Secrets of Porsche's Success At the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans

Hat Trick

Porsche's track record of success at Le Mans is the stuff of legends, as most fans of the brand are already aware. Over the last few decades, Porsche has racked up a record 19 overall and 108 class wins at the iconic endurance race with six different models, including three consecutive victories with the 919 Hybrid in 2015, 2016, and 2017. Recently, the automaker took a look back at its hat trick efforts in 2017, giving us some fascinating insight into what it took to make that special achievement happen.

Photos: Porsche

Impossible Task

Early Saturday morning, Porsche was frantically working to repair the #2 919 Hybrid for over an hour, pushing it all the way back to 56th place and making any sort of podium finish seem like an impossible task. Unbelievably, however, it marched right back through the field, an effort that was recently documented in the very last episode of the Porsche Moments series The Porsche Success Story in Le Mans, featuring Fritz Enzinger, who led the brand to three overall victories in Le Mans as Vice President Motorsport, as well as fellow legends Walter Röhrl, Hans-Joachim Stuck, and Norbert Singer. 

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Unforgettable Experience

In the episode, Porsche Moments host Timo Bernhard heads out to the Weissach Development Center to meet up with the vehicle that he says “brings back many memories of an incredibly wonderful time” and gets behind the wheel to drive a few laps - four years after the unforgettable victory in France with his team mates Earl Bamber and Brendon Hartley. “It drives like before and the drizzle is also like in Le Mans,” Enzinger said.

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Common Goal

"The 919 Hybrid is the most complex and innovative race car that Porsche has ever built," Bernhard said. Enzinger came to Weissach in November 2011 to return the brand to the top category of Le Mans prototypes three years later. "Ten years ago, all I had was the proverbial blank sheet of paper," he said. For him, the first step was to hire the right people and build a team. "Development of the 919 Hybrid only began after the announcement of the regulations in June 2012. That was a great opportunity for me. The structure and concept had been in our heads for a long time, so we only needed the right employees to develop the right team spirit," says Enzinger, who finally assembled a team of specialists from 21 nations. "The necessary spirit was created together. Our big common goal was a place on the podium."

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Special Opportunity

"As a driver, being involved right from the start was something very special," Bernhard said. "You have an opportunity like that only once in your life. I already felt your determination and immediately trusted you when we first met, Fritz." He also remembers the 16 winning posters from Le Mans that decorated the walls on the way to Enzinger's office. In the end, there was a blank sheet of paper in a frame. A symbol for the team's common goal.

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Tougher Battle

"Our most dominant victory with the 919 Hybrid was in 2015," Enzinger said. "The entire Executive Board was there, as was the Porsche family, and everyone was in the pit together - there can't be a better team picture than that. The most nerve-wracking victory was in the 2017 season," he adds. Porsche competed then with a significantly enhanced vehicle. After the repair work on Saturday evening, the leading car was 18 laps in front - Porsche started the chase to catch up. The team regained the lead on lap 347 and was rewarded in the end with its 19th overall victory. "In the last lap, I thought of the many steps that made this success possible for me," Bernhard said. It was the first time he cried after winning a race.

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Still Impressive

In addition to this historic effort at Le Mans, the 919 Hybrid went on to rack up a total of 20 pole positions, 17 victories, 13 fastest race laps, and six World Championship titles. "The car is so complex, the rear axle is driven by a two-liter V4 combustion engine that produces almost 500 PS. The electric motor can additionally deliver more than 400 PS to the front axle on demand," explains Enzinger. The 919 Hybrid was considered to be the fastest test laboratory and the most innovative race car that Porsche had built up to this time, and is no less impressive now, years after one of its last and most important wins.

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