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Can Porsche survive as the LMP1 hunted?

When the World Endurance Championship season begins at Silverstone this weekend, will the all-conquering Porsche remain the manufacturer to beat, or will Audi or Toyota get ahead? GARY WATKINS assesses the state of play

Gary Watkins Apr 14, 2016, 12:02 AM

Porsche introduced an all-new car for 2015 and leapfrogged the updated machinery of the opposition to win the World Endurance Championship. Twelve months on, the roles are reversed.

A revision of the LMP1 hybrid that claimed the drivers' and manufacturers' titles, not to mention the Le Mans 24 Hours crown, will carry Porsche's hopes from this weekend's season opener at Silverstone. Rivals Audi and Toyota have gone back to the drawing board in their respective attempts to get on terms with the defending champion.

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Author Gary Watkins

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.