11.06.2015Porsche 919 Hybrid 2014 Model - 2nd race at Le Mans

After the 11th place the previous year and the failure of the second car  the 16-times Le Mans overall winner from  Zuffenhausen start  again in the most prestigious endurance race in the world: with the  Porsche 919 Hybrid 2015 the automakera are featuring  the most innovative vehicles in the 56 car race from their point of view. The revolutionary efficiency regulations for Le Mans prototypes class 1 (LMP1) made Porsche come back to proffessional motorsport last year. The combination of a 2.0 liter four-cylinder turbo gasoline engine and 2 energy recovery systems (braking energy and emission energy) is obtained for the 919 hybrid system output of around 1,000 horsepower. What brought the Porsche with starting numbers # 18, # 17 and # 19 to P1, P2 and P3 at the first qualifiying : to the very top.

Special aerodynamic package for Le Mans

Because on the 13.629 km long, ultra-fast course in western France, high top speeds beyond 330 km / h are a crucial factor, a special aerodynamic package was developed in Weissach. So at the season highlight of the FIA World Endurance Championship WEC the  prototypes have less drag and less aerodynamic downforce than in the other 7 six-hour races of the world cup.The pilots of the 3 used, different colored Porsche 919 Hybrid combine the experience of 43 Le Mans starts. The red prototype with starting number 17 will be driven by  Timo Bernhard (Germany), Brendon Hartley (New Zealand) and Mark Webber (Australia).

The black number 18, is driven by  the trio Romain Dumas (France), Neel Jani (Switzerland) and Marc Lieb (Germany) . On the wheel of the white Porsche with the number 19 we will see Earl Bamber (New Zealand), Nico Hulkenberg (Germany) and Nick Tandy (Great Britain) . Here is an quote of Formula 1 and Porsche driver Nico Hulkenberg about the race: "I have collected my first experience with this route during the pre-test and found it very cool. One can go into a great rhythm, I am looking  forward to the long stints in the race. I feel comfortable with the Porsche 919 hybrid at Le Mans, but I'm going to learn a lot in the race weekend. "His goal on his debut is to withstand the whole distance.

Driver change after  4 hours maximum

Let's see how it works: In the race, a driver is not allowed to drive more than 4 hours within 6 hours. Over all , he can not sit behind the wheel for  more than 14 of the 24 hours. A driver change is usually made only if new tires are needed: 2 full tanks with a set of Michelin tires are an absolute minimum, 3 should be standard, at night it can be 4. The recently published model of the Porsche 919 hybrid 2014 Spark does not have to be fueled, of course: The model made from resine plastic, with many reproduced details  thrilled us at first glance. The way how the team around Hugo Ripert has implemented the subtleties  is simply awesome.Starting with the replica of the headlights which couldn't be any more filigree.
The mold engineers have done a fantastic job on the front apron; it looks as if it was original and not a copy in scale 1:18. In the case of the 919, we have the impression that the cockpit ais even more accurat than usual. No antenna is missing, perfectly styled replicas of aluminum wheels and a beautiful  feature of the side air vents and the diffuser at the rear. If Le Mans would be a race for models, the Porsche 919 hybrid would have won 2014 in 1:18 from our point of view. It is available in 2 versions: Team Porsche System Engineering starting number 14 with the drivers Romain Dumas, Neel Jani and Marc Lieb and the # 20  driven by Timo Bernhard, Mark Webber, Brendon Hartley