Image: Leanne Boon / Octane Photographic
Rear drive-train issues thwarted what looked like a commanding opening WEC round win for the #18 Porsche.
Mark Webber started from pole and increased his lead to more than seven seconds during the first 23 laps. At the end of lap 24 he made his first pit stop and changed the tyres during a full course yellow.
He continued with a strong lead until after almost one and a half hours into the race he was called into the pits because of a gearbox problem. He retired after 44 laps.
“It was really going smoothly, and I had a nice run at the front of the field,” said Webber after the race. Then we had a drivetrain issue. I only felt it a lap before, but I couldn’t continue. It’s a real shame because we were in a great position.
We had a really good build-up to the weekend. The guys worked hard, but we didn’t get the result. We were in better shape with the tyres than we thought we would be, and that was a nice surprise. Our hybrid technology is just sensational, it puts us in a good position in both the short and long term.”
Image: Leanne Boon / Octane Photographic