How Porsche's 'extras' won Le Mans
Porsche didn't just defeat Audi and Toyota to win Le Mans for the first time in 17 years, it did it with the least experienced of its driver line-ups. GARY WATKINS explains how the #19 upstaged all rivals
Porsche added to its tally of victories in the Le Mans 24 Hours at only the second time of asking since its return to the pinnacle of sportscar racing last season.
Nico Hulkenberg, Nick Tandy and Earl Bamber led home a one-two for the Porsche 919 Hybrid on a day when the returning king of Le Mans had an edge on arch-rival Audi out on the racetrack, in the pits and in the reliability stakes.
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Gary Watkins has, for reasons best known to himself, devoted all his working life to covering sportscar racing. This season is his 33rd as a motorsport journalist, during which time he has reported on major long-distance events on four continents and approaching 80 24-hour races. He reckons a degree in political philosophy makes him well qualified for covering the sometimes Machiavellian world of international sportscars.
Gary, who also writes for Motor Sport, Autocourse, RACER and others, lives in Surbiton close to the former workshops of the Cooper Formula 1 team but spends more time on the road than at home for most of the year.
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