back to fight for an amazing victory with a couple of overtaking moves that could have been classed as ‘on the edge’. Signatech Apline got their best ever result with #36 finishing second. But the main focus was the battle between G-Drive #28 and the old championship leaders #47 KCMG (G-Drive now lead the drivers and constructors with #26). In a desperate bid to unlap themselves, Yacaman used some bold overtaking manoeuvres, consequently having contact with the #47 and damaging the car, forcing it to need to pit. The #47 then received a drive through penalty for gaining and advantage under yellow flags (like Porsche #18) and found themselves back out on track with G-Drive #28, this time on the same lap and actually battling for position. There were a lot of close calls, small bumps and unfair racing (leaving no room on track) from Yacaman, but it all went up in smoke as the G-Drive driver tried to squeeze up the inside of the KCMG car that was on racing line, taking it out of the race and making it the only car not to be classified. Yacaman was hauled into the stewards office straight after the podium celebrations and the incidences are to be examined after the race. Yacaman’s actions were described as a “pointless display of petulance”. As of this report being posted the results of those investigations are still unknown.

LMGTE Pro saw the fight back of the Porsches to the Ferrari’s in the last hour. #51’s lead was too big for either of the Porsches to try and bridge, but #92 was on a mission to catch and pass the second AF Corse car #71. The wheel-to-wheel racing was nail biting through every second, had you on the edge of your seat and pulling at your hair as each of the drivers fought to find and create a gap to get past the other, or block of any and all potential moves. Unlike the Yacaman incidents (which are controversial as they gave car #26 the championship lead) they raced with respect for each other, the rules and the dangers of the sport. The battle continued for so long that the sister Porsche car #91 began to gain on the pair. But it wasn’t meant to be for #91. AF Corse won with the #51 with Porsche #92 coming home second and #71 finishing off the podium.

The maiden victory came a race later than the maiden pole for Dempsey Proton Racing, but it came none the less. The Dempsey #77 car used pit strategy to their advantage, going different from everyone else to gain a laps lead on the field. #77 was running up with the LMGTE Pro cars for a lot of the first section of racing after the safety car period, showing that not only is the car up for the job but the driver’s are ready for the fight. Patrick Dempsey finished in the car as he had to complete twenty more minutes in the car for him to meet this race quota. Alongside them on the podium was the #98 Aston Martin and the #83 AF Corse respectively. It wasn’t a good day for reining world champions SMP Racing #72 as they finished second to last in class.

Round seven of the endurance championship will be held in Shanghai’s international circuit on the 1st of November. With the fantastic result of the weekend, Porsche #17 now leads the driver’s championship by one point. It’s the first time this season that anyone but Audi #7 have lead. Whether or not the Porsche boys can hold onto that lead we will find out in three weeks time, but it can be assured that they will be desperate to get their hands on the first world championship, constructors and drivers, for the team in this new ear of racing.

(image: www.fiawec.com)

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