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Race report
The race weekend at Lime Rock Park could not have ended better for
When the 24-strong field of the GTLM and GTD classes took off on the short 2.414-kilometre race track in the idyllic rural region of Connecticut, conditions were cloudy and not as hot as Friday’s temperatures. In the two free practices and the qualifying, teams and drivers had had to contend with temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius. Traditionally, Lime Rock is a two-day event. Racing is not permitted on Sundays as a church service is held in a small chapel close to the track. The crew of the
On this short track where overtaking is extremely difficult, Dirk Werner also got away cleanly at the start to make up one position, which had the
Victory in the GTD class, in which customer teams field the 500 hp
Round eight of the IMSA SportsCar Championship will be contested on 6 August at Road America in Elkhart Lake in the US State of Wisconsin.
Comments on the race
Steffen Höllwarth, Programme Manager IMSA SportsCar Championship: “The maiden victory with a new car is always a particularly emotional moment. And if you can bring home a double victory and even overall victory, then that makes you incredibly proud. I’m proud not only of our team here in the USA, but also of our colleagues in Weissach and our sister team in the WEC. This success belongs to us all. We can now build on this over the rest of the season. In the race, our 911 RSR was faster than the competition when the temperatures were initially high, but found it a little tougher once it cooled down. In terms of our race strategy, we again did very well today. For the most part, our cars had a clear run. On this short racetrack where overtaking is very difficult, that proved to be a key to success.”
Patrick Pilet (911 RSR #911): “Incredible. We had to wait so long for this victory but now it’s finally happened. The entire team worked brilliantly this weekend. This circuit suits our 911 RSR well and we immediately found a super setup. It was a tough battle over the whole distance. Our car was consistently fast today, but you always have to stay fully focussed. With so many cars out on the track you inevitably swap paint with your rivals. Luckily everything went well. It was a fantastic weekend. We’re now going to enjoy our success and then attack again at Road America in a fortnight.”
Dirk Werner (911 RSR #911): “We’ve worked towards this day for a long time. We had to cope with several setbacks this season, but we never threw in the towel. It’s wonderful that the first win for the new 911 RSR has finally come. And the fact that it’s my first win as a
Laurens Vanthoor (911 RSR #912): “I’m pleased for
Gianmaria Bruni (911 RSR #912): “I’m delighted for the squad and for
Jörg Bergmeister (911 GT3 R #73): “An unbelievable weekend. This was my seventh win at Lime Rock, and
Patrick Long (911 GT3 R #28): “That was a great day for
Race result
GTLM class
1. Pilet/Werner (F/D),
2. Vanthoor/Bruni (B/I),
3. Edwards/Tomczyk (USA/D), BMW M6, 181
4. Garcia/Magnussen (E/DK), Corvette, 181
5. Westbrook/Briscoe (GB/USA), Ford GT, 181
6. Auberlen/Sims (USA/GB), BMW M6, 180
7. Hand/Müller (USA/D), Ford GT, 177
8. Gavin/Milner (GB/USA), Corvette, 151
GTD class
1. Bergmeister/Lindsey (D/USA),
2. Snow/Sellers (USA/USA), Lamborghini GT3, 175
3. Long/Morad (USA/USA),
4. Davis/Aschenbach (USA/USA), Audi R8, 174
5. Lally/Legge (USA/GB), Acura NSX, 174
6. Balzan/Nielsen (I/DK), Ferrari 488, 174
All results and points’ standings of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship can be found on the Internet: results.imsa.com.
The new 911 RSR
The new
In designing the new 911 RSR, the entire concept of the vehicle was revamped from scratch. Moving the engine to sit in front of the rear axle created space for a massive rear diffuser, which generates significantly more downforce. At the same time, weight distribution could be further optimised, which also helps reduce tyre wear. The engineers at Weissach began with the development of the new 911 RSR back in early 2015. The rollout – that’s the first time the vehicle goes out on a racetrack – took place in March 2016 on the
The highlight of the test phase was a 50-hour long-run at Sebring. Even before its first race, the 911 RSR proved to be reliable. The test on the bumpy Florida racetrack, famous for the extreme challenges it throws at man and machine, ran without any major problems. And when the new 911 RSR went racing, it immediately proved competitive. At the long distance classics of Daytona and Sebring, it impressed with strong performances. Until then,
The IMSA SportsCar Championship
The IMSA SportsCar Championship is a sports car race series contested in the USA and Canada, which was run in 2014 for the first time. The series was formed from the merger of the American Le Mans Series and the Grand-Am Series. Sports prototypes and sports cars start in four different classes: GTLM (GT Le Mans), GTD (GT Daytona), P (Prototype) and PC (Prototype Challenge). The new
911 GT3 RS: Fuel consumption combined 12.7 l/100 km; urban 19.2 l/100 km; extra urban 8.9 l/100 km; CO2 emissions 296 g/km; efficiency class (Germany): G
All reports on the previous season can be found in our archive.