PORSCHE 911 GT1

Cette collection est une adaptation de Porsche Racing collection - Éditeur : Centauria Editore s.r.l.

Created to challenge the prototypes at le mans thanks to more lenient regulations, it missed out on victory by one lap

Porsche had been without an outright victory at Le Mans for nine years when, in 1995, it decided to build a new sports car. Although it was true that a year earlier the team had triumphed with the Dauer 862 Le Mans, an evolutionary replica of the victorious 962 Group C, which was entered in GT by taking advantage of loopholes in the regulations and also won thanks to technical problems encountered by Toyota. However, total satisfaction was not achieved, and the team was once again striving to win with an all-Porsche car. In order to achieve this, it focussed on the GT1 category which, thanks to the modifications introduced the previous year, was in a position to challenge the LMP prototypes for overall victory.

FOURTH IN QUALIFYING, SECOND ON THE PODIUM

From 1996 onwards, with the introduction of more detailed regulations, the GT1 category offered more scope for modification than GT2, especially in terms of engine preparation. This was a great opportunity for Porsche, given that the new 911 '993 Series', while a worthy successor to the 996 RSR, was unable to repeat the successes of the GT2 category, in which power was limited to 450 bhp whereas the GT1 was allowed up to 650 bhp, with the minimum weight still set at 900 kg and the fuel tank capacity at 100 litres.

First presented in 1995, the 911 GT1 made its debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans the following year, taking part in the pre-qualification race on April 28 in which the #25 and #26 cars finished 11th and 15th, thereby securing their entry for the event. On that occasion, Hans-Joachim Stuck was assigned to both crews, whereas for the 24 Hours itself, he was paired with Bob Wollek and Thierry Boutsen in the first car. The second 911 GT1 was driven by Yannick Dalmas, Scott Goodyear and Karl Wendlinger. During qualification, the latter set the fastest time, followed by their team-mates.

On the grid, however, the first six LMP1 prototypes and the first six GT1 cars were scheduled to start side by side in pairs: the N°26 Porsche was on the front row alongside the TWR (Tom Walkinshaw Racing) of the Joest team, while the N°25 was paired with one of the Courage C36s. Directly behind, on the third row, was the Ferrari 333SP, the reigning IMSA WSC champion, which is the offshoot of the LMP1 category. Porsche also had to be wary of a number of McLaren F1 GTRs, the car that won the race in 1995 and demonstrated that the two categories, prototypes and GTs, had achieved equivalence.

IN THE RACE TO THE END

Once the race started, the 911 GT1s made a strong start and remained in the lead for several laps before being overtaken by the TWRs due to a number of run-offs. The Courages and Ferraris, delayed by technical problems, managed to hold on, but were followed by a fleet of McLarens. As the problems worsened, particularly with the gearboxes, they dropped back into rear positions, thereby reducing the race to a duel between TWR and Porsche. The Thomas Walkinshaw team made the most of the car's lightness, tyres and aerodynamics, setting a steady pace that enabled the No. 7 car to secure the lead and make Alexander Wurz, at 22, the youngest ever driver to win at Le Mans, while veterans Davy Jones and Manuel Reuter achieved the first (and only) and second (and last) successes of their careers respectively. Finishing just behind them was the #25 911 GT1 of Stuck-Wollek-Boutsen, less than a lap behind at 37 seconds.

[ THE No.26 FINISHES THIRD AHEAD OF McLAREN AND COURAGE]

The No. 26, on the other hand, was 12 laps behind its twin, but two ahead of the first McLaren. Despite having to be content with the two bottom steps of the podium, Porsche managed to monopolise the race with 'two and a half wins': the 911 GT1 and GT2 won their respective categories, while the TWR was powered by an engine from Stuttgart.

J. STUCK, T. BOUTSEN and B. WOLLEK

The expert Hans-Joachim Stuck is the undisputed star of the 1996 Porsche team, with his two victories in 1986 and 1987 with the 962C and other titles including a WSC (World Sportscar Championship) in 1985 with the same car. Second place for Belgian Thierry Boutsen was a repeat of his 1993 victory with Peugeot, but his first class win, while Frenchman Bob Wollek repeated the result he had achieved the previous year with Courage. The second 911 GT1 to race was driven by Frenchman Yannick Dalmas, who had won the previous year in a McLaren - and in 1984 with Dauer, and again in 1992 with Peugeot. And in 1999 he won with the BMW V12 LMR.