Motorsport: Jani travels to Le Mans as WRC leader
In the 6-hour race at Spa (B), all three Swiss factory drivers had their problems. Neel Jani was best served with second place in the Porsche 919 Hybrid. Rebellion Racing celebrated its greatest success to date. On the positive side, each of the three manufacturers from the premier class was competitive at the second round of the World Endurance Championship, which has been the case since 2014 [...]
On the positive side, each of the three manufacturers from the premier class was competitive at the second round of the World Endurance Championship, which has not been the case since 2014. However, none of the three cars with Swiss lineups came through the distance unscathed. Only the winners Lucas di Grassi (BR), Loïx Duval (F) and Oliver Jarvis (GB) had no problems with their Audi R18.
In the Porsche driven by Neel Jani, Marc Lieb (D) and Romain Dumas (F), the hybrid system failed early on. The loss of power also affected braking power and general handling. Second place was more than damage limitation for the retrospective winners of the world championship opener at Silverstone. "For us, it was then just a matter of getting the car over the laps as gently as possible and staying ahead of the two Rebellions," summed up the Biel native. For Rebellion Racing, third place overall with the Western Swiss Alexandre Imperatori and Mathéo Tuscher as well as Dominik Kraihamer (A) and fourth place for Nick Heidfeld (D), Nico Prost and Nelson Piquet jr. (CH) was the best team result ever.
Toyota is finally competitive again
After a year-long dry spell, Toyota seemed to be back on track for success, which was also due to the clever choice of tire compound for the unusually high asphalt temperatures. After four hours, the car with Sébastien Buemi led by more than a minute, but both TS050 Hybrids retired with engine failures. Still the clear winner at Silverstone, albeit disqualified retrospectively, Marcel Fässler was hapless this time. His damaged underbody had to be repaired early on, followed by two collisions. At least he saved fifth place. In the drivers' championship, the team with Neel Jani is in the lead ahead of the Rebellion trio, which finished third at Spa. The next highlight of the season is the 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 18 and 19.
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Photos: Factory
