4/6 Porsche LMP1/98 Presensation

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

Porsche LMP1/98 Presentation 4/6

...What if the car was left unchanged? That’s what Joest was wondering after Le Mans. The WSC-95 was (almost) bulletproof, while every leading GT1 suffered significant delays in the pits. The consensus was that, had it raced unchanged, they would have won on reliability

Fortunately, Joest had the chance to put that theory to the test at Le Mans! Well… Petit Le Mans

Joest wasn’t sure what made the LMP1/98 bad. Was it the new aero? A mismatch between the XJR14’s front suspension and the GT1’s rear? They decided to experiment, reinstalling the WSC-95’s rear end. After testing, the results were clear, the car felt better. What was a Jaguar XJR-14/Porsche 962 hybrid is now a Jaguar-Porsche-Porsche hybrid !

The stiffening crossmember were gone, the rear wing was swapped for the WSC-95’s due to gearbox mounting, dive planes and a front splitter were added to add downforce

Qualifying went well, with the car securing 3rd, just 0.7s off the pole-sitting Porsche GT1-98 and sandwiched by 2 Ferrari 333 SPs, the Doran car ahead and the Le Mans class winning Doyle-Risi behind

While the Ferrari gave the GT1 a fight early on, it quickly entered a class of its own. As the hours passed, the LMP cars engaged in their own battle, with the #77 leading after 1h. But, just like at Le Mans, the first pit stop was immediately followed by another : a stop-and-go penalty for speeding
The race settled down for the next hours, with teams playing the long game.
But as sunset approached, the #77 inadvertently became part of one of the most historic images in endurance racing: while towing the GT1-98, the car suddenly went airborne on the back straight.

With the dominant GT1 out, the race became a duel between Panoz and the Risi Ferrari. Despite a strong lead, the Panoz suffered an engine failure. That left the Ferrari in 1st, chased by the #77
However, brake cooling issues due to a loose duct meant the battle wasn’t equal. The Porsche had to settle for 2nd place, finishing 1min12 behind the Ferrari and ahead of the Champion Porsche 911 GT1 Evo