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Features On The Road

HOT, HOT, Too HOT?

Here at Lime Rock Park is not only the CVR/PCA PorschePlatz and Porsche parking coral along with the IMSA Weathertech Championship for GTLM and GTD cars only.  Lime Rock Park is the shortest track of the series with sub 60 second laps.  A 1.5 mile track with 7 turns makes the drivers work hard with little to no time to rest in the 2 hour 40 minute race.

Friday with three practice sessions and temperatures going up to the high 90’s along with high humidity

Brought everyone looking for shade, cool drinks and any comfort they could find.

Then comes along Saturday with qualifying and the race at 3:10pm and higher temperatures than Friday but the Porsche club members endured and showed up with around 135 Porsches and over 200 Porsche friends at the PorschePlatz.  Several Porsche team members showed up, Earl Bamber and Laureens Vanthoor to talk to our members.  After their talk Joe Kunecki gave the team members a CVR 60th Anniversary shirt for them each along with their team coordinator Erin.

On Saturday morning during qualifying, the Porsche team not only took the Pole position but also the # 911 with Nick Tandy driving, 2nd place locking up the front row for the start of the race.  Laureens Vanthoor in his #912 Porsche RSR not only took the pole position but also set a new Lime Rock lap record for IMSA GTLM cars at 49.133 second.  Very impressive considering the heat and having to start with the tires that you qualify on.

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The race started in the heat of the afternoon with the two Porsche 911 RSR card not only lead the start of the race, but hold those positions until the first pit stops.

The second half of the race for the Porsche team brought the high heat in the low 90’s, but high ‘s humidity, saw the Porsche’s unable to hold back the pack as their tires had deteriated while the Fords opted for a third pit stop with 20 minutes left to the race, and get new tires which lead them able to drive past the Porsches.

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The #912 with Laureens Vanthoor and Earl Bamber came in 2nd while the #911 with Nick Tandy and Patrick Pilet came in 4th, just off the podium.

This still keeps them in the Championship lead for the drivers of Bamber and Vanthoor in the lead for the drivers with Tandy and Pilet in 2nd and Porsche still in the lead for the Manufacturer’s.

In GTD we saw the PFAFF Porsche 911 GT3 R start in fifth position on the grid with Zacharie Robichon and the new Porsche Young Professional, Dennis Olsen driving the last stint, in the last two laps attempt to pass the leading Acura GTD and finally succeed and the win by only .01 seconds at the finish line.

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Park Place Motorsports with Patrick Long and Marco Seefried reach 4th place.  The Wright team, with their 1st start this year in IMSA and GTD came in also a respectable 5th place.

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So for a hot, hot, hot race weekend it turned up with the team still keeping their leads in the championship and surviving the heat.

Many had said this was the hottest race they have been at in many years.  So after many Gatorades and water on Saturday, I survived the race day feeling pretty good and still able to say, see you at a CVR event or another race.  Safe travels and have fun driving your Porsche this year.

You know what, winter is coming!

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