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Added on the 04/02/2019 13:18:31 - Copyright : Auto Moto EN
Porsche wins the manufacturer's title in the 2019 Intercontinental GT Challenge with victory in the Kyalami 9 Hour. Nick Tandy, Dennis Olsen and Mathieu Jaminet finished the first international endurance race on the iconic Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit since 1982 in P2. Dennis Olsen is the new driver champion.
A successful record run by Mercedes-AMG at the prestigious Repco Bathurst 12 Hour. With a special version of the Mercedes-AMG GT3, the performance and sports car brand wrote another piece of motorsport history in Australia on Saturday.Mercedes-AMG Performance Driver Jules Gounon (AND) took up the challenge behind the wheel of the about 650 hp strong racing car at Mount Panorama Circuit. The three-time Bathurst winner covered the 6.213 kilometres at an average speed of 191.82 kph. With a time of 1m 56.605s, he posted the fastest lap time ever set with a GT car at the circuit.The reigning Intercontinental GT Challenge champion took to the track in the run-up to the legendary endurance race in the Australian state of New South Wales. In his record attempt, the 29-year-old beat the previous best time at the iconic circuit by 2.074 seconds and illustrated the impressive potential of the Mercedes-AMG GT3. The 6.2-litre V8 engine, aimed at maximum performance without an air restrictor, combined with the drag reduction system (DRS) derived from Formula 1, reached a top speed of 308.71 kph. This was achieved on the 1.916 kilometres long Conrod Straight. In addition to the carbon brake system, the optimised aerodynamics package with revised front apron, splitter, side skirts and rear diffuser proved its effect in the middle sector, characterised by fast corners.The operational team initially sent out the modified Mercedes-AMG GT3 onto the race track for a shakedown on Friday to gather experience and validate the setup. During this first assessment of the car, the record at Mount Panorama Circuit was already broken. In a second session, Jules Gounon broke the record once more. On Saturday morning at 9:20 a.m. local time, the team took advantage of the ideal conditions with an air temperature of 21 degrees Celsius and an asphalt temperature of 30 degrees Celsius to set the new record time of 1m 56.605s minutes during the final run.
With 1400 horsepower being delivered to all four wheels, SuperVan 4.2 already has an impressive track pedigree. During its assault on the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb the all-electric racer finished second outright and first in class – smashing the class record in the process.This was thanks to a number of key upgrades since it was first revealed, as SuperVan 4.0, at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2022, including the shedding of almost 400kg of weight, an enhanced battery and electric motors, and a new aerodynamic package capable of generating two tonnes of downforce at 240km/h.
After the pandemic forced a postponement of the IGTC final race from December 4, 2021, to February 5, 2022, Audi Sport customer racing concluded the 2021 season with another title success: in 2016, 2017 and 2018, Audi Sport was already the best manufacturer in the only global GT3 racing series, and now the company has left four other sports car brands behind by winning the title at Kyalami.
The Porsche GT Team finished round two of this year’s FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) third and fourth in the GTE-Pro class. At the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, works drivers Kévin Estre from France and Neel Jani from Switzerland as well as Denmark’s Michael Christensen drove from pole position to the podium. At the flag, the No. 92 ca. 515 PS Porsche 911 RSR was only 20 seconds off clinching second place. Works drivers Richard Lietz from Austria, Gianmaria Bruni from Italy and Frédéric Makowiecki from France secured fourth place after 278 laps on the 4.684-kilometre Grand Prix circuit on the Algarve coast in Portugal. In the GTE-Am class, the customer squad Project 1 scored second place with drivers Egidio Perfetti (Norway), Riccardo Pera and Matteo Cairoli (both Italy).
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