Porsche Driving LeMans Race Coverage Article 8

6/14

11:06 am PST

"4th Hour Story!!!"

PORSCHE 911 GT1s LEAD LE MANS AFTER 4 HOURS OF RACING

by P. Michael Clarke

The tables have just turned after four hours of racing as the two works Porsche 911 GT1 cars have taken the lead for the first time since the opening laps of this 65th running of the Le Mans 24 hour race. In taking the lead, Hans Stuck, driving the #25 Porsche 911 GT1, turned a fast lap of 3:47.590. Minutes ago, it was bettered by Ralf Kelleners in Porsche's #26 with the day's quickest time: 3:46.594. The two cars are running 1-2 within car lengths of each other.

French driver Bob Wollek, who started the race, pulled an early lead on the Joest TWR Porsche but lost the position to hard charging Italian Michele Alboreto. The pace established early on by the lead drivers was more akin to a sprint race than to that of an endurance event. In passing Wollek for the lead after only six laps, Alboreto in the Joest car had established an early fast lap of 3:48.466, slightly more than 6 seconds off the pole position. He then proceeded to open a 30- to 45-second lead and hold this position.

It came as a bit of a surprise when Emanuel Collard, driving the #26 Porsche GT1 works car, pitted first for fuel, since the capacity of the Porsche GT1 is greater than that of the TWR Porsche. Alboreto then refueled, followed by Wollek in the #25 Porsche. Predictably, Porsche drivers drove two shifts before changing tires and driver, while Alboreto was able to put in three shifts before changing his tires and letting Stephan Johansson take over.

What is most surprising to everyone here is the relatively high attrition rate recorded early in the race. Two of the three Nissan R390s, which had dominated the pre-qualifying, are proving to be somewhat unreliable. One could only speculate about their performance capability, as they did not qualify as quickly as expected. We later found out that they were struggling with set up. One of the Nissans is out with clutch problems, the other with a broken gearbox. Bad luck is also affecting the leading McLaren BMW team: their car is also out with gearbox problems.

An update on the race's sentimental favorite: the #9 Courage Porsche prototype co-driven by Michael and Mario Andretti, was dashed by gear box problems in the fourth hour of the race, forcing them to pit for over 30 minutes. That was on top of the lap they lost early in the race to repair a faulty fuse in the fuel delivery system. Also in the fourth hour, Andretti's teammate, the #10 Porsche Courage car went down with a failed fuel pump.

The weather, which is always a factor in long-distance races, is still very much uncertain: heavy clouds continue to loom on the horizon. Rain showers are expected during the early evening which will without doubt change the makeup of this race.

After four hours, Porsche is very well represented in the top ten with 6 cars, 4 of which are 911 GT1s.

6/14	11:06 am PST	"4th Hour Story!!!"
PORSCHE 911 GT1s LEAD LE MANS AFTER 4 HOURS OF RACING by P. Michael Clarke The tables have just turned after four hours of racing as the two works Porsche 911 GT1 cars have taken the lead for the first time since the opening laps of this 65th running of the Le Mans 24 hour race. In taking the lead, Hans Stuck, driving the #25 Porsche 911 GT1, turned a fast lap of 3:47.590. Minutes ago, it was bettered by Ralf Kelleners in Porsche's #26 with the day's quickest time: 3:46.594. The two cars are running 1-2 within car lengths of each other. French driver Bob Wollek, who started the race, pulled an early lead on the Joest TWR Porsche but lost the position to hard charging Italian Michele Alboreto. The pace established early on by the lead drivers was more akin to a sprint race than to that of an endurance event. In passing Wollek for the lead after only six laps, Alboreto in the Joest car had established an early fast lap of 3:48.466, slightly more than 6 seconds off the pole position. He then proceeded to open a 30- to 45-second lead and hold this position. It came as a bit of a surprise when Emanuel Collard, driving the #26 Porsche GT1 works car, pitted first for fuel, since the capacity of the Porsche GT1 is greater than that of the TWR Porsche. Alboreto then refueled, followed by Wollek in the #25 Porsche. Predictably, Porsche drivers drove two shifts before changing tires and driver, while Alboreto was able to put in three shifts before changing his tires and letting Stephan Johansson take over. What is most surprising to everyone here is the relatively high attrition rate recorded early in the race. Two of the three Nissan R390s, which had dominated the pre-qualifying, are proving to be somewhat unreliable. One could only speculate about their performance capability, as they did not qualify as quickly as expected. We later found out that they were struggling with set up. One of the Nissans is out with clutch problems, the other with a broken gearbox. Bad luck is also affecting the leading McLaren BMW team: their car is also out with gearbox problems. An update on the race's sentimental favorite: the #9 Courage Porsche prototype co-driven by Michael and Mario Andretti, was dashed by gear box problems in the fourth hour of the race, forcing them to pit for over 30 minutes. That was on top of the lap they lost early in the race to repair a faulty fuse in the fuel delivery system. Also in the fourth hour, Andretti's teammate, the #10 Porsche Courage car went down with a failed fuel pump. The weather, which is always a factor in long-distance races, is still very much uncertain: heavy clouds continue to loom on the horizon. Rain showers are expected during the early evening which will without doubt change the makeup of this race. After four hours, Porsche is very well represented in the top ten with 6 cars, 4 of which are 911 GT1s.