3/6 Porsche LMP1/98 Presensation

// This is a direct reupload of the post I made for Instagram and Facebook

Porsche LMP1/98 Presentation 3/6

For Le Mans, the car underwent revisions: headlights were narrowed to accommodate larger dive planes, improving highspeed stability. Stiffening crossmembers were added at the rear, and the mirrors were fitted with windshields. The livery also received the now-iconic blue stripes of the GT1 and a FAT sponsorship

Holes were cut in the inner wheel arches, similar to the Toyota, improving handling and generating a lot of downforce. However, since they weren’t present during scrutineering, the ACO ordered them to be sealed, a shame, the car was developed with them in mind
Qualifying was underwhelming. While the pace was better than in prequalifying, the car only improved by a 1s over its 97 lap time, securing 9th place, 2s behind the fastest BMW and 5s off the pole sitting Mercedes. With a 20L fuel tank advantage, GT1s looked poised to dominate unless reliability issues struck. The #8 car had very troubled qualification and started from 20th
At the start, Martini made a strong getaway in the BMW, in contrast, Alboreto lost 2 places in the #7 Porsche before Indianapolis. After 2h, both Mercedes were out, and the leading LMP1 was already a lap down. The #7 car faced multiple issues: two punctures right after pit stops and ECU-related turbo troubles, dampening hopes of a third victory. Meanwhile, the #8 car was climbing back from its poor startting position

Then, one by one, the field thinned. #2 BMW retired, then the #28 Toyota had issue, the BMW retired too, and finally, the #27 Toyota had damage. These setback elevated the #7 Porsche to 6th by the evening, ahead of its sister car. Four laps behind the leading GT1s, hope was rekindled until 9 PM, when disaster struck. The #7’s engine stalled and refused to restart. There would be no historic triple victory for WSC-001, marking its first DNF since its last IMSA outing in 92 as a Jaguar

The #8 held onto 5th for a while but suffered a spin in the rain, causing irreparable bodywork damage that prevented it from meeting safety standard.

A double DNF before halfway, far from what Porsche and Joest had hoped for. Joest was left wondering: What if we had just kept the car as it was ?...