The Porsche 919 Hybrid – Porsche’s car in the Le Mans Prototype 1 category in the FIA World Endurance Championship – is through with its summer testing. Porsche GT Works drivers Michael Christensen and Frédéric Makowiecki, along with LMP1 drivers Brendon Hartley and Marc Lieb, ran the Porsche 919 Hybrid 1,903 km over the course of two and a half days on the Magny-Cours circuit.
The Porsche 919 Hybrid has, so far this season, made a valiant effort in the WEC; the #14 car finished fourth at Spa-Francorchamps, and the #20 took third at the 6 Hours of Silverstone. But there have been complications, as well. Both Porsche 919 Hybrid cars suffered a broken sway-bar at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, one of them earning a DNF.
Now, the Porsche 919 Hybrid has a new aero package and a revised set-up, and may switch to a new, harder tire compound for the heat of the coming WEC race in Austin, Texas. All of this necessitates some fresh blood for testing, which is where the Porsche GT Works drivers come in. One of the two GT Works drivers on the test, Michael Christensen, came up through a Porsche Junior program, which trains drivers from a young age to race.
Says Porsche’s head of motorsport Hartmut Kristen: “I’m particularly pleased that Michael, as a graduate of our junior programme and now a works driver, has proven himself worthy for such a test. Once again, this underlines that our systematic and long-term youth development concept is working.”
We’re not entirely sure what this Porsche Junior program entails, nor whether its ultimate intent is benign or malignant, but we want in.
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