24h Le Mans
This year’s race sees 60 teams divided into four classes: two for prototypes (LMP1 and LMP2) and two for GT (LMGTE Pro et LMGTE Am). In the run-up to the start of the 85th 24 Hours of Le Mans on 17 June, we will be presenting each team in detail.
#86 Porsche 911 RSR (LMGTE Am)
Owner: Mike Wainwright
Team Manager: Matt Beers
Race Engineer: James Gritt
Location: Milton Keynes (UK)
Website: www.gulfracing.com
2014 ELMS classification: 8th in the LM GTE Teams Championship (28 pts) with the Porsche 911 RSR and 9th in the LM GTE Teams Championship with the Aston Martin Vantage (20.5 pts).
2015 ELMS classification: 4th in the LM GTE Teams Championship (56 points, 1 win)
2016 FIA WEC classification: 6th in the LMGTE Am Teams Championship (106 points)
2017 FIA WEC results
6 Hours of Silverstone: 24th (4th in LMGTE Am), Wainwright/Foster/Barker (GBR/AUS/GBR), #86 Porsche 911 RSR
WEC 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps: DNF, Wainwright/Foster/Barker (GBR/AUS/GBR), #86 Porsche 911 RSR
In 2016, Gulf Racing UK stepped up from the European Le Mans Series to the FIA World Endurance Championship, entering the #86 Porsche 911 RSR. Mike Wainwright and Adam Carroll were joined by Ben Barker for the 2016 season. Following a high-profile retirement at Silverstone in the season’s opener (collision with Brendon Hartley, #1 Porsche 919 Hybrid), the #86 Porsche went on to score points in every race. It finished the season in sixth place, with a total of 106. The team competed in its first-ever 24 Hours of Le Mans the same year and a cautious race saw it to a 33rd place finish but, more importantly, the #86 Porsche entered the Top Five (5th) in the LMGTE Am class.
The British outfit decided to continue the FIA WEC adventure this season with the same car in the LMGTE Am class. The driver line-up has changed slightly, however, with the arrival of Nick Foster in place of Adam Carroll. The Australian is a familiar face to the German marque as he won the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia in 2015. In the opening round at Silverstone, the #86 Porsche 911 RSR placed fourth in class (P24 overall). At Spa, the team’s race was brought to a premature end shortly after the halfway mark when the car spun following an accident. Incidentally, the team is also entering a Porsche 911 GT3-R in the Michelin Le Mans Cup (GT3 class), and will therefore be appearing in the Road To Le Mans with Andrew Baker and Ben Barker sharing the wheel.
With Gulf Racing UK therefore preparing to contest its second 24 Hours of Le Mans, the legendary Gulf colours will be flying once again this year at the Circuit de la Sarthe.
Photo: Pascal Saivet, Vision Sport Agency
