Porsche is banking on the consistency of its 911 3 GT2019 R over long stints

Beaten with 24 Hours of Le Mans by Ferrari without having deserved, Porsche is counting on the double clock tour of the Nürburgring this weekend to regain the top step of the podium at one of the major events of the GT season.

Winner last year with the 911 GT3 R from the Manthey Racing quartet Patrick Pilet, Frédéric Makowiecki, Nick Tandy and Richard Lietz, the German brand intends to take advantage of the qualities of the new version of the GT3 from Weissach, very prominent since the start of the season, particularly in the SRO championships.

“The title defense started the same day we won in 2018, explains Sebastian Golz, Porsche 911 GT3 R project manager. To date, our new GT3 has covered more than 25 kilometers on the Nordschleife.

The strength of the Porsche 911 GT3 R lies in its consistency over long stints. Customer teams Frikadelli Racing, Falken Motorsport, Ring Police and Manthey Racing contributed significantly to the competitiveness of the package. We now want to turn this into an exceptional result. »

To do this, we will also have to escape from the traps of the Green Hell, both the weather and the facts of the race or traffic management, a crucial element in this very special event and so important for German manufacturers.

“This race is a great adventure, recalls Michael Christensen, winner at Le Mans in 2018, and just crowned world champion in GTE Pro last weekend in Sarthe. The climate always plays a major role as does traffic. It's a huge challenge that we love to take on, and when you drive for Manthey Racing there can only be one goal: first place. »

However, it will be necessary to counter Audi (winner in 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2017), Mercedes-AMG (winner in 2013 and 2016) and especially BMW, whose last victory dates back to 2010 with the M3 GT2. But Munich seems to have found the right formula this year, having notably won the qualifying race with Walkenhorst Motorsport.