Porsche Motorsport Weekly Event Notes: Tuesday, April 27, 2021
This Week.
• Page 2. Texas Two-Step. Porsche Carrera Cup North America to Run Rounds 3 and 4 in Single Day.
• Page 5. Texas Stand. 73 Porsche-Built Race Cars to Contend In Five Series at COTA.
• Page 7. Season Best. TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team Scores Best Result of 2021 in Valencia.
• Page 9. Repeat E-Champ. Rogers Wins Finale Earns Second Esport Title Ahead of American deJong.
• Page 11. Spa Trip. Porsche Takes Up Hunt for 2021 WEC Title at Belgium’s Endurance Classic.
• Page 14. Cook In Austin. W Series Driver Joins TPC for COTA Porsche Sprint Challenge North America Round.
Texas Two-Step. Porsche Carrera Cup North America to Run Rounds 3 and 4 in Single Day.
The Porsche Carrera Cup North America comes to the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas for its second weekend of competition, April 30 – May 2. The premier one-make Porsche racing series on the continent moved the event from Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP) due to travel restrictions into Canada and the resulting schedule modification has forced several changes for participants. While logistical issues had to be overcome to secure teams, television and support at Rounds Three and Four of the 16-race inaugural season, 27 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race cars are entered. The addition to the established SRO America weekend on the 3.4-mile Formula One circuit – site of the United States Grand Prix – has forced on-track schedules to be adapted with competitors racing both 45-minute events on Sunday, May 2. Official practice gets underway Friday, April 30 with qualifying slated for Saturday, May 1.
With the first 45-minute race scheduled for 8:00 a.m. Central Time, Sunday, May 2 and the second later than day at 2:50 p.m. CT, drivers, teams and series officials will have a quick turn-around to prepare between rounds. This will put a premium on programs who can go mistake-free in the first race of the day on the 20-turn track. One of the newest major race tracks in the United States, COTA provides ample run-off space to help mitigate heavy damage in the event of an off-course excursion. However, its fast turns and long straights are punctuated by tight switch-backs including the trademark uphill charge into the first turn. These often encourage door-to-door, bumper-to-bumper battles that, while exhilarating for the audience watching the livestream at www.porschecarreracup.us , can prove a nightmare for teams trying to quickly prepare for the second race in the single-make, single driver series.
Of the 27 cars entered to race, 14 make-up the Pro class for the newest Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race cars, based on the 992 generation of the iconic sports car. In the opening weekend at Sebring International Raceway, Seb Priaulx (United Kingdom) and Kay van Berlo (Netherlands) exchanged the top two podium spots in their Kelly-Moss Road & Race prepared machines. Veteran Leh Keen (Atlanta, Georgia) earned third-place in race one driving for 311RS Motorsport while New Braunfels, Texas-resident Riley Dickinson, driving the Team Hardpoint EBM entered and Porsche Austin-backed 911 GT3 Cup car, stood third in Race 2 at the Florida track. Six type 992, normally aspirated, flat-six machines make-up the Pro-Am class for drivers 40-years-old and older. It was Austin’s own Alan Metni that secured both Sebring wins for the class in the No. 99 Kelly-Moss Road & Race Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car. The remaining seven drivers on the entry list will sit behind the wheel of the previous generation Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car, the type 991.2, in the Pro-Am 991 class. Five of those cars – including Sebring class winner Matt Halcome (Dallas, Georgia) – are prepared by Goldcrest Motorsports.
Live timing and scoring of every session, as well as live streaming of races, can be found at www.PorscheCarreraCup.us .
Brian Blocker, Series Manager, Porsche Carrera Cup North America.
“We have all had to learn to adapt quickly over the course of the last year. Motorsports is no different. We have advantages and challenges due to the fact that Porsche Carrera Cup North America is in its first year. I believe one area we have an advantage is scheduling. We don’t have ten years of ‘this is how it is done’ so our teams and partners have been great at working with us to achieve a common goal. Every race team, driver, our partners like Michelin and suppliers have all been pulling together for the greater good. We particularly have to thank IMSA, the SRO and COTA for working so hard to make this event happen. It is not often you can interchange – on short notice – an iconic track like CTMP with a marvelous facility like Circuit of the Americas this seamlessly. We are looking at an incredible weekend of racing in Austin.”
