High Hopes
A resurgent Porsche Motorsport returns to the 2017 WEC, and the otherworldly altitude of Mexico City
The long summer break has drawn to a close and the World Endurance Championship is heading down Mexico way. After its Nürburgring hat trick and the announcement that Porsche is withdrawing from LMP1 at the end of the season, the remaining five rounds of top flight endurance racing will be something to savour.
The 919 Hybrids and 911 RSRs will roll onto the high-altitude Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez late this week, with race day falling on Sunday, September 3rd.
With 154 points against Toyota’s 114.5, and with the Bernhard/Bamber/Hartley 919 enjoying a 30-point advantage over the best-placed TS030, Porsche already has a strong lead in both driver and manufacturer’s championships, and is looking to extend it around the 2.6 mile long Grand Prix circuit in Mexico City.
It won't be plain sailing here though, as Team Principal Andreas Seidl explained: “The most specific feature is the altitude of 2,250 metres above sea level. Thin air with less oxygen makes appropriate cooling of the power train and brakes difficult and also has a huge influence on aerodynamics. Lower drag leads to less downforce and stability in the corners. On the other hand top speeds on the 1.2 kilometre long straight tend to be high.”
Porsche’s new high downforce kit has only enjoyed one competitive outing, so it'll be a sharp learning curve for both cars and teams at this height in the heat of a Central American September. Many of the drivers will have spent some of the summer break training at altitude in readiness for the race, but it still promises to be one of the most demanding weekends of the season on both car and driver.
And with five races still to run, Toyota remain a serious threat to Porsche's chances of defending its twin titles from 2016. All to play for then, and thousands of flat-out miles yet to run – stay tuned for race updates as the weekend unfolds.
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