Porsche fends off Audi for Mexico winposted in WEC04 | 09 | 2016
PORSCHE GRABBED VICTORY in the thrilling latest round of the World Endurance Championship, the rain-interrupted raceSix Hours of Mexico, when the #1 car of Mark Webber, Timo Bernhard and Brendon Hartley headed off the #7 Audi of Andre Lotterer and Marcus Lassler.
The Audi R18 e-tron quattro had led early in the race before being forced to make an early pitstop. But any advantage it had disappeared when a full course yellow allowed the remains cars to essentially have a ‘free’ pitstop as the cars on track were restricted to 80km/h.
The #Porsche 919 Hybrid eased into the lead early in the second hour and remained ahead until early in the fourth hour when the car was given a drive-through penalty for crossing the pit entry line after aborting a pitstop.
That, in turn, handed the lead to the #8 Audi of Oliver Jarvis, Lucas di Grassi and Loic Duval, which had started the race from pole position.
But as the rain arrived during the second half of the race, Cambridge-based Jarvis slid off when the front left wheel-bearing failed on his car.
In a thrilling race — held for the first time on the tight, twisty and demanding Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit, which hosts the F1 Mexican Grand Prix — Bernhard then survived a late scare when he nudged the wall in the stadium section when the rain returned in the closing stages.
But as the #7 Audi in the hands of Lotterer closed in, Bernhard held on to take victory by just over a minute.
The thrilling finale was triggered when Lotterer’s Audi was fitted with Michelin's ungrooved intermediate tyres while the Porsches went onto full wets. But just as he ate into the Porsche’s lead, a brake problem caused him to lock up and tag a wall late with just over an hour remaining. The enforced pitstop for repairs essentially locked Lotterer into second place.
The win for Webber, Bernhard and Hartley was the second in succession for the defending world champions after winning last time out at the Nurburgring.
Airdrie’s Florida-based Ryan Dalziel finished on the podium in LMP2, powering his battle-scarred Extreme Speed Motorsports Ligier-Nissan to third, one place ahead of the Strakka Racing car of fellow Scot, Golspie’s Lewis Williamson.
Bathgate’s Marino Franchitti, partnered by fellow Brits Andy Priaulx and Harry Tincknell, brought their Ford GT home fifth in GTE.
Related: Scot Lewis Williamson finishes P4 in Mexico
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Jim McGill