Beyond the Flag
Fansided

Porsche Wins WEC Six Hours of Mexico City

By Daniel Hall

Jan 31, 2016; Daytona Beach, FL, USA; The Visit Florida Racing Corvette driven by Ryan Dalziel, Marc Goossens and Ryan Hunter-Reay (90) leads The Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Riley DP driven by Lance Stroll, Alex Wurz, Brendon Hartley and Andy Priaulx (01) during the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 31, 2016; Daytona Beach, FL, USA; The Visit Florida Racing Corvette driven by Ryan Dalziel, Marc Goossens and Ryan Hunter-Reay (90) leads The Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Riley DP driven by Lance Stroll, Alex Wurz, Brendon Hartley and Andy Priaulx (01) during the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Defending series champions Porsche prevailed at the FIA WEC 6 Hours of Mexico City despite a wet, wild, unpredictable race.

The No. 1 Porsche of Timo Bernhard, Mark Webber, and Brendon Hartley took overall victory in a thrilling World Endurance Challenge event in Mexico City as the team continues its quest to defend its WEC title.

More from Motorsports

Here’s how the action at the 6 Hours of Mexico City broke down by class:

LMP1

In the early stages of the race, the No. 8 Audi led, although the No. 7 R18 and the two Porsche 919s made things interesting and the running order shuffled like a deck of cards. A full-course yellow at the halfway mark added more spice to the race. The No. 1 Porsche initially faced problems, being dealt a stop-go penalty for aborting a pit-lane entry at the last second.

Luckily for them, the drama was far from done, as the anticipated precipitation arrived. Those in the No. 8 camp were fooled into putting slicks on the race leading car. The result was an R18 clobbering the wall and putting more water on the track in the form of Audi tears.

The race progressed with the No. 2 Porsche fading and it came down to a duel between the Lotterer/Fassler Audi and the defending world champions. A combination of strategy, Mother Nature, and driver skill made for a fascinating finish to the race.

Having to make one more stop, the No. 7 R18 – with Lotterer behind the wheel – was taking second upon second out of the No. 1’s lead. A mistake would prove costly, as the three-time Le Mans winner went off in the stadium section and lost 20 seconds. Looking done for, the heavens gave one more opportunity for Audi to snatch victory.

The timing of the rain was perfect for the No. 7, giving them the opportunity to change tires on their stop. Bernhard slid off the road due to a wet curb, making an Audi victory look like a real possibility. It was still too little, too late for Audi. Bernhard got the 919 back on the road to notch up the car’s second win in a row.

LMP2

LMP2 thrilled as well, as G-Drive and RGR Sport spent most of the race battling it out. Controversy came when the race leading RGR entry was knocked off track by the G-Drive car, piloted by Roman Rusinov. Karma came back to blow up the No. 26 G-Drive Oreca’s race – literally – when their brake disc exploded in the final hour. The RGR Ligier crossed the line first in class; Senna, Gonzalez, and Albuquerque took a popular victory.

Did you know Bruno Senna is related to Ayrton Senna and that Alex Brundle is related to Martin Brundle, who raced Ayrton? Wow, who knew!

must read: Nico Rosberg Wins F1 Italian Grand Prix

GTE-Pro

Aston Martin took honors in the main GT category with Turner and Stanaway bringing home victory. The No. 97 Aston finished third with Gimmi Bruni and James Calado coming second for AF Corse. Aston drivers now make up the top three in points as Turner is ahead of Thiim and Sorenson as Bird and Rigon finished fourth and dropped down the standings.

With fourteen points covering the top five in the standings, there is less room to breathe than a Beyonce concert. Just think about the music, not the sweaty people climbing over you.

GTE-Am

There was no shortage of action in this class, either. The Abu Dhabi Proton Porsche of David Heinemeir Hannson, Patrick Long, and Khaled Al Qubaisi took victory. The No. 83 Ferrari finished second and the No. 78 Porsche finished third.

The Lieb, Dumas, Jani squad still holds a strong overall lead in points, while Signatech and AF Corse are equally comfortable.

Below are the class-by-class results for the FIA WEC Six Hours of Mexico City:

LMP1
1. No. 1 Porsche 919: Webber, Hartley, Bernhard
2. No. 7 Audi R18: Fassler, Lotterrer
3. No. 5 Toyota TSO50: Sarrazin, Conway, Kobayashi
4. No. 2 Porsche 919: Dumas, Jani, Lieb
5. No. 13 Rebellion R-One: Tuscher, Kraihamer, Imperatori

LMP2
1. No. 43 Ligier: Senna, Gonzalez, Albequerque
2. No. 36 Apline: Menzes, Lapierre, Richelmi
3. No. 31 Ligier: Dalziel, Derani, Cumming
4. No. 42 Gibson: Leventis, Williamson, Kane
5. No. 41 Gibson: Gonzales, Diaz, Junqueira

GTE-Pro
1. No. 97 Aston: Turner, Stanaway
2. No. 51 Ferrari: Calado, Bruni
3. No. 95 Aston: Thiim, Sorenson
4. No. 71 Ferrari: Bird, Rigon
5. No. 67 Ford: Franchitti, Priaulx, Tincknell

GTE-Am
1. No. 88 Porsche: Heinemeir Hannson, Long, Al Qubaisi
2. No. 83 Ferrari: Perrodo, Collard, Aguas
3. No. 78 Porsche: Reid, Camathias, Henzler
4. No. 86 Porsche: Wainwright, Carroll, Barker
5. No. 98 Aston: Lauda, Lamy, Dalla Lana

Next up for the FIA WEC is Circuit of the Americas, located in Austin, Texas – where the only people who wear cowboy boots and hats are the drivers that visit.

FIA WEC 6 Hours of Circuit of the Americas is set for Sep. 17.

Home/Motorsports