American Le Mans Series
Porsche squad with eight works drivers
Eight works drivers compete for Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, this motorsport season. The professional racers, all of whom held a Porsche contract last year, will support Porsche customer teams around the world.
Like in 2009, Marc Lieb (29, Germany) and Richard Lietz (26, Austria) contest the Le Mans Series (LMS) for the Felbermayr-Proton team in a Porsche 911 GT3 RSR. Patrick Pilet (28, France) again races for IMSA Performance Matmut in the LMS. Moreover, the Porsche works drivers will compete for other teams in selected championships and at long distance races.
Joerg Bergmeister (33, Germany) and Patrick Long (28, USA) aim to defend their title win in the 2009 American Le Mans Series (ALMS) and are back driving for Flying Lizard Motorsports with a 911 GT3 RSR. Wolf Henzler (34, Germany) will pilot a 911 GT3 RSR in the ALMS for the Porsche customer team Falken Tire. Aside from their ALMS commitments, the factory drivers will support customer teams at other races.
Porsche works drivers Timo Bernhard (28, Germany) and Romain Dumas (32, France) are determined to defend their overall win at the Nürburgring 24 hour race in 2010 and are currently involved in intensive preparations and testing. Further events are planned.
“I’m proud to have eight world-class works drivers in our line-up for the 2010 season,” says Hartmut Kristen, Head of Motorsport at Porsche. “We know all of them very well and our customer teams can totally rely on their driving skills. In the development and optimisation of our race vehicles, these pilots also play an important role and our teams around the world profit from this.”
For the majority of the factory pilots, their first race of the season will be the Daytona 24 hour event, where they support customer squads in Porsche 911 GT3 Cup vehicles.
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Mr Westbrook must of been cut, and also Sascha Maassen. I notice Maassen didnt do alot of racing in 2009. (Le Mans and Spa)
Westbrook was Cut at the end of 2008 rather unfairly IMO, Collard and Maassen are the 2 that have been cut for this season, 2 that have struggled in recent times and lacked any pace in the GT2 car.
still no sign of “Bleek”?
@milo: still no sign of “Bleek”?
Bleekemolen will be racing the Daytona 24 hr., (and probably a lot more)
Already figured Joerg would return, but nice to see Henzler in another ALMS ride after what happened with Greg Loles.
Yep I think they should have given Jeroen a chance, would love to see him in that squad racing a GT2 in LMS this year and an LMP in the future. I think he would be a good choice.
As far as im aware Jeroen was approached by Porsche but turned them down a few years back, because he likes to drive other cars as well and doesn’t want to be tied to only Porsche.
Wish I was a factory driver….
Greg loles got arrested a wile back in the off season and kyle your right about jeroen
Secret programs for the 2 top dogs timo and dumas. It seems. It was unfair how grand am severely handicaped the porsche dp engine after daytona 24h.
shame on you Porsche, treating Westy like that !!!
Westbrook was the least accomplished in the Porsche clan, and the last one to be hired. The rule in downsizing is last one to be hired is the first to go. Unless of course he was more accomplished than the guys you already have. or had more potential
But looking the at the lineup it looks like Porsche wanted to keep the young guys. Wolf Henzler had lower seniority than Sascha and Collard but they kept him. And those two have prototype experience.
So that suggests age was a factor, and the younger the squad the more flexible programs they can run, and the more potential they have in their development.
Regarding Westbrook that is incorrect, Pilet was the Last in and least accomplished with only 1 Porsche Carrera Cup France title to his name in Porsche’s whereas Westbrook had 2 Supercup titles.
They came around the same time at Porsche. At the beginning of the 2008 season. But you have to read everything I wrote. Age WAS a factor.