Porsche Pre-Long Beach Report

After the season-opening races at Daytona and Sebring, North America’s endurance sports car championship, the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, leaves Florida and heads to the West Coast. Round Three of ten, the BUBBA Burger Sports Car Grand Prix of Long Beach, exclusively features the GT Le Mans (GTLM) and Prototype (P) classes. The GT Daytona (GTD) class, which includes the popular Porsche 911 GT3 R, will not race on the April 15-16 race weekend ion Southern California. With a short-form duration of only 100-minutes, this is the shortest race on the Series’ calendar. The challenging, wall-lined street circuit on the Pacific Ocean is the United States’ most storied street course, much like Europe’s legendary Monaco circuit. The Porsche North America factory program will campaign two 470 hp Porsche 911 RSR in the hotly contested, all-factory program category.  

The race on the 1.98-mile, 11-turn street circuit will challenge four works drivers in Saturday’s race. The No. 911 cockpit is shared by the reigning IMSA GTLM champion Patrick Pilet (France) and Le Mans overall winner Nick Tandy (Great Britain) while the sister car, the No. 912, has its own overall Le Mans winner, Earl Bamber (New Zealand), and Frédéric Makowiecki (France). The Kiwi and the Frenchman took home third place from the first two races of the season and lead all Porsche drivers in the yearlong championship chase.

The Porsche 911 RSR is based on the seventh generation of the iconic 911 sports car and characterized by a lightweight design.

Dr. Frank-Steffen Walliser, Head of Porsche Motorsport.

“We’ve started the season with two podium results in this intensely competitive and popular racing series – which is a much more successful start than in our championship winning year of 2015. At Daytona and Sebring we were very close to scoring our first win of the year with the 911 RSR. After these two races, Porsche is leading the North American Endurance Cup, and that speaks volumes about the consistently strong performances of the 911 RSR and our drivers. We can build on this for the rest of the season. Now we want to turn our full attention to Long Beach, the shortest race of the season on a very tight street circuit. This poses very special challenges for our whole team.”

Marco Ujhasi, Overall Project Manager GT Works Motorsport.

“This race is not only thrilling for the drivers, it’s also a huge event for the fans. The entire squad is put under immense pressure. With the race being so short, every second we lose in the pits is extremely critical. The choreography has to be perfect otherwise you haven’t got a chance.”

Patrick Pilet, Driver, No. 911 Porsche North America Porsche 911 RSR.

“It’s a fabulous challenge to race non-stop at the limit on such a tight street circuit. There are virtually no run-off zones. Every mistake is punished immediately. If you take a corner too fast you’ll hit the wall. Still, it’s one of my favorite American racetracks. In 2008 I set my first pole there for Porsche. Perhaps now I could follow up with my first victory.”

Nick Tandy, Driver, No. 911 Porsche North America Porsche 911 RSR.

“Long Beach is the first West Coast race of the season. The IndyCar series is contested there on the same weekend, and this is why it traditionally attracts huge crowds. So of course we want to show the spectators just how exciting sports car racing is. After the long distance classics in Daytona and Sebring, the season really heats up for me at Long Beach.”

Earl Bamber, Driver, No. 912 Porsche North America Porsche 911 RSR.

“The two longest races are behind us by the time we get to the shortest race of the season at Long Beach. But for us drivers it doesn’t make much of a difference. The demands are basically the same at every race: You’re up against extremely tough competition, you have to be totally concentrated and you can’t make one mistake.”

Frédéric Makowiecki, Driver, No. 912 Porsche North America Porsche 911 RSR.

“Long Beach is one big motorsport party with two top racing series all-in-one. The fans love it and the atmosphere reflects that. I really like this race. The setting is as unique as the circuit. The qualifying is critical. We will focus on achieving a decent grid spot so that we’re in a good position for a top result.”

Jens Walther, President/CEO, Porsche Motorsport North America.

“There is something unique and special about Long Beach. It is an event weekend that we all love to be a part of because it is more than a race; it is an event. It is even more special for Porsche Motorsport North America this year as we prepare to move into our new home at the Porsche Experience Center, Los Angeles just up the road in Carson.

Despite the fact that not all classes compete at the Long Beach Grand Prix, Porsche will take our traditional approach with the two car Porsche North America 911 RSR factory effort in the WeatherTech Championship. 

WeatherTech SportsCar Championship

Television Race Broadcast (All times ET)

Saturday, April 16

7 p.m. Fox Sports 2 (FS2)

Re-Air of Race Highlights Package

Saturday, April 16

11 p.m. Fox Sports 1 (FS1)

Sunday, April 17

12:30 p.m.  Fox Sports 1 (FS1)