John Wright, Team Principal, Wright Motorsports.
“We’re excited to get such a packed weekend at Circuit of the Americas underway, starting with a brief test for the Porsche Carrera Cup, in which three of our five entries for the weekend will be running. We had some adversity in the opening arounds at Sebring, but we’re ready for what COTA has in store. With both races on Sunday, it’ll be important everyone has a clean race in the morning. Overall, I think we’ll have a strong run here.”
Riley Dickinson, Driver, No. 15 Team Hardpoint EBM Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.
“There’s nothing like having a home race. Being able to sleep in your own bed is so nice, and the track is one of my favorites anyway. I’m really looking forward to it, because it is my first professional race at COTA. I did a test in the old Porsche Cup cars in February of 2020, but I’ve driven a lot of Porsches out here with Hill Country PCA and doing some coaching. But being here for a Porsche Carrera Cup North America race is long overdue. It’s going to be a fun week. It’s a busy week. We’re testing early in the week, and then Tuesday night, as soon as we roll off the track, we’re going to take the No. 53 Porsche Austin/Team Hardpoint EBM Porsche 911 GT3 Cup straight to Porsche Austin to go on display. Wednesday we’re doing a tour of their facility with the team and the car will stay on display on Thursday until it’s time to come back, load in and get ready to race.”
Texas Stand. 73 Porsche-Built Race Cars to Contend In Five Series at COTA.
73 Porsche race cars will represent the German marque across three sanctioning bodies and five race series at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) April 30 – May 2. The race weekend in Austin, Texas promises to be one of, if not the, largest collection of purpose-built Porsche race cars to compete in one location this year. Each of the Porsche Carrera Cup North America, SRO GT America, SRO GT World Challenge America, SRO GT4 America and Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama will have multiple races on the 3.4-mile, 20-turn race track.
The Porsche Carrera Cup North America was a late addition to this massive motorsport weekend. The premier one-make race series on the continent chose this as a replacement for its second weekend when travel restrictions made it impossible for the 27 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race cars entered for the two races to travel to Canada. Therefore, the 20 Type 992 current generation and seven Type 991.2 last gen Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race cars will contend Rounds 3 and 4 on the track near the Texas capital. More on the peak of the North American one-make motorsport pyramid at: www.porschecarreracup.us .
By virtue of its multi-generational and multi-format design, the Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama sees the largest number of Porsche entries, 32, across the three organizing bodies. 14 type 991.2 and eight type 991.1, Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars comprise the Platinum and Gold classes respectively. They are joined by 10 Silver class Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport entries in two, 40-minute races scheduled, one each on Saturday and Sunday. Learn more at: www.porschesprint.com .
Porsche will be represented in the three major SRO series by 13 total entries. A single Porsche 911 GT3 R race car driven by Fred Poordad (San Antonio, Texas) and Jan Heylen (Belgium) will challenge for top-honors in the SRO GT World Challenge America. The No. 20 Wright Motorsports Porsche will race two, 90-minute races in the Pro-Am class.
The six Porsche race cars in the SRO GT America series – single driver/40-minute races – are split evenly between the rear-engine Porsche 911 GT3 R racers and mid-engine Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport. The Porsche GT3-spec contenders are a “Who’s Who” of Porsche veteran teams. The No. 32 driven by Kyle Washington is prepped by GMG Racing. The No. 45 Porsche 911 GT3 R of Charlie Luck has John Wright’s Wright Motorsport operation overseeing its readiness while Flying Lizard Motorsports is back with Andy Wilzoch behind the wheel of the No. 460. The GT4 class will have Tim Pappas wheeling the No. 54 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport for Black Swan Racing while Premier Racing puts Adam Adelson behind the wheel of its red, black and neon yellow Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport. Stephen Cameron Racing fields Alain Stad in the No. 619.
The SRO GT4 America championship has a total of seven Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport race cars entered. The road-based racer will be represented by NOLASPORT with three entries: Sam Owen/Sean Gibbons in the No. 7, David and Russell Walker in the No. 46 and the Texas duo of Matt Travis and Jason Hart in the No. 47. TRG fields two cars in the two, 60-minute GT4 America SprintX races; the No. 17 of James Rappaport and Todd Hetherington and the traditional pairing of veterans David DeBoer and Spencer Pumpelly in the No. 66. Aurora Straus will share the No. 43 Murillo Racing-prepared Porsche with Jeff Mosing in the Am category at COTA while Pappas and Jeroen Bleekemolen go for Pro-Am honors in the Black Swan No. 54.
