Disaster Strikes Porsche In The First Hour
- Nov 21, 2015
- 3 min read
The worse possible thing that could have happened struck Porsche #17 only half an hour into the race as Timo Bernhard found himself stuck in forth gear and moving very slowly around the track. He nursed the car back and was pushed into the garage where a throttle link issue was discovered. The car was fixed, and after being in the pits for eight and a half minutes Timo Bernhard was back on track with it now all to do. The points difference between Porsche #17 and Audi #7 is thirteen points (fourteen for Audi to win). If the two cars tie on points the victory would go to #17 because of count backs and the fact that Porsche #17 has more wins. Currently, with #7 running P2 and #17 running P17 in the LMP class the championship would go to Audi. The LMP2 cars count as well as the Privateer LMP1 cars in the classification for the LMP1 cars, so the Porsche drivers have a lot to do to get back into championship contention.
KCMG #47 is determined to win this race, and with a fantastic start climbing up to P1 in class that point was very much made. They were demoted behind G-Drive #26 for the start of the race but very quickly made progress with a fantastic move into the first corner. #26 managed to get ahead of #47 after the pit stops but #47 caught up and over took on track, reminding us why it lead the LMP2 championship for as long as it did. Signatech Alpine #36 had a poor start as it fell back to P4 at the start. Currently running P6 in class which is not the position they would have wanted having started from pole. #28 stalled on the way out of the pit lane, giving them a longer stop than intended. They are now P7 a long distance off of KCMG – the car in front of them in the championship.
LMGTE Pro saw Aston Martin #99 hit with a three second stop and hold penalty at the beginning of the race. They got the penalty because they used too many sets of tyres during a free practice session. They took the penalty ten minutes into the race and are now working back into the field. Porsche #91 and #92 are fighting hard with the AF Corse #51/71 for the Constructors title. #92 currently leads the Pro field from #51 whereas #71 and #91 are fighting at the back of the class. The Am class sees the #50 Corvette leading #77 and #98. The Aston Martins have had an improvement in form recently and are fighting forwards through the pack. For the championship #83 is currently ahead of #72 but with the points gap #83 really needs to win the class to have a chance of taking the title away.
With so much having happened in only an hour there is still so much that could happen for the remaining five hours. Porsche, on paper, has the pace to come back from the pit stop deficit but if it is possible in actuality is the big question. Can the Porsche get back up to a position where they can take the title or is this reliability issue come at the wrong time to ruin their party?
(Image: www.fiawec.com)
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