The reigning world champions Timo Bernhard (DE), Brendon Hartley (NZ) and Mark Webber (AU) repeated their last year’s win at the six-hour race at the Nürburgring (DE). Porsche, with the 919 Hybrid, extended their lead in the manufacturer standings of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). Romain Dumas (FR), Neel Jani (CH) and Marc Lieb (DE) came fourth in the race and continue to lead the drivers’ world championship. There were five full course yellows during the race.
Fritz Enzinger, Vice President Porsche LMP1 said, “It is incredible. We have won nine out of the last ten races, including the 24 hours of Le Mans twice. With this result we are going into the summer break and you cannot ask for more.
Just like its 2015 debut, the German round of the WEC was a success: 58,000 spectators experienced nice summer weather in the Eifel mountains. It was the fourth of nine rounds of the 2016 WEC.
Audi started the 6 Hours of Nürburgring from positions one and two on the grid. In a tough battle for the lead, the two Audi R18 cars initially took turns at the front of the field. In the end, Audi Sport Team Joest achieved positions two and three.
Toyota GAZOO Racing experienced a frustrating afternoon, calling it a race to forget. Hopes were high following strong performances at Spa-Francorchamps and Le Mans, but those were dashed when the TS050 Hybrids lost time early in the race due to a tire compound which was not ideal for the track temperatures. This is a serous mistake for the Toyota Team. The #5 car of Anthony Davidson, Sébastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima finished fifth, one lap behind the winning Porsche #1. Stéphane Sarrazin, Mike Conway and Kamui Kobayashi suffered a technical problem on their way to sixth in the #6.
This is the third victory this season for the Porsche 919 Hybrid, after wins at the Silverstone and Le Mans races. In total the prototype has won ten races since its 2014 debut. For Bernhard/Hartley/Webber it is their fifth success. Porsche now leads the manufacturers’ standings with 164 points ahead of Audi (129) and Toyota (97). Dumas/Jani/Lieb lead the drivers’ standings by 33 points.
