Austin, Texas, in the south of the USA was the meeting place for the fourth round of the World Endurance Championship. For ProSpeed Competition it turned into an important rendezvous in the annals of the Belgian team. For the first time the brand new “Type 991” Porsche 911 GT3 RSR was competing. The French drivers François Perrodo, Emmanuel Collard and Matthieu Vaxivière, who was back in action following his accident in Monaco, promptly grabbed the Belgian team’s first pole position in the WEC, a brilliant way in which to welcome the new German GT. The 6 hours long race saw a strong start for the trio and the tastefully decorated Porsche 911 GT3 RSR was able to battle it out up front up to the red flag being shown. Unfortunately a technical problem dashed their hopes of the expected end result, however one thing is for sure, during the second half of the Word Championship ProSpeed Competition will definitely hold its own ground.

The World Endurance Championship is now in its third season and the level of competition and interest keeps on growing. The first race following the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans, held in the middle of June, took place in the United States, following which South America, the Middle East and Asia are on the programme. In the USA no less than four official constructors were represented in the GTE class. ProSpeed Competition is entered in the LM GTE Am class, where the team is comprised out of professional drivers in combination with a young talent and a gentleman driver.

For ProSpeed Competition it was an exceptionally important meeting in the USA, because after years of faithful service they bade farewell to the Porsche 911 “Type 997”, as they took delivery of the brilliant 991. Right from the first few meters the new Porsche GTE proved how good it was. François Perrodo, Emmanuel Collard and Matthieu Vaxivière kicked off the weekend with a sixth place in the first free practice session, followed by a third in the second. During the qualifying session, during which Manu Collard and Matthieu Vaxivière each had to register two fast laps, the Porsche moved on up into first spot, the perfect way in which to celebrate the car’s debut. The actual race was somewhat eventful, with the weather playing a leading role. After the first half of the race the race director was obliged to show the red flag as the result of a heavy downpour. Up to that moment ProSpeed Competition was ranked up in the top of the GTE field. Following this interruption a mechanical problem created a lengthier delay.

Rudi Penders (ProSpeed Competition Team Principal)

“This pole position is a major performance for the team; a first result right at the top of the rankings since our debut at the beginning of this year in the WEC. Let’s not forget that we have only competed in four of the eight rounds up until now, so we can be truly proud of our performance. For us this is an enormous motivation and the next step is to convert a suchlike result into a podium place. We still have four meetings to go this season and we know where our goal lies. It goes without saying that we would have been delighted to battle it out up front through to the end, but let’s finish this off on a positive note as we make our way to our next rendezvous in Fuji for the following race of this high-ranked World Endurance Championship.”