Porsche 919 Hybrid Ready to Take on the Texas Heat

Jason Siu
by Jason Siu

Porsche is looking to extend its lead in the 2016 FIA World Endurance Championship.

The FIA World Endurance Championship is heading to Austin, Texas, on September 17 for the sixth round in this year’s race, and Porsche is looking strong as it heads into the event at the Circuit of the Americas. Through five rounds this year, Porsche leads the manufacturers’ world championship with 201 points, having won four races this year at Silverstone, Le Mans, the Nurburgring and Mexico City. In its third season of competition, the Porsche 919 Hybrid is staying ahead of Audi (158 points) and Toyota (112 points).

SEE ALSO: Porsche Wins