24 Hours of Le Mans 1970-2015 - 45 Porsche stories (7)
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24 Hours of Le Mans 1970-2015 - 45 Porsche stories (7)

Thirty-five years after its first win at Le Mans, a little more than 10 years ago Porsche launched the RS Spyder, which marked its return to prototypes in the LM P2 class that peaked at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2008 and 2009.

Appearing in 2005 in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS), the Porsche RS Spyder was first entered by Roger Penske's outfit, already a Porsche partner in 1972 and '73 with the latest version of the 917 entered in North America in the Challenge CanAm. This partnership added to its record three consecutive LM P2 titles in the ALMS and, especially, a surprise win at the 2008 12 Hours of Sebring with at the wheel Timo Bernhard, Emmanuel Collard and Romain Dumas.

That year, the Porsche RS Spyder crossed the Atlantic and landed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The two models entered finished in the top two places among the LM P2s (10th and 12th overall), with the class win for the Dutch team Van Merksteijn Motorsport and its drivers Jeroen Bleekemolen, Jos Verstappen and Peter van Merksteijn, ahead of the other car driven by John Nielsen-Casper Elgaard-Sascha Maassen, entered by Team Essex. That outfit won in 2009. Elgaard is still there, this time along with Kristian Poulsen and Emmanuel Collard. With two participations in Le Mans and as many victories, did the Porsche RS Spyder change the face of the LM P2 class? For five years now, particularly as a result of technical regulations aimed at capping costs and the requirement of series-issued engines, the LM P2 field has continued to expand all the way to becoming the main class of the European Le Mans Series and the Asian Le Mans Series. On June 13th and 14th, it will once again be the most represented class at the start of the 83rd edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Jean-Philippe Doret / ACO - Translation by Nikki Ehrhardt / ACO

Photo (Copyright - ARCHIVES ACO): LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, SUNDAY JUNE 14 2009, RACE. For its second and final participation in the 24 Hours, the Porsche RS Spyder was headed toward a second consecutive and defining LM P2 win. 
 

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