Multiple programs plan to race in multiple series this weekend. Wright Motorsports will see entries in Porsche Carrera Cup North America (three cars), SRO GT World Challenge (one entry) and SRO GT America (one entry). Black Swan Racing will campaign 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport race cars in two different SRO series (GT America and GT4 America), Kelly-Moss Road & Race enters both the Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama (six cars) and Porsche Carrera Cup North America (four cars), Premier Racing will have entries for Adelson in both SRO GT America and Porsche Sprint Challenge North America. ACI Motorsports will bring five Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars across both Porsche one-make series (four in Sprint Challenge and one in Carrera Cup) while Topp Racing has four on-site (three in Carrera Cup North America and a single car in Sprint Challenge) and JDX Racing has five (two: Carrera Cup, three: Sprint Challenge). GMG has entries in Sprint Challenge and SRO – one each – as does Flying Lizard – one each – and NOLASPORT (three in SRO GT4 America and a single entry in Sprint Challenge).
Season Best. TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team Scores Best Result of 2021 in Valencia.
The TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team achieved its best result thus far this season at round six of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship in Valencia, Spain. André Lotterer (Germany) delivered a strong performance in the Porsche 99X Electric race car on the Circuit Ricardo Tormo to claim second-place, earning his first points of the electric vehicle racing series’ 2021 season. In dry weather, his teammate Pascal Wehrlein (Germany) took the checkered flag in 18th-place at the wheel of the second Porsche 99X Electric racer. This was Porsche’s second podium result of the season, the first coming in Rome, Italy, in the world’s first electric racing series, which is contested by twelve teams. After six races, the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team currently ranks sixth in the team classification.
The next race for the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team is the Monaco E-Prix on May 8 with race 7 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
Amiel Lindesay, Head of Operations Formula E.
“That’s a fantastic result for the team and of course for André as well. He’s experienced a tough season so far. Sunday he drove very cleverly, very efficiently, and I’m confident that we’ll be able to tackle the upcoming races at this level. After another strong qualifying performance, Pascal experienced problems with the balance of the car, among other things. We’ll analyze this so that he can be back at the top in Monaco.”
André Lotterer, Driver, No. 36 TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team Porsche 99X Electric.
“I’m thrilled with my podium position. My first points at last. As a team, we deserved this result. We all work hard. We underscored that we can deliver a top performance even on a track that is somewhat atypical for Formula E. We’ve always been fast over one lap this season. This time we proved that we’re also efficient in energy management in the race. I really hope that we’ve now made a breakthrough.”
Pascal Wehrlein, Driver, No. 36 TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team Porsche 99X Electric.
“That was a difficult race for me. We don’t yet know the exact reasons, so we still have to look at the data. In any case, I couldn’t really attack over the whole distance. I’m looking forward to being back in the fight in Monaco in less than two weeks.”
Repeat E-Champ. Rogers Wins Finale Earns Second Esport Title Ahead of American deJong.
Joshua Rogers (Australia) has taken home the championship title of the Porsche TAG Heuer Esport Supercup for the second consecutive time. Driving for the Virtual Racing School team, the Australian scored a victory in the feature race at the finale on the virtual version of the Autodromo Nazionale Monza in Italy. Thanks to his tenth win of the season, the 21-year-old again convincingly claimed his second title after 2019 in the global championship run on the iRacing simulation platform. American Mitchell deJong (Temecula, California) secured second-place honors just behind his teammate. Britain’s Charlie Collins finished the sprint race in second-place behind Dayne Warren (DirectForce Pro) and thus rounded off a dream result for the Virtual Racing School squad. The Australian Emily Jones (@Emree) pocketed the title of the All-Stars, a line-up of high-ranking esports influencers.
Joshua Rogers will receive his trophy at the traditional Porsche Night of Champions at the end of the year. The 21-year-old Australian will also take home $50,000 and a high-quality watch for winning the TAG Heuer Pole Award. A total of $200,000 in prize money was awarded during the 2021 season.
