Toyota Gazoo Racing came close to following up its recent one-two finish at Fuji, Japan, with a similar result today in Shanghai, China. Its hopes were scuppered with 37 minutes of the Chinese six-hour clash remaining, however, when the then second-placed N°7 Toyota TS050 Hybrid (with José-Maria Lopez at the wheel) hit the Porsche 911 RSR of Richard Lietz during a passing manoeuvre. Porsche Team went on to collect second and third places overall to wrap up the 2017 Manufacturers’ title, while Timo Bernhard, Earl Bamber and Brendon Hartley (2nd, N°2 Porsche 919 Hybrid) put the seal on this year’s Drivers’ crown.
The 2017 6 Hours of Shanghai produced a number of exciting duels, including some early jousting in the premier division between Toyota Gazoo Racing and Porsche LMP Team before the Japanese outfit succeeded in pulling away, assisted by its tyre strategy. It effectively continued to extend its lead until the late tangle of the second-placed N°7 prototype (Conway/Kobayashi/Lopez) which allowed Porsche through to second spot.
A consistent run from Buemi/Davidson/Nakajima helped the N°8 TS050-Hybrid to take the advantage during the opening hour and ultimately pocket the day’s win. Toyota Gazoo Racing’s performance also showcased the consistency and reliability of Michelin’s endurance racing tyres despite the requirement to run double stints, as dictated by this year’s FIA WEC regulations.
The LM GTE Pro class produced a thrilling contest between Porsche GT Team and Ford Chip Ganassi Team UK. A short distance into the race, the N°92 Porsche RSR of Christensen/Estre succeeded in taking the lead after dominating the pole-winning N°95 Aston Martin Vantage (Thiim/Sorensen). The N°66 Ford GT (Mücke/Pla) then tucked in behind, before the second Porsche and the other Ford also found a way past the Aston Martin to add to the intensity of the scrap between the German and American makes.
As the situation began to stabilise, the N°92 Porsche was side-lined by a technical problem (followed by a Full Course Yellow period), while the N°66 Ford was forced to make a quick pit stop for repairs. These incidents enabled the N°51 Ferrari 488 GTE of Calado/Pier Guidi to steal a footing on the final podium which, combined with the sixth place also scored by the Italian make, harvested sufficient points for Ferrari to clinch the 2017 GTE Manufacturers’ title. The GTE Drivers’ crown will be settled at the year’s finale in Bahrain on November 18.
“Congratulations to Porsche and Ferrari on winning their respective championships, and also to Timo Bernhard, Earl Bamber and Brendon Hartley whose strong run this season has earned them the 2017 Drivers’ crown,” said Jérôme Mondain, the manager of Michelin’s endurance racing programmes. “In addition to the satisfaction of having helped our partners to finish on the top step of their respective podiums, I am particularly pleased with the consistency our tyres showed today. Halving the number of tyres each car is allowed to use made double-stinting mandatory at Shanghai which is one of the most exacting venues of the campaign in terms of wear. We took nothing for granted before the start, but today’s result is another illustration of the ability of Michelin’s development engineers to use appropriate technology to cover all the bases.”
The 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship will conclude in Bahrain on November 18. It will be the last time that the Persian Gulf state hosts the competition’s ultimate round after having had that honour for six years.
