Le Mans – Porsche lines up the kilometers in Aragon

It is Spain, and the Motorland-Aragon circuit, that Porsche had chosen this week to carry out its last test session before the 24 Hours of Le Mans (June 14-15). “So soon before our first 24 Hour race, we were, of course, focused on the reliability of the car” explains team principal Andreas Seidl. If the 919 Hybrid showed itself to be very fast, at Silverstone and especially at Spa, where it took pole position before leading the first 47 laps of the race, the mechanics sometimes acted up. If, in Great Britain, it was the No. 14 which did not see the finish, the No. 20, in Belgium, remained in its box for a long time.

“Following our previous testing sessions and the first two races of the WEC, we made modifications which proved to be judicious, continues the German. We have also discovered new weaknesses that we will address. The next two weeks will be used to prepare the two cars used for the race as well as the spare parts in preparation for the test day on June 1st. At the same time, we will continue to train for the various procedures, including refueling. »

In the end, 6009 kilometers were covered in three days by the single 919 Hybrid requisitioned in northern Spain. The six drivers, namely Timo Bernhard, Romain Dumas, Brendon Hartley, Neel Jani, Marc Lieb and Mark Webber were present, as were Wolfgang Hatz, head of the German manufacturer's research and development branch, and Fritz Enzinger, head of the LM P1 project.

The weather having been mild, the German team was able to work well. The next outing of the two Weissach cars is now scheduled for June 1, on the large Sarthoise circuit. The serious things begin...

Don't miss our 24 2014 Hours of Le Mans Guide next week, available from Monday evening in digital version and from Wednesday on all newsstands.