2022 Season Preview.
After the gripping finale of the 2021 Porsche TAG Heuer Esport Supercup, the popular online racing series will take a short break. In July, qualifying heats for next season begin. From these, the remaining grid spots will be allocated for the 2022 season held on virtual racetracks. The 20 best-placed drivers from this year are automatically eligible to compete next season.
Joshua Rogers, Driver, Virtual Racing School.
“I’m incredibly relieved that I can now officially call myself champion again. The season was exhausting, exciting and a real rollercoaster ride. At the first events, my qualifying results weren’t exactly what I’d expected. We worked on this as a team and made huge progress. The better grid positions then helped me to achieve the many successes over the rest of the year. It was great fun, especially after experiencing a really bad season in 2020. I think Mitchell and I put on another great show for the fans at the final race.”
Mitchell de Jong, Driver, Virtual Racing School.
“That was a top event to wrap up the year. For me, it was all about the championship. Unfortunately, I couldn’t really fight for second overall against Sebastian Job on the track because his penalty meant that he had to start from the back of the grid. It’s a pity, but we still treated spectators to a great show. I’d like to thank my teammates for their support – and Porsche for another awesome season!”
Final Point Standings.
1. Joshua Rogers (AUS/Virtual Racing School), 670 points
2. Mitchell deJong (USA/Virtual Racing School), 478 points
3. Charlie Collins (GB/Virtual Racing School), 408 points
4. Sebastian Job (GB/Red Bull Racing Esports), 395 points
5. Dayne Warren (AUS/DirectForce Pro), 380 points
Spa Trip. Porsche Takes Up Hunt for 2021 WEC Title at Belgium’s Endurance Classic.
The Porsche works team tackles the opening round of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) at Spa-Francorchamps on May 1 with two Porsche 911 RSR race cars. For the six-hour race in the Ardennes region of Belgium, factory drivers Gianmaria Bruni (Italy) and Richard Lietz (Austria) share the cockpit of the ca. 515-hp GT racing vehicle with the starting number 91. The crew in the identical No. 92 sister car has changed from previous years being fielded this season by Frenchman Kévin Estre, the 2018/2019 WEC champion, and Neel Jani (Switzerland). In preparation for his WEC mission with the Porsche 911 RSR, the experienced Swiss racer contested the final round of the 2020 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in Sebring and took part in extensive tests.
The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is located in the far east of Belgium close to the German border. Opened in 1921, the 4.35-mile (7.004-kilometer) racetrack is the longest purpose-built racetrack [no public roads used] on the FIA WEC calendar. With 21 corners and several long straights, the track undulates through the Walloon countryside – not surprisingly, the circuit is also known as the “Ardennes rollercoaster”. Fast passages like Raidillon/Eau Rouge and Blanchimont are as notorious as the La Source hairpin at the end of the start-finish straight.
Before the start of the race weekend at Spa-Francorchamps, a “ prologue”, or pre-season test, will be held at the venue. Porsche and its customer teams take part in the two-day test session on April 26 – 27 with a total of seven 2019-generation 911 RSR.
In the No. 91 Porsche 911 RSR, the works team relies on Bruni and Lietz for the third year in a row. In 2019, the experienced pair won the season-opening round at Silverstone in Great Britain. Estre, who shares driving duties in the No. 92 car with Jani, travels to Spa-Francorchamps as last year’s winner. Last season, the Frenchman also won the finale in Bahrain and concluded the year ranking third in the Driver Standings. Jani returns to the WEC after competing for the Porsche TAG Heuer Formula E Team.
Dempsey-Proton Racing fields two Porsche 911 RSR at the start of the WEC season. “Works” driver Matt Campbell (Australia) joins forces with the team owner Christian Ried (Germany) and the former Porsche Junior Jaxon Evans (New Zealand). Andrew Haryanto (Indonesia), Marco Seefried (Germany) and Alessio Picariello (Belgium) have been announced as the drivers in the No. 88 sister car. The German customer team Project 1 also campaigns two 911 RSR in all six events this season. The squad tackles round one with the Norwegians Dennis Olsen and Egidio Perfetti as well as the Italians Matteo Cairoli and Riccardo Pera. The all-British driver crew, Michael Wainwright, Ben Barker and Tom Gamble, compete for GR Racing in the No. 86 car.
