24h Le Mans
For his birthday on August 27th, Mark Webber bought himself a special gift to enhance his personal collection: a Porsche 918 Spyder, but not just any one since this one is painted in the red and white livery of the Porsche 917 that won the German manufacturer's very first victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1970.
A few days prior to his first win after returning to endurance, Mark Webber, who lives in the U.K., took a side trip before heading to the Nürburgring and stopped at Porsche, in Zuffenhausen, to take possession of his new acquisition.
A longtime fan of the German manufacturer, the Australian already owns several models stored in his barn-turned-garage, but he wanted a 918 quite unique, repainted in the colours of the Porsche 917K that Richard Attwood and Hans Herrmann led to victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1970, the first of Porsche's 17 victories at Le Mans. Also, he insisted the car be painted with real paint, a technical feat.
Unlike his 918 Spyder, the Porsche 919 Hybrid he brought to victory on August 30th was not painted in the same manner, but definitely allowed him to celebrate his 39 years! The next event for Mark Webber and his teammates, Brendon Hartley and Timo Bernhard - about whom Webber posted on Twitter that he was the person who had taught him the most since his arrival at Porsche - is September 19th at the Circuit of the Americas at Austin, Texas for the fifth round of the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season...
Cécile Bonardel / ACO - Translation by Nikki Ehrhardt / ACO
