Porsche completed 433 laps at Sebring during the prologue with its Hypercars
For its return to the premier category of endurance racing, Porsche worked on the use of Michelin tires. The German manufacturer covered over 2,000 kilometers during the Sebring Prologue.
A bright sun, almost scorching temperatures. Perfect weather to start the new season of the World Endurance Championship (WEC). All the competitors in the Hypercar category gathered on the American track of Sebring, on March 11th and 12th, which will host the first round of the season.
“Porsche, who is making its return to WEC this year, based its prologue tests on understanding the two Michelin tire compounds. Both #963 cars finished in fourth and fifth place. In the FIA WEC, the optimal use of tires is often the key to success. Let’s see what we can do in this area. We have collected a large amount of data that we now need to analyze before the start of the race,” admits Frédéric Makowiecki, driver of car number 5.
The German team, however, experienced several mechanical issues, which cost them valuable driving time. Nighttime work was also necessary to repair the two hypercars. « We did not have any major problems with the cars, but we encountered a few minor ones. This meant that we had to work late into the night. However, we still managed to cover a lot of distance and obtain important information for the race », says Urs Kuratle, the director of Factory Motorsport LMDh.
All the competitors will meet this weekend of March 17th, 18th, and 19th for the 1,000 miles of Sebring. The first real challenge of the new era of endurance.
