One-two for 911 GT3 R and Hybrid-Porsche
Porsche
has made a perfect start into the 24 hour race on the
Nürburgring. After the first two hours, Porsche works driver and
last year’s winner Marc Lieb (Germany, Manthey Racing) holds the lead
in the 911 GT3 R. Behind him in second position sits Joerg Bergmeister
(Germany, Porsche Team Manthey) at the wheel of the innovative 911 GT3
R Hybrid. Start driver for Manthey Racing, the winning team of the last four 24 hour races, was Marcel Tiemann (Monaco.) Taking up the marathon from seventh position, the Manthey pilot made a catapult start and with spirited overtaking manoeuvres in his #1 Porsche 911 GT3 R snatched the lead after the first six corners. After eight laps, Tiemann came into the pits for the first fuel stop and tyre change and handed the car over to Marc Lieb.
Lance David Arnold, driving for Haribo Team Manthey, started from fifth and returned after the first lap of 25.378 kilometres ranking third. After the second lap he lay in position two. Arnold was the first of Olaf Manthey’s squad to pull into the pits with his Porsche vehicle after seven laps. With the 200-strong field, teams must time their pit stops so that none loses time waiting to refuel.
Chris Mamerow (Germany) also got away well in the race with his 911 GT3 R fielded by Mamerow team. Until pitting, he held third position when a time penalty relegated him back to 16th. “According to the marshals, we apparently ignored a flag and therefore received a two-minute time penalty,” said Mamerow.
The crew manning the standard 911 GT3 RS managed the opening phase of the long distance classic well after starting from 42nd position. Patrick Simon (Germany) drove the first stint and handed the vehicle over to his compatriot Roland Asch at the first scheduled pit stop. Two hours into the race the #11 Porsche ranks 37th.
