6 H. of Fuji - Richard Lietz (Porsche) : "some rain could improve our chances"

No, in Monza, Porsche did not shine. After its victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans thanks to Bruni-Lietz-Makowiecki, the 911 RSR-19 fell back into the ranks, leaving the podium to Corvette and Ferrari. Alexander Stehlig's men will have to get their act together in Japan, or risk seeing their dreams of a title end in a GTE Pro era that has been dominated by Ferrari in terms of numbers.

"We recently saw in Monza that we struggle under certain circumstances", Richard Lietz said. "Even though we’re racing in September in Fuji this year, we’re hoping for some unpredictable weather. I reckon some rain or changeable conditions could improve our chances."

While the Austrian can no longer clinch the title as he was no t inMonza (see HERE), his Italian team-mate is currently second in the overall standings, one point behind James Calado-Alessandro Pier Guidi (Ferrari 488 GTE #51) and one point ahead of his team-mates Kévin Estre-Michael Christensen.

The Frenchman, who is not unhappy to return to the Fuji circuit after a two-year absence, said: "The track at Fuji has always suited our Porsche 911 RSR – that makes me optimistic. The fight for the championship is extremely tight this year, it’s vital that we’re right at the front in the upcoming race and that we bring home maximum points." 

And his Danish team-mate continued: "This year’s title fight is so close that the championship will be decided by two factors: the best preparation and the lowest margin of error. Clearly, these are the things we’ll focus on."

And if the 911 RSR-19 wasn't very good at Monza, the German team wasn't perfect in terms of strategy either, far from it...