Porsche is the first champion crowned in the 50th anniversary season of the International Motor Sport Association (IMSA). By virtue of the brand’s GTD class success in IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship races under six-hours, Porsche added the WeatherTech Sprint Cup Manufacturer’s title to its legacy in North American motorsport. In addition, Zacharie Robichon earned the first IMSA WeatherTech Sprint Cup Championship Drivers’ title on Sunday at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. The Canadian captured the Driver laurels while giving Porsche the final push for Makes with a fourth-place run in the No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R he shared with Scott Hargrove (Canada) in the Monterey SportsCar Championship at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on September 15.
While this is Robichon’s first WeatherTech series title, the Porsche Young Driver Academy graduate won the 2018 IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama championship.
In the GTLM factory class, the Porsche GT Team claimed seventh and eighth-place at the penultimate round of this year’s IMSA season. In an uneventful race without any caution flags, factory drivers Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium) and Earl Bamber (New Zealand) grappled with a lack of grip in the No. 912 Porsche 911 RSR, as did their brand colleagues Patrick Pilet (France) and Nick Tandy (Great Britain) in the No. 911 sister car. Heading to the 22nd Running of the Motul Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta season finale, Porsche holds a convincing lead in the GTLM manufacturers’ classification.
Park Place Motorsports with factory drivers Patrick Long (Manhattan Beach, California) and Patrick Lindsey (Santa Barbara, California) did not start the race following an accident during Saturday’s qualifying session.
Pascal Zurlinden, Director Factory Motorsport.
“The race in the GTLM class was the worst we’ve experienced with our factory cars this season. For once we weren’t competitive and for the first time in twelve months we didn’t finish on the podium. Fortunately, this doesn’t affect our bid for the championship, as we’re heading to the finale at Road Atlanta as the big favorites. We won the Sprint Cup classification in the GTD class with the brand new Porsche 911 GT3 R. Congratulations to Zacharie Robichon on winning the title and a big thank you to our team at Weissach for developing a great GT3 car.”
Zacharie Robichon, Driver, Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R.
After a really tough race, here I am with my first title – that’s sensational. Our first Sprint Cup race at Mid-Ohio didn’t go at all well, but since then we’ve made huge progress. Our Laguna Seca race is proof of that. We weren’t at all familiar with the race track, so it was a journey into the unknown. The meticulous work of the team ensured that we could maintain a steady pace and achieve fourth-place. That was the most we could do today, and it was enough to win the title for Porsche and for me personally. A dream has come true for me today.”
Steffen Höllwarth, Head of Operations IMSA Championship.
“We struggled today to maintain a steady pace over a full stint and we could do little against our competition this time. Because there were no safety car phases in the race, our strategic options were also very limited. Under these conditions, we couldn’t do better than seventh and eighth. Luckily, at the end of the day, we got off lightly. Our main rivals in the championship also had problems to deal with. The current situation in the title fight looks good for us as we head to the final round of the season.”
Patrick Pilet, Driver, No. 911 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR.
“This simply wasn’t our race. We already noticed in practice that it’d be difficult for us in terms of tire durability. Still, we tried our best in the race. We simply couldn’t do more. Now we’re looking ahead. It’ll undoubtedly be better for us at the final round at Road Atlanta.”
Nick Tandy, Driver, No. 911 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR.
“At Laguna Seca we experienced the exact opposite of the previous race in Virginia, where we brought home a convincing one-two result. But that’s how it goes sometimes in the fiercely contested GTLM class. When one small thing doesn’t work, you’re very quickly thrown back. That’s what happened to us today. I’m not surprised really because Laguna Seca has not been particularly kind to us in the past.”
Earl Bamber, Driver, No. 912 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR.
“That was a tough race for us. To be honest, judging from the practice sessions, we’d expected this. Laguna Seca is simply not our favorite racetrack. Despite these disappointing results, we’ve taken another step towards winning the title. That means much more to us. Laurens and I have even managed to extend our lead. Now I’m very much looking forward to the grand finale at Petit Le Mans.”
Laurens Vanthoor, Driver, No. 912 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR.
“We still hold a clear lead in the championship. That’s the most important thing after such a difficult race. We had no real chance today because there was too much wear on the tires. I don’t know if we could have achieved more with a different strategy. It doesn’t matter now. We’re looking forward to the ten-hour race on the outskirts of Atlanta, which is where Porsche North America is based. We are keen to secure the championship title at our home race.”