Fritz Enzinger, Vice President Porsche Motorsport.
“We’re thrilled that the management of the World Endurance Championship has succeeded in putting together a racing calendar with six events – despite the ongoing restrictions caused by the global pandemic. Our factory squad is ready to take up the hunt for FIA WEC crown. I’m very much looking forward to the upcoming duels, especially between Porsche and Ferrari.”
Pascal Zurlinden, Director Factory Motorsport.
“Our team has prepared meticulously for the 2021 season. With a top result at the opening round in Spa-Francorchamps, we’d like to send a clear signal from the very start that there can only be one goal for us: to win the world championship.”
Alexander Stehlig, Head of Operations FIA WEC.
“Our class win in 2020 at the first round in Belgium clearly underlined that the latest version of the Porsche 911 RSR suits the special characteristics of the ‘Ardennes rollercoaster’ very well. During test drives at Hockenheim, among other venues, we gave our teams and cars the final touches. At the two-day prologue in Spa, we’ll do our utmost to find the best setup for the special characteristics of this track. We’re ready to race!”
Richard Lietz, Driver, No. 91 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR.
“We’re all excited for the season opener on this wonderful racetrack. We’ve celebrated many successes there in the past. We’re expecting a tough fight in Spa. This year we’re working with a new engineer and a few new mechanics on our number 91 car. First, we have to get used to each other. We made a lot of progress during our Hockenheim tests. Now we want to build on that in Spa-Francorchamps and win the class if possible.”
Gianmaria Bruni, Driver, No. 91 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR.
“It’s hard to imagine a more beautiful setting to start the season than Spa-Francorchamps. The racetrack is fantastic and is always good for action-packed racing. If you want to be fast in the spectacular and demanding passages, you must have a perfectly balanced car. This is exactly what we’ll focus on at the two-day prologue. I’m really looking forward to finally getting started again.”
Kévin Estre, Driver, No. 92 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR.
“Spa is always a huge challenge. The track demands a lot from the tires, so it’s important to have a particularly good strategy. Plus, we know how the weather can be in the Ardennes: an unpredictable mix of cold and warm temperatures, rain, dry and sometimes even snow. It’s critical to be well prepared for all thinkable conditions. Last year we saw that our Porsche 911 RSR is particularly strong in Spa. We’re travelling there as last year’s winners and we want to celebrate another success.”
Neel Jani, Driver, No. 92 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR.
“Sebring cancelled, Portimão postponed – now the WEC season finally takes off. I’m super excited and very curious about the first laps in the Porsche 911 RSR at Spa-Francorchamps. I have many fond memories of this track from my LMP1 days. That’s what makes it so interesting. I’ve driven a lot of prototypes there and turned a record lap in the Ardennes with the Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo. I now have to find completely new reference points in the GTE-Pro car. So it’s very fortunate to have those two test days in Spa beforehand.”
Cook In Austin. W Series Driver Joins TPC for COTA Porsche Sprint Challenge North America Round.
Sabré Cook will join TPC Racing for the Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama doubleheader, April 30 – May 2, at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas.
Cook will be part of a three-car effort for TPC Racing, joining season-long drivers Pedro Torres and Rob Lorndale in the paddock. Cook will race the No. 37 TPC Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car, type 991.2, in the championship’s Platinum Cup class.
The 26-year-old driver and engineer joins TPC Racing in the Porsche. In addition, she is scheduled to visit COTA in October as a W Series driver during the Formula One weekend. Cook drove the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car at the SCCA Super Tour at VIRginia International Raceway two weeks ago to a pair of third-place finishes.
The Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama returns to action with two, 25-minute practices on Friday, April 30, qualifying on Saturday morning, May 1, and the first 40-minute race of the weekend on Saturday afternoon at 5:40 p.m. CDT. Sunday features a second 40-minute race at 10 a.m. CDT.
Harris Levitas, Director of Race Operations.
“We’re really excited to have a young driver of Sabré’s quality with us at TPC Racing for this event. Sabré brings a lot of talent behind the wheel, but also a lot of experience in multiple championships around the world and a strong engineering background. It should be a really great weekend for the entire TPC Racing team.”
Sabré Cook, Driver, No. No. 37 TPC Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.
