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Race report
Stuttgart. What an end to the season for
With this victory at the Bahrain International Circuit,
The success on the Grand Prix circuit in the desert, a racetrack known to put extreme stresses on the tyres, was also a race for strategists. The tactic of not going all-out in qualifying to clinch pole position but instead to concentrate on preparing for the race and save a fresh set of tyres also worked perfectly at this season finale. Patrick Pilet took up the race from the fifth grid spot and immediately put the GT-class frontrunners under pressure. Third place after one lap, second after two – and after eleven laps he had taken the lead. Putting in a strong drive and clocking consistently fast lap times, the champion of the Tudor United SportsCar Championship and his teammate Frédéric Makowiecki fended off repeated attacks from their rivals over the rest of the race. At the flag, the duo held a comfortable lead of almost 40 seconds.
In the sister 911 RSR fielded by the
With two podium spots in the GTE-Am class,
Dr. Frank-Steffen Walliser, Head of
Richard Lietz (911 RSR #91): “It wasn’t just a thrilling race, the whole week was full-on. Many thought, because of my points’ lead, I could just coast along and bring home the title. But today was six hours of pressure; a nonstop fight against cars in all classes. After all, championship titles were at stake for many and therefore they didn’t hold back. Our strategy worked. Patrick and Fred went for victory in their 911 RSR, we erred on the side of caution.
Michael Christensen (911 RSR #91): “To claim three titles is certainly more than we’d expected at the start of the season. But we gave our utmost as a team at every race, never stopped fighting and we coped with all the setbacks. And that’s why we’re standing here today as champions. Of course, we didn’t tackle the race too aggressively; there was simply too much at stake. That was the right tactic. We have achieved what we set out to do at the season finale.”
Patrick Pilet (911 RSR #92): “A perfect day for
Frédéric Makowiecki (911 RSR #92): “We had to wait for our first win of the season until the very last race. But it was worth it. Before the start, I said to Patrick that on no account did I want to go home without a victory. The year was not easy for us. We took a while to get where we wanted to be. But we fought at all times and therefore deserve this success.”
GTE-Pro class
1. Pilet/Makowiecki (F/F),
2. Bruni/Vilander (I/SF), Ferrari, 173
3. Turner/Adam (GB/GB), Aston Martin, 173
4. Nygaard/Sörensen/Thiim (DK/DK/DK), Aston Martin, 173
5. Lietz/Christensen (A/DK),
6. Rigon/Calado (I/GB), Ferrari, 172
7. MacDowall/Rees/Stanaway (GB/BRA/NZ), Aston Martin, 171
GTE-Am class
1. Dalla Lana/Lamy/Lauda (CDN/P/A), Aston Martin, 170 laps
2. Bachler/Al Qubaisi/Mapelli (A/UAE/I),
3. Long/Ried/Seefried (USA/D/D),
4. Perrodo/Collard/Cressoni (F/F/I), Ferrari, 169
5. Bertolini/Shaytar/Basov (I/RUS/RUS), Ferrari, 169
6. Roda/Ruberti/Poulsen (I/I/DK), Chevrolet Corvette, 169
7. Castellacci/Goethe/Hall (I/D/GB), Aston Martin, 168
Points’ standings GTE-Pro after 8 of 8 races
FIA World Endurance Cup for GT Manufacturers
1.
2. Ferrari, 286
3. Aston Martin, 192
FIA World Endurance Cup for GT Drivers
1. Richard Lietz,
2. Gianmaria Bruni, Toni Vilander, Ferrari, 131.5
3. Michael Christensen,
4. Davide Rigon, James Calado, Ferrari, 123
5. Frédéric Makowiecki,
6. Patrick Pilet,
FIA Endurance Trophy for GTE-Pro Teams
1.
2. AF Corse, #51 Ferrari, 149
3. AF Corse, #71 Ferrari, 137
4.
5. Aston Martin Racing, #99 Aston Martin, 100
6. Aston Martin Racing, #95 Aston Martin, 95
The Sports Car World Championship WEC
Sports prototypes and GT vehicles contest the Sports Car World Championship WEC (World Endurance Championship) in four classes: LMP1 (eg.
All reports on the previous season can be found in our archive.