Porsche Driving LeMans Race Coverage Article 3

6/14

3:36 am PST

"Porsche on Front Row After Competitive Qualifying"

PORSCHE ON THE FRONT ROW AFTER COMPETITIVE QUALIFYING

Submitted by P. Michael Clarke

Porsche's Factory Team 911 GT1 car #26 will begin from the second position on the starting grid of the 65th running of the most famous motor racing event in the world, the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The qualifying time 3:43.636 was posted by Thierry Boutsen who's car, co-driven by Hans Stuck and Bob Wollek, had dominated the practice sessions until Thursday night, when the Joest Racing Team's TWR Porsche prototype grabbed pole position with an impressive time of 3:41.581. "The car is running extremely well, thanks to a solid performance by all the Factory Team members", Boutsen said after setting his time. "I am not that surprised that the Joest car # 7 is a bit faster than us at this point," he added. That same car was three seconds faster than the 911 GT1s in last year's qualifying. "But we are a little closer this year, and keep in mind that the race is 24 hours, so a lot can happen," he continued, visibly happy with the result for the team.

The TWR Porsche prototype car # 7 of Joest Racing is being driven by the team of Alboreto/Johansson/Kristensen. Alboreto was beaming when he got out of the car, feeling they could've gone a bit faster if it weren't for slower cars distracting him on the flying lap. That very same car, albeit driven by a different crew, not only qualified on the pole in last year's Sarthois event but went on to win Le Mans in 1996. It was the third Le Mans win for the Joest Team, which took the checkered flag in 1985 and 1986. At the time, Joest was fielding two of the legendary Porsche 962s. The winning car in '85 also won in 1986. Can the scenario replay itself this year?

If the weather is sunny and dry, the Joest car has a distinct advantage. It is lighter, does not consume as much fuel and uses bigger tires than Porsche's 911 GT1. As a result, it will have pit less often, should require tire changes every three stops, and may only need three brake changes if the temperature remains mild. Note: Le Mans safety rules dictate that cars cannot refuel and change tires simultaneously - fewer tire changes will save valuable time in the pits.

On the other hand, The Porsche 911 GT1 will need to change tires every couple of stops, switch brake pads 3-4 times and rotors once during the course of the 24 hour event. On paper, this would seem to lend an advantage to the Joest Team's prototype car.

But, as the saying goes, that's why they run the race. Anything can happen over the course of 24 hours. One equalizing factor may be the weather, which has been less than predictable over the past four days. A little rain could prove to be an ally of the Porsche Team...and heavy cloud cover rules the day four hours before race time. The same light, afternoon rains of the past three days are likely to reappear today. The Porsche GT1's 14-inch wide tires adapt better to a wet track than the 16-inch wide rubber on the Joest car. Wider tires have a bit more of a propensity for aquaplaning in the rain. The Porsches and McLaren/BMWs should thus be at an advantage having narrower tires. This proved to be the case in 1995, when the McLarens dominated the field amidst driving rains.

Word around the paddock is, if the weather heats up, the McLarens could experience transmission and cooling problems, which would be to the advantage of the Porsche and Joest teams.

Curiously off pace was the Nissan R390 car, which had taken everyone by surprise back in May at the pre-qualifying sessions. At the time, Martin Brundle dominated the sessions with a blistering time of 3:43.152. The car is presently third on the starting grid with a time at 3:45.324. One can only speculate that they are experiencing problems perhaps keeping something back for the race...

All in all, the 1997 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans should be one of the most competitive in years, with four different manufacturers in the top six positions: TWR, Porsche, BMW and Nissan.

6/14	3:36 am PST	"Porsche on Front Row After Competitive Qualifying"
PORSCHE ON THE FRONT ROW AFTER COMPETITIVE QUALIFYING Submitted by P. Michael Clarke Porsche's Factory Team 911 GT1 car #26 will begin from the second position on the starting grid of the 65th running of the most famous motor racing event in the world, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The qualifying time 3:43.636 was posted by Thierry Boutsen who's car, co-driven by Hans Stuck and Bob Wollek, had dominated the practice sessions until Thursday night, when the Joest Racing Team's TWR Porsche prototype grabbed pole position with an impressive time of 3:41.581. "The car is running extremely well, thanks to a solid performance by all the Factory Team members", Boutsen said after setting his time. "I am not that surprised that the Joest car # 7 is a bit faster than us at this point," he added. That same car was three seconds faster than the 911 GT1s in last year's qualifying. "But we are a little closer this year, and keep in mind that the race is 24 hours, so a lot can happen," he continued, visibly happy with the result for the team. The TWR Porsche prototype car # 7 of Joest Racing is being driven by the team of Alboreto/Johansson/Kristensen. Alboreto was beaming when he got out of the car, feeling they could've gone a bit faster if it weren't for slower cars distracting him on the flying lap. That very same car, albeit driven by a different crew, not only qualified on the pole in last year's Sarthois event but went on to win Le Mans in 1996. It was the third Le Mans win for the Joest Team, which took the checkered flag in 1985 and 1986. At the time, Joest was fielding two of the legendary Porsche 962s. The winning car in '85 also won in 1986. Can the scenario replay itself this year? If the weather is sunny and dry, the Joest car has a distinct advantage. It is lighter, does not consume as much fuel and uses bigger tires than Porsche's 911 GT1. As a result, it will have pit less often, should require tire changes every three stops, and may only need three brake changes if the temperature remains mild. Note: Le Mans safety rules dictate that cars cannot refuel and change tires simultaneously - fewer tire changes will save valuable time in the pits. On the other hand, The Porsche 911 GT1 will need to change tires every couple of stops, switch brake pads 3-4 times and rotors once during the course of the 24 hour event. On paper, this would seem to lend an advantage to the Joest Team's prototype car. But, as the saying goes, that's why they run the race. Anything can happen over the course of 24 hours. One equalizing factor may be the weather, which has been less than predictable over the past four days. A little rain could prove to be an ally of the Porsche Team...and heavy cloud cover rules the day four hours before race time. The same light, afternoon rains of the past three days are likely to reappear today. The Porsche GT1's 14-inch wide tires adapt better to a wet track than the 16-inch wide rubber on the Joest car. Wider tires have a bit more of a propensity for aquaplaning in the rain. The Porsches and McLaren/BMWs should thus be at an advantage having narrower tires. This proved to be the case in 1995, when the McLarens dominated the field amidst driving rains. Word around the paddock is, if the weather heats up, the McLarens could experience transmission and cooling problems, which would be to the advantage of the Porsche and Joest teams. Curiously off pace was the Nissan R390 car, which had taken everyone by surprise back in May at the pre-qualifying sessions. At the time, Martin Brundle dominated the sessions with a blistering time of 3:43.152. The car is presently third on the starting grid with a time at 3:45.324. One can only speculate that they are experiencing problems perhaps keeping something back for the race... All in all, the 1997 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans should be one of the most competitive in years, with four different manufacturers in the top six positions: TWR, Porsche, BMW and Nissan.