Laguna Seca is one of the most picturesque courses in the US, winding through the Monterey dunes, just fifty kilometres south of San Francisco and a lovely spot for a gathering of vintage Porsches and their drivers. They all had a memory to share as they signed autographs by the dozen. Eleven of the drivers have won the Le Mans 24 Hours with Porsche. The youngest present was New Zealander Earl Bamber, 25 who won this year; while the eldest was Hans Herrmann, winner in 1970, who celebrated his 87th birthday on 23 February this year. The nine other former winners of the 24 Hours present at the show were Richard Attwood, Jacky Ickx, Gijs van Lennep, Hurley Haywood, Jürgen Barth, Derek Bell, Vern Schuppan, Hans-Joachim Stück and Nick Tandy, one of Bamber’s teammates this year. Between them, the eleven total 24 wins at the Le Mans 24 Hours with Porsche. This was the first Rennsport Reunion for the drivers of the LM P1 919 Hybrid: Mark Webber, Neel Jani and Brendon Hartley. The LM GTE class was represented by Jörg Bergmeister, Michael Christensen, Patrick Long, Wolf Henzler and Frédéric Makowiecki.
 

Hans Herrmann (winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans 1970, Porsche 917): It’s always wonderful to be reunited with so many drivers from the early days and talk about old times. It is important for the future to keep these memories alive. The young drivers need to know how it was back then when the steering wheels were wooden and we had no computers like today.
 

Earl Bamber (winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2015, Porsche 919 Hybrid): I was 7 years old when the Porsche GT1 1998 claimed the 16th outright victory for Porsche at the Le Mans 24-hour race. Back then I dreamed of sitting in such a car one day but I never thought that I would be one of the drivers to secure the next Le Mans victory for Porsche.
The Porsche 919 Hybrid was on display at the Rennsport Reunion for the first time. The event is held every four years.

Jean-Philippe Doret / ACO - Translated from French by Emma Paulay
(Quotes from Porsche Motorsport press release)

Photo: MONTEREY (CALIFORNIA, USA), RENNSPORT REUNION V, 25-27 SEPTEMBER 2015. Twelve drivers who each represent a chapter in the history of Porsche, at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and elsewhere. From left to right: Richard Attwood, Gérard Larrousse, Vic Elford, Jochen Mass, Jacky Ickx, Hans Herrmann, Jürgen Barth, Hurley Haywood, Derek Bell, Gijs van Lennep, Nick Tandy and Hans-Joachim Stück.