Porsche has picked up an armful of awards for its 2015 motorsport successes, scooping titles in a staggering four categories at this year’s Professional MotorSport World Expo awards.
The company picked up Race Car of the Year, Motorsport Team of the Year, Motorsport Engineer of the Year, and Powertrain Innovation of the Year, at a ceremony last night (11th November) in Cologne, at Professional MotorSport World Expo 2015. The awards were collected by technical director, Alex Hitzinger (above), and team principal, Andreas Siedl.
Facing stiff competition from Audi, Renault Sport, Scuderia Ferrari, and VW Motorsport amongst others, the Porsche wins are testament to its complete overhaul of the 919 LMP1 Hybrid. The German team took the two top places at le Mans 2015, in only its second year of entry, and Team Porsche becoming the first to enter an 8MJ car in the World Endurance Championship.
The 25-strong judging panel were impressed with changes to the 919 during 2015 including a new chassis, manufactured as a single piece to improve weight. The energy recovery system was also refined, with Porsche stepping up to the 8MJ category. Podium finishes at every round of the 2015 WEC season ensured that the team sealed the Manufacturers championship with one round to go.
The 919’s powertrain was also a winner, seeing off competition from McLaren Formula E, Bosch-Audi (R18 MGU) and King’s pMAX bearing overlay, to win Powertrain of the Year. Its V4 turbocharged petrol engine with an unspecified output of around 500hp powers the rear axle, with an electric motor with over 400hp that drives the front wheels and gathers electricity from two separate energy recovery systems; allowing Porsche to recover energy at all times the engine is running – the only LMP1 design currently able to do this.
Porsche’s evening of success was rounded out by Alex Hitzinger, Technical Director, Porsche LMP1 taking Motorsport Engineer of the Year for his part in the success of the LMP1 programme, overseeing the 2015 redesign.
Judge Marcel ten Caat, european editor of Sportscar365.com said: “The 919 has been the car to beat in this year’s FIA World Endurance Championship, and it remains unbeaten since its commanding one-two victory at Le Mans, Porsche’s 17th overall victory. The hard work by Porsche paid off this season, having won four races and finishing second in the first two rounds of the season and has had a monopoly on pole positions this season. Apart from its results, the 919 is a true showcase for future road car technologies.”
In other categories, the European Race Series of Year title went to European Le Mans Series, in a line-up featuring ADAC Formel 4, Renault Sport Trophy and Avon Tyres BGT with the Motorsport Technology of the Year award going to Lazer Lamps for its Triple-R range of auxiliary lighting specifically designed for track and rally racing, for long-range illumination up to 1000m in front of the car.
The now familiar Young Rally Driver of the Year Award was collected by last year’s runner-up Charlie Barlow. Displaying a maturity behind the wheel that belied his years, Barlow has taken six victories from six starts – enough for him to claim the 2015 Kick Energy Formula 1000 rally championship.
John O’Brien, editor of Professional MotorSport World was on the judging panel: “2015 has been a great year for motorsport, regardless of which series piques your interest. However, Porsche’s achievements cannot be ignored. In just its second year in competition with the 919, it has taken the World Endurance Championship Manufacturers title, against some very established rivals. The four awards are rightly deserved, and the prospect of the 2016 WEC season is something I’m greatly looking forward to!”
The winners of the Professional MotorSport World Expo Awards:
Race Car of the Year
Winner: Porsche 919
Shortlisted;
Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus SCG003C/S Oreca 05 LMP 2 Audi R8 LMS Renault Sport R.S.01 Prodrive VW Golf SCRC Lada Sport Rosneft Vesta WTCC
European Race Series of the Year
Winner: European Le Mans Series
Shortlisted;
ADAC Formel 4 Renault Sport Trophy Avon Tyres British GT
Motorsport Team of the Year
Winner: Team Porsche
Shortlisted:
Scuderia Ferrari VW Motorsport Prodrive Racing Australia Craft Bamboo Racing
Motorsport Engineer of the Year
Winner: Alex Hitzinger, Porsche LMP1
Shortlisted:
James Allison, Scuderia Ferrari Andy Cowell, Mercedes HPP Giorgio Sanna, Lamborghini Motorsport Armin Plietsch, Audisport
Motorsport Technology of the Year
Winner: Lazer Lamps Triple-R series
Shortlisted:
ATL Scavenge System Greaves3D Engineering EPSR-015 fuel rig Converge CFD software GEMS EM80 ECU
Powertrain Innovation of the Year
Winner: Porsche 919
Shortlisted:
McLaren Applied Technologies Formula E powertrain Bosch-Audi R18 MGU King pMAX bearing overlay
Motorsport Facility of the Year
Winner: Audi Sport Competence center Neuberg
Shortlisted:
Toyota Motorsport GmbH Ansible Motion R&D Center Singapore Marina Bay circuit
Young Rally Driver of the Year
Winner: Charlie Barlow
Shortlisted:
Peter Bennett Matthew Davies Zak Hughes Josh McErlean Tom Williams
The winners of the awards were announced at a Gala Dinner on the first evening of Professional MotorSport World Expo 2015. A high-resolution Image gallery featuring all finalists can be found on our Facebook page.
