Legendary Le Mans: the world’s most prestigious endurance race starts at the weekend. Two teams and numerous drivers from the German GT Championship will be competing in the legendary race. NITRO will broadcast the 24h race live from France, and you can watch the full race free of charge on the TVNOW livestream.
Herberth Motorsport consistently collects wins in 24h races with the Porsche 911 GT3 R, but the team featuring twins Robert and Alfred Renauer will be breaking new ground in an ultra-distance race next weekend. The Porsche team from Bavaria will be making its first appearance at the 24h Le Mans, competing with a 515 HP Porsche 911 RSR-19 in the GTE class. Just as in the ADAC GT Masters, the one-day classic event will see Robert Renauer driving for his family’s Herberth Motorsport team, which is headed by his twin brother Alfred Renauer. Both will be racing in Le Mans for the first time. “It really is something special, as it is the best-known and most prestigious 24-hour race in the sport,” says Robert Renauer. “We are a small team and it represents a great opportunity for us to battle against some strong opponents. I have always wanted to race in Le Mans.”
It is not just the mega event in western France that is new for Herberth. The team will also be getting to know some new hardware: instead of the traditional rear-engined GT3 Porsche, they will be competing with a 4.2-litre mid-mounted Boxer unit in the GTE car. “We only received the RSR three and a half weeks ago. The week before last, we did some testing at the Lausitzring for the first time. So, at least we’ve had the car moving before the event. In normal circumstances, of course we’d have prepared a lot more thoroughly. We will meet the challenges ahead, step by step.” Last Sunday, the 33-year-old completed his first laps on the 13.629-kilometre Circuit de la Sarthe during preliminary testing. First impressions: “Of course, it is impossible to describe the feeling you get when driving this new car on this circuit. It was the first opportunity to get an idea of what awaits us over the coming days. The long straights, the fact that you are constantly being lapped by the LMP cars and a really strong field in the LMGTE Am class make this a really special event for us.”
Renauer with Ineichen in Le Mans
Renauer’s team-mates are also Le Mans rookies: German driver Ralf Bohn and his current ADAC GT Masters opponent Rolf Ineichen. “We knew that Rolf loves Le Mans but that he’d never driven here before. We then decided to broach this topic and had a chat about it. I don’t think it was a difficult decision for Rolf. The fact that we are driving a Porsche also played a part. He is currently competing with Lamborghini in the ADAC GT Masters, but he has loads of Porsche experience and that counts for a lot.” Renauer is hoping to make it to the finishing line in the race: “We want to get through it and make a few errors as possible. Of course, we would be delighted with a podium but the competition in Le Mans is unbelievably tough. The race features the very best in our sport and everything has to go perfectly to allow you to challenge for the top.” Herberth did well in the first competitive session, securing 14th place in the 22-strong class in Le Mans.
Vanthoor also appearing in the 911 RSR
Audi Sport driver Dries Vanthoor will also be driving a Porsche 911 RSR in Le Mans. However, unlike Renauer and Ineichen, he will be competing in the GTE Pro championship. He will be racing for the Hub Auto team from Taiwan, together with former ADAC GT Masters race winner and compatriot Maxime Martin, as well as Alvaro Parente. This will be a second appearance in the endurance race for Vanthoor. He tasted victory in the GTE Am category with a Ferrari in 2017. “In subsequent years, there were a variety of reasons preventing me from competing in Le Mans,” says the Belgian driver. “So, it's great to be back there. The race has so much history. Duels like Ford against Ferrari and Audi against Porsche or Peugeot have made motor racing history. As soon as you arrive here, you realise that it is an iconic event. I am already really looking forward to driving against my brother Laurens, in the same car and in the same class. There will be plenty going in at Le Mans over the next few years, so it’s good to be able to gain some experience here now.”
Vanthoor is also looking forward to his car. “A GTE car really is very cool. It has more downthrust, more power and different tyres to a GT3 car. And there is no ABS. But you get used to it pretty quickly. Preliminary testing went well. It will not be easy to race against the works cars from Porsche, Ferrari and Corvette, but we are willing to wait and take our opportunities when others run into problems.”
WRT competing in the LMP2 class
Just like Herberth Motorsport, Vanthoor’s team in the ADAC GT Masters, Team WRT, is also celebrating its debut at Le Mans this year. The Belgian team will be making a first appearance in Le Mans with two Orecas in the LMP2 class. The driver line-up includes former Formula 1 driver Robert Kubica and former ADAC GT Masters driver Louis Deletraz. WRT is also taking two Audi R8 LMSs to France, which will be appearing in the “Road to Le Mans” race as part of the supporting programme. ADAC GT Masters driver Charles Weerts will be at the wheel of one of the GT3 Audis.
Dylan Pereira will be the fourth driver from the German GT Championship to race at Europe’s greatest motorsport event. The driver from Luxembourg will be racing an Aston Martin Vantage for the British TF Sport team in the GTE Am class, coming up against the Herberth team with Renauer and Ineichen.
NITRO broadcasting 24h from Le Mans, livestream at TVNOW
NITRO, the ADAC GT Masters television partner, will show the full endurance race live from Le Mans, after the RTL Group secured broadcast rights for the FIA World Endurance Championship WEC and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Over a period of up to 25 hours, from 15:30 on Saturday to 16:30 on Sunday, NITRO will show the full race live and provide comprehensive live reporting in an exceptional, marathon TV event. The 89th edition of the oldest race in motorsport can also be watched online: parallel to the Free TV broadcast, the entire race is available to view on the free TVNOW livestream. The motorsport magazine “Race Day” also provides the perfect way to warm up for the Le Mans 24-hour race. Starting at 15:00, the magazine show takes a look back at the WEC race in the high-speed mecca of Monza, with the dress rehearsal for the prestigious World Endurance Championship providing the perfect build-up to the spectacular race from northwestern France.
Laura Papendick, Anna Nentwig and Felix Kohler will welcome fans to the starting grid at the “Circuit des 24 Heures” as they go looking for comments. This will be a special debut with NITRO for Laura Papendick, who commentated on the ADAC GT Masters last year: the well-known presenter will be headlining a motor racing broadcast for the RTL Deutschland media group for the first time. Race commentators will be Dirk Adorf, Peter Reichert and Roland Hofmann.
Photos: Porsche, WRT