Kevin Estre Moves to Porsche 911 RSR
In 2016, Frenchman Kevin Estre will take a vitally important step in his career. After two seasons at McLaren GT crowned with pole positions, victories and records he will become a works driver for German manufacturer, Porsche. His programme will include the North American Endurance Championship, which comprises the four most prestigious long-distance events in the USA, while in Europe he will be on the grid for the Nürburging 24 Hours and also the Le Mans 24 Hours if Porsche’s invitation requests are approved by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest’s Selection Committee. Other outings may be added to his schedule depending on the needs of his new employer.
Estre had a very rich and satisfying 2015 season. The 27 year-old French ace won two rounds of the Blancpain Endurance Series and four in the Pirelli World Challenge. He enhanced his endurance experience with his first participation in the Bathurst 12 Hours in Australia, and above all with his maiden outing in the Le Mans 24 Hours at the wheel of a Ligier-Honda JS P2 prototype. He also took up the challenge of the awesome Macau roller-coaster in the first FIA GT World Cup. Finally, the man from Lyon made a big impression in the Spa 6 Hours on his first drive in both the Porsche 911 RSR and the World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC). This great adventure with the Porsche Team Manthey, the official Porsche works representative in LMGTE Pro, ended in a top-3 finish in this hotly-contested category.
Kevin Estre will race in the 2016 edition of the North American Endurance Championship which includes the Daytona 24 Hours, the Sebring 12 Hours, the Watkins Glen 6 Hours and the Petit Le Mans on the Road Atlanta circuit. He will share the #911 Porsche 911 RSR with fellow Porsche works drivers Patrick Pilet and Nick Tandy. In the past Kevin put on impressive performances in these major long-distance events. For example in the 2014 Daytona 24 Hours, he made a spectacular comeback from 19th to 3rd place in his first stint; and he also set the quickest time of the 12 Porsche 911 GT Americas entered. At Sebring in 2013 his fastest time in the race was officially homologated as a new lap record in its category.
Kevin Estre could also drive one of Porsche’s 911 RSRs alongside Pilet and Tandy at the Le Mans 24 Hours in the LMGTE Pro class, if the ACO’s Selection Committee agrees to Porsche’s demand. On the famous Nordschleife, Kevin Estre holds the lap records for the 25.378-km circuit in qualifying and the race since the 2014 Nürburgring 24 Hours. Thus he fully deserves the title of ‘Ringmeister’ and can’t wait to return to the ‘Green Hell’ with Manthey Racing Team, at the wheel of the new 911 GT3 R.