Nürburgring, 12 May 2018: The Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo (left) just prior to the 24-hour race. Timo Bernhard was on hand to perform several demonstration laps for the eager crowds along with the Museum’s Porsche 956/83-005 (right) which was driven by Hans Stuck
In July 2017, Porsche shocked the motorsport community when it announced the end of its top tier prototype racing program a year early, in order to prepare for a move to Formula E. After returning to the World Endurance Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2014, Porsche and its 919 Hybrid frequently visited podiums and victory lanes. Three consecutive overall wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans starting in 2015 highlighted the Porsche 919’s mark on sports car racing.
WEC Silverstone 6 Hours, 18 April 2014: The #20 Porsche 919 Hybrid made its debut at Silverstone in the hands of Mark Webber/Timo Bernhard/Brendon Hartley. Seen here during Free Practice 1, the race numbers of the two cars being #20 and #14 represented the return of Porsche to the LMP1 class in 2014 Le Mans 24 Hours, 13-14 June 2015: The #19 Porsche 919 Hybrid was driven by Nico Hülkenberg/Earl Bamber/Nick Tandy to overall victory, and they were followed home by the #17 Porsche 919 Hybrid driven by Bernhard/Hartley/Weber. It is interesting to note the different treatment on the 2014 and 2015 cars of the air exit vents behind the front wheels
Before the surprise announcement, the race team in Weissach was busy planning for another year of racing. Leaving a year earlier than planned left Porsche with commercial partners to consider, a team with energy and ideas for another year, and a gap before Formula E would become a reality.
