Richard Lietz: “Loyalty is a crooked road”

What will you remember from this very atypical 2019-2020 season?

It was a difficult year for everyone. And I would like to take my hat off to all those promoters and organizers who have managed to find a way to keep the business going, mainly for the operating stables for which it is their livelihood and for whom it was vital. It is certain that for us, drivers, entered in several championships or major races, the end of the year was tiring and complicated to negotiate, with a very tight schedule. But I refuse to see it as a negative thing, because it means we were able to race and that is the main thing.

On a sporting level, you finished 7th with three podiums including a victory. How do you judge the first sports campaign of the Porche 911 RSR-19 in WEC ?

It started very well as we started the season with a victory at Silverstone, in what was the car's first competitive outing. It was a nice surprise. Then it got a little complicated later. We were victims of technical problems, although minor, but from which we suffered greatly. When you drive a Porsche, this is the kind of annoyance you're not used to. But I would say that we were mainly victims of a lack of success. Every race, something happened to us. And in a category as competitive as the GTE Pro, moreover in which there are only a few cars (six per year in 2019-2020. Editor's note), it is essential to be consistent and score big. points for each outing. You pay cash for the slightest misstep.

And in terms of performance, do you think that the No. 91 maximized its chances?

Strategy-wise, I think we did pretty well. We opted for the right settings most of the time and were very good with tire management, which is one of the strong points of this car. But at the risk of repeating myself, each time, a grain of sand came to block the mechanism.

Find the entire interview in the WEW 2021 Guide (No. 2307) available in digital version and on newsstands.