Patrick Long, Patrick Dempsey and Marco Seefried captured their maiden victory in the FIA World Endurance Championship today at the legendary Fuji circuit in Japan. Driving the #77 Dempsey Proton Porsche 911, the trio went from strength to strength in a tricky, treacherous and weather-impacted six-hour race. In so doing, Patrick Dempsey claimed his first-ever professional sportscar race win, topping the emotional 2nd place finish for the team in this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.
With the race started under a 40-minute caution period due to heavy rain, and interrupted at times by other squalls, it was Marco Seefried’s quadruple stint on one set of intermediate Michelins that built the #77’s gap on the rest of the GTE-AM class.
Dempsey said, “A great feeling. Our first victory in the WEC – we’ve worked hard for this over the entire season. I drove a long first stint in pouring rain and then had to wait for hours. When I climbed back into the car shortly before the flag, my main priority was not to make any mistakes. But everything came together today. Patrick gave me advice over the radio, Marco drove a fantastic stint and the team’s strategy was perfect. I’m very grateful for all the support I’ve received from Porsche and the team this season. It enables me to keep developing as a driver. This is a great day – and from now on Fuji is one of my favourite race tracks.”
Long remarked, “After finishing second at Le Mans I thought I couldn’t top the emotion. But this victory has surpassed everything. None of us made any mistakes, and Marco put in an incredibly strong drive at the midway mark of the race. That made this great success possible.
Seefried commented: “During my stint I wasn’t really aware that we were doing so well. When you’re out there doing your thing, you don’t really know where you’re actually lying in the race. I had no idea that we were so strong at this point. I wasn’t even at 120 percent, instead I tried to be fast and consistent. But we had a very good car today. To drive the 911 RSR on this tricky circuit was huge fun.”
The FIA WEC races next at the 6 Hours of Shanghai, in China, from Oct. 30 – Nov. 1.
