Chopard, official timing partner of Porsche Motorsport, is very confident for the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2016
After clocking up a success at the opening race of the season in Silverstone, the Porsche teams competed at Spa-Francorchamps on May 7th 2016 with strong expectations of victory. All teams took this race as their last preparation round before Le Mans. Following the season’s opening race at Silverstone, the fastest lap of the race, achieved by Brendon Hartley, gave an idea of what would have been possible for the Porsche 919 in Spa. The team of Chopard ambassador, Romain Dumas, finished second with the Porsche 919 Hybrid and extended its lead in the drivers’ championship. The Porsche 919 Hybrid led by Mark Webber and Brendon Hartley reached the fifth position in the LMP1 race. Track temperatures of up to 50 degrees celsius gave much warmer conditions than expected for the race in the Ardennes mountains.
The FIA WEC championship continued this weekend with a very strong race for Porsche at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. After Silverstone racetrack saw sun, rain and snow, the Belgian race was really sunny but very difficult for engines.
After a thrilling six hour race, Romain Dumas’ car finished second By doing the fastest lap of the race, Brendon Hartley proved again that both hybrid race cars are ready to fight in Le Mans for the ultimate victory of WEC 2016.
Fritz Enzinger, Vice President of LMP1 at Porsche, added: “The opening round at Silverstone wasn’t easy but here in Spa it was even more difficult, although we were starting from the front row with both cars. Having achieved a second place finish proves again: giving up is never an option in endurance racing.”
Spa Francorchamps: a demanding racetrack
The Spa-Francorchamps track is acknowledged as one of the finest in the world. Named the “Toboggan of the Ardennes” (Ardennes slopes), this extremely fast circuit is highly technical and greatly appreciated by drivers. It features certain difficulties that have become legendary, such as the famous steep fast right-hand corner known as the Raidillon, the high-speed winding turns and the very slow loop called La Source. With its straight lines and rapid curves, this track offers sensations unknown to other tracks, for both drivers and spectators. The present track is 7,395 km long. At Spa Francorchamps, experience makes the difference.
In 1979, the race track was completely redesigned to correspond to the safety standards. The weather in Belgium is sometimes as surprising as the races. Thus, it may be raining on one part of the track while the rest of the track is still dry. But for many people, the track remains « one of the world’s most beautiful race tracks ».
Jacky Ickx, longstanding Chopard ambassador, is one of the only two drivers to have won on both the old 14.1km and the new 7km circuits at Spa-Francorchamps
Porsche and Chopard: timing, precision and performance – a Superfast Chronograph
For the third year, Chopard is proud to be the Official Timing Partner of Porsche Motorsport. Perfectly in line with the spirit of Chopard’s Superfast watch collection, this prestigious partnership is an extension of the company longstanding commitment to automotive sports. In 2014, Chopard became “Official Timing Partner” of Porsche Motorsport for the German racing team’s grand comeback to endurance competition. That same year, to celebrate this exclusive partnership, Chopard launched a new Superfast chronograph inspired by the Porsche 919 Hybrid competing in the World Endurance Championship LMP1 category: the Superfast Chrono Porsche 919 Edition.
The Superfast Chrono Porsche 919 Edition is entirely in tune with WEC racing. This imposingly sized chronograph with its 45 mm-diameter case and flyback function beats to the pace of a mechanical Chopard 03.05-M calibre, chronometer-certified by the COSC. This engine and its oscillating weight may be admired through a sapphire crystal engraved with the inscription “Official Timing Partner Porsche Motorsport”. Inspired by the new Porsche 919 Hybrid, the stripes on the dial evoke the racing car’s rear diffuser. Likewise, the “919” appearing in a red rectangle inside a 9 o’clock subdial is identical to the number of the Porsche racing cars. Finally, the rubber strap is inspired by slick tyres serving to negotiate bends at extremely high speeds.
This sophisticated and bold Superfast chronograph proclaims a highly exclusive nature that is a perfect match for the legendary Porsche cars, since the Superfast Chrono Porsche 919 Edition from Chopard is produced in a strictly limited 919-piece series.
Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, co-president of Chopard, concluded: “Spa-Francorchamps is always very important in the WEC racing season, it’s the perfect race for each team to fine-tune their preparation for Le Mans and see if its competitors and their cars are ready for it as well. The beginning of the season has been very good for Porsche Motorsport and Chopard. We all look forward to the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2016.”
The FIA World Endurance Championship will continue on 18th and 19th June 2016 for the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans 2016.
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