“I’m thoroughly excited to compete in my first Porsche Sprint Challenge race. The fact it’s at the beautiful COTA track makes it even better. I know the competition is high and I’ll have a lot to learn still with running these cars but I’m going to give it my absolute best and enjoy the opportunity. Massive thanks to Apple Motorsports and Apple Automotive for making the race happen for me. I’m very much looking forward to running with TPC Racing and pushing for a good performance.”
Weldon Scrogham Remembered. Porsche Racer and Team Owner Celebrated.
Longtime friend of Porsche and motorsport, Weldon Scrogham (Waynesboro, Virginia) passed away on April 17, 2021 at the age of 82. A native son of Virginia, Scrogham was married to Phyllis and grew to national prominence as a racer and proprietor of G&W Motorwerkes, Ltd., a successful business he founded in 1969 that his son Cole – along with Danny and Steve Marshall – would morph from G&W Motorsports into Synergy Racing, a leading Porsche privateer race team based at VIRginia International Raceway.
While serving in the US Army Corps of Engineers in Germany in the late 1950’s, Scrogham saw his first Porsche and asked someone nearby, “What kind of car is that?” They responded, “a Porsche,” and he knew he would own one someday. This chance meeting of the little-known German sports car would shape the rest of his life. He bought, restored and sold countless Porsche cars, specializing for many years in the Porsche Speedster.
Weldon Scrogham was the 1978 Northeast Division SCCA champion racing a Porsche and noted worldwide expert in the Porsche brand, winning the Porsche Club of America’s top award for Concours restoration an unprecedented four times and serving as an honored judge at the Amelia Island and Pebble Beach Concours.
Scrogham is remembered by his many friends at Porsche Motorsport and racers and fans from around the sport.
Quick Vic. Friends and Fans Have Opportunity to Support Porsche Legend Vic Elford.
The friends and fans of Vic Elford have come together to create a GoFundMe page to assist the Porsche racing legend. Elford has faced recent challenges as a result of a return of cancer and a fall. The motorsport community has rallied to help raise funds for “Quick Vic” to support his fight against the disease and recuperation from a broken leg.
The GoFundMe page can be found at: https://www.gofundme.com/f/assisting-vic-elfords-medical-and-physical-needs?utmcampaign=pcpurl&utmmedium=os&utm_source=customer .
One of only four drivers to record six major victories at Nürburgring, Elford forged his way in motorsport through a remarkable gift to control any type of race car. Born in England, the 85-year-old motorsport legend earned the nickname “Quick Vic” for his ability to ring speed from cars ranging from hill climb specials to rally racers, open wheel Formula One cars and rocket-fast sports car prototypes. In addition, Elford raced in Can-Am and in the Daytona 500.
A longtime resident of Florida, Elford was the first driver to have an average lap of Le Mans above 150 mph – he did so in a 1970 Porsche 917 LH (Long-Tail). He is a two-time 24 Hours of Le Mans class winner (1967 and 1973). He famously won the prestigious Monte Carlo Rally – driving a Porsche 911 – and the Rolex 24 At Daytona, the brand’s first international 24-hour race victory – driving the Porsche 907 – in back-to-back weeks in 1967.
He achieved his first of two 24 Hour of Le Mans class victories in his first outing at “la Sarthe” driving a Porsche 906 K with Ben Pon in the 1967. He repeated in 1973 driving a Ferrari. He drove his last Le Mans 24 in 1974 in a Porsche 911 Carrera RSR. In total, Elford raced at Le Mans eight-times, six of those in a Porsche.
Perhaps the greatest of all the accolades Elford achieved came in 1972 when he was named Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Mérite by French President Georges Pompidou. The prestigious honor was awarded for his act of courage and heroism during the 24 Hours of Le Mans when he stopped to assist a fellow driver from a burning car.
Elford’s skill can readily be seen in the movie “Le Mans” where Steve McQueen chose him to handle the high-speed close-up action shots driving of the famous Porsche 917. A role that reaches a golden anniversary in June with the 50th Anniversary of the premiere of the film.
A longtime driving coach, Elford has also written two books: The Porsche High Performance Driving Handbook and Reflections on a Golden Era in Motorsport which enjoyed a foreword by none other than Ferdinand Piëch.
- Image courtesy of Porsche
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