Damien Smith
Break out Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture: Porsche is officially back after claiming victory in the coincidentally named Qatar 1812km 10-hour enduro at Losail.
As Max Verstappen droned to yet another grand prix win just across the water in Bahrain, briefly giving Formula 1 something more grey and predictable to talk about than his team boss’s personal conduct, the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship exploded into life with a bombast befitting of the Russian composer’s most famous work.
What an occasion. Cadillac, Ferrari, Peugeot, Porsche and Toyota now joined in the Hypercar class by Alpine, BMW, Lamborghini and the revived Isotta Fraschini, plus a new LMGT3 class boasting a rich tally of – count ’em – nine car makers. Then there was the cast of drivers: Jenson Button, Mick Schumacher, Valentino Rossi… and they’re just the household names. Premier-level sports car racing has never had it so good.
To think that Porsche almost bought into Red Bull Racing, only to be scuppered by Christian Horner’s independent streak. A lucky escape.
In the wake of its first overall Daytona 24 Hours victory for decades and this, its first WEC win since 2017, sports car racing’s greatest marque can now bid for a record-extending 20th Le Mans crown come June. That makes a great deal more sense than the inevitable angst of F1.
A CLEAN SWEEP
Laurens Vanthoor, Kévin Estre and André Lotterer (back where he belongs, at the top of sports car racing) had to ride their luck to deliver the Penske-run Porsche 963 its Qatari win, a close call with a Lexus RC F and a late unscheduled stop to replace a missing number panel adding to the stress levels.
But the real tension was in the battle for second place. Pity poor Peugeot. When Jean-Éric Vergne’s 9X8 lost power with two laps to run, Porsche customer team Jota picked up the pieces. British Indycar convert Callum Ilott managed his ageing tyres brilliantly to hold off Daytona winner Matt Campbell in the other works 963, the pair completing a famous Porsche one-two-three.
Add the Manthey Pure Rxcing 911’s narrow defeat of an Aston Martin Vantage in the LMGT3 class and Porsche’s night was complete.
The best of the Ferraris was the AF Corse entry featuring Robert Kubica in fifth. And Toyota? Sixth and ninth, its worst WEC showing for years. Times have changed.
RALLYING’S NEW PLAN
Crisis is a strong word,
