Dakar Rally News: Porsche 911 Dominates Dakar Debut
The Porsche Dakar team has made a remarkable debut in the grueling Dakar Rally, with their Porsche 911 Dakar leading the charge. The Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini Huracan, driven by Sandy Mitchell and Adam Balon, put up a strong fight against the dominant Porsche during the Free Practice Two sessions.
In the GT4 category, Steller Motorsport’s Audi R8 LMS, piloted by Richard Williams and Sennan Fielding, claimed the top spot, showcasing the versatility of the German marque. As the second Free Practice Session got underway, the circuit was fully dry, allowing the drivers to push the limits of their machines.
“Jules Gounon in the Ram Racing Mercedes and Sandy Mitchell in the Barwell Lamborghini traded blistering lap times, with Mitchell ultimately edging out Gounon by a mere 0.1 seconds.”
The Pro drivers, including Marcus Clutton in the Enduro Motorsport McLaren, Sam Neary in the Team Abba Mercedes, and Euan Hankey in the 7TSix McLaren, joined the fray, with Michael O’Brien in the Orange Racing powered by JMH McLaren taking the top spot before a brief red flag interruption.
As the session resumed, Mitchell and Gounon continued their intense battle, with the pair separated by just 0.004 seconds in the final minutes. Lewis Williamson had two fastest laps deleted for track limits, but Simon Orange and Michael O’Brien managed to secure third place, while James Kell and Simon Watts in the Team Rocket RJN McLaren rounded out the top five.
In the GT4 category, Sennan Fielding in the Steller Motorsport Audi R8 LMS held the top spot throughout the session, with Marco Signoretti and Matt Cowley closing the gap after the red flag period. Seb Hopkins and Jamie Orton in the Team Parker Racing Porsche finished third, followed by Matt Topham and Darren Turner in the Newbridge Motorsport Aston Martin, and Tom Edgar and Jordan Collard in the Toyota Gazoo UK GR Supra.
The stage is set for an exciting qualifying session and the upcoming race, where the Porsche 911 Dakar will look to continue its dominant performance and the British GT Championship contenders will battle for glory.
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