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Porsche works drivers score best result of season

Stuttgart. With a strong performance in the Porsche Riley, Porsche works drivers Timo Bernhard (Germany) and Romain Dumas (France) secured their best result of the season in the American Grand-Am Series. On the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, the duo claimed second place in a fiercely contested race. In the GT class the clear points’ leader Dirk Werner (Germany) and Leh Keen (USA) took another step towards securing the title with the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.

The race on the Grand Prix circuit close to the Canadian city of Montreal started in light drizzle. When it stopped after several laps, Romain Dumas was the first driver to come into the pits for slicks. In lap eight the Penske Racing-run Porsche Riley moved into the lead for the first time. As the rain set in again, Timo Bernhard lost the lead when pitting for wet tyres, which he quickly regained. This time as well, the track soon dried up. The change back to slicks cost the front-runners their lead and possible victory. Romain Dumas and Timo Bernhard headed the field for 38 laps in total – far more than half the race distance. For the Porsche works drivers, this marks their third podium result this season after Millville and Watkins Glen. With two races left on the calendar, the pair ranks third in the championship.

“That was a good day for us. We’ve waited a long time for this. We had the chance to win today and that’s a great feeling for the entire team,” said Romain Dumas. Timo Bernhard added: “It’s wonderful to climb the podium again. I’m very happy. The constantly changing conditions messed up our strategy somewhat otherwise victory would have been possible. But still, we were very strong and that gives us confidence for the next race.”

With the Porsche Riley fielded by Brumos Racing, David Donohue (USA) and Darren Law (USA) also put in a strong showing. Despite being relegated to the back of the prototype grid when the car was found to be slightly underweight after qualifying, the winners of the Daytona 24 hour race finished fifth and earned crucial points towards the championship.

After four victories so far this season, Dirk Werner and Leh Keen are on a steady course for the GT class title. With the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup run by Farnbacher Loles Racing, they saw the flag in sixth in Montreal, but still managed to extend their points’ lead. Second position in this class also went to Porsche pilots: Andy Lally (USA) and Brendan Gaughan (USA) narrowly missed out on victory for their TRG team with the 911 GT3 Cup.

Round 11 of the Grand-Am Series takes place on 19 September in Salt Lake City in the US state of Utah.


Statistics: 10th of 12 races in the Grand-Am Series in Montreal, CDN

Race result
1. Angelelli/Friselle (I/USA), Ford Dallara (DP), 67 laps
2. Bernhard/Dumas (D/F), Porsche Riley (DP), 67
3. Gurney/Fogarty (USA/USA), Pontiac Riley (DP), 67
4. Forest/Taylor (CDN/USA), Chevrolet Riley (DP), 67
5. Donohue/Law (USA/USA), Porsche Riley (DP), 66
6. Friselle/Wilkins (USA/CAN), Ford Riley (DP), 66
7. Dalziel/Lester (USA/USA), BMW Riley (DP), 66
8. Valiante/Pew (CDN/USA), Ford Riley (DP), 66
9. Bouchut/Tucker (F/USA), BMW Riley (DP), 66
10. Pruett/Rojas (USA/MEX), Lexus Riley (DP), 66

Result GT class
1. Davis/Liddell (USA/GB), Pontiac GXP.R, 64 laps
2. Lally/Gaughan (USA/USA), Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, 64
3. Assentato/Segal (USA/USA), Mazda RX-8, 64
4. Espenlaub/Foster (USA/USA), Mazda RX-8, 64
5. Lux/Sellers /USA/USA), Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, 64
6. Werner/Keen (D/USA), Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, 63

Points’ standings
Drivers DP class
1. Alex Gurney, Jon Fogarty, Pontiac, 274 points
2. Scott Pruett, Memo Rojas, Lexus, 269
Brian Friselle, Max Angelelli, Ford, 269
3. Timo Bernhard, Romain Dumas, Porsche, 248
4. Michael Valiante, Ford, 242
5. David Donohue, Darren Law, Porsche, 234
Burt Friselle, Mark Wilkins, Ford, 234
6. Joao Barbosa, JC France, Porsche, 224

Manufacturers’ DP class
1. Ford, 324 points
2. Porsche, 281
3. Pontiac, 280
4. Lexus, 269

Drivers GT class
1. Dirk Werner, Leh Keen, Porsche, 304 points
2. Kelly Collins, Pontiac, 269
3. Andrew Davis, Pontiac, 261
4. Sylvain Tremblay, Nick Ham, Mazda, 253
5. Andy Lally, Porsche, 244
6. Paul Edwards, Pontiac, 243
7. Eric Lux, Porsche, 241

Manufacturers GT class
1. Porsche, 323 points
2. Pontiac, 302
3. Mazda, 296



Facts and Figures

This is the Grand-Am Series

In the Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series twelve races are contested in the USA and Canada. A traditional highlight of the season is the 24 Hours of Daytona. Most races run over a distance of 250 miles. The grid is made up of two different vehicle categories: Daytona Prototypes and GT vehicles. With one exception, both categories race together but are separately classified.

Daytona Prototypes (DP): Special manufacturers, like Riley, supply the vehicle chassis. To ensure equal chances for all, large manufacturers are not permitted to enter their own team, but may supply engines. Two Porsche teams, Penske Racing and Brumos Racing, compete with the Porsche 3.99-litre six-cylinder fitted in a Riley chassis. In the Daytona Prototype specification, the engine delivers ca. 510 hp. Minimum weight of the vehicle is 1,021 kilograms.

Grand Touring (GT): The GT class is similar to the FIA GT3 class, where the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup is one of the most successful contenders. Equality of chances is attained through tyre size, rev limitations and weight. Minimum weight is between 1,043 and 1,270 kilograms.

A balanced starter field ensures thrilling racing with tough fights for positions and many overtaking manoeuvres. Porsche has won the GT championship seven times in nine years, most recently in 2007 with Dirk Werner at the wheel of a Farnbacher Loles Racing 911 GT3 Cup, and with this is one of the most successful manufacturers in the Grand-Am Series. Porsche works driver Joerg Bergmeister claimed the Prototype class title in 2006.