Photo: Porsche
Porsche brand new endurance race car, the 919 Hybrid, was tested at the track for the very first time, ahead of 2014 World Endurance opener at Silverstone next month.
The Germans took the LMP1 prototype at the Paul Ricard circuit in France, where both Toyota and the Audi will be testing their hybrid racers over the next couple of days.
All six factory drivers got to experience the 919 in day and night running, while the pit crew did several pot stop practices. Porsche said it had also experienced a few technical problems, but declined to go into specifics. However, team principal Andreas Seidl noted that the test “taught us that we have to improve in terms of reliability”.
“This test was a very challenging one for the entire crew. For the first time we were running two cars at the same time, which was demanding in terms of logistics and team coordination. The other target was to simulate a race weekend in order to prepare for the two six-hours races that are coming up,” he said.
Porsche will field two 919 Hybrids in this year’s World Endurance Championships season. The No. 14 car will be driven by Roman Dumas, Neel Jani and Marc Lieb, while vehicle No. 20 will be shared by Timo Bernhard, Brendon Hartley and Mark Webber.
The 2014 WEC begins on April 20 in the United Kingdom, ends on November 30 in Brazil, and includes nine events. The 24 Hours of Le Mans race kicks off on June 14.
All six factory drivers got to experience the 919 in day and night running, while the pit crew did several pot stop practices. Porsche said it had also experienced a few technical problems, but declined to go into specifics. However, team principal Andreas Seidl noted that the test “taught us that we have to improve in terms of reliability”.
“This test was a very challenging one for the entire crew. For the first time we were running two cars at the same time, which was demanding in terms of logistics and team coordination. The other target was to simulate a race weekend in order to prepare for the two six-hours races that are coming up,” he said.
Porsche will field two 919 Hybrids in this year’s World Endurance Championships season. The No. 14 car will be driven by Roman Dumas, Neel Jani and Marc Lieb, while vehicle No. 20 will be shared by Timo Bernhard, Brendon Hartley and Mark Webber.
The 2014 WEC begins on April 20 in the United Kingdom, ends on November 30 in Brazil, and includes nine events. The 24 Hours of Le Mans race kicks off on June 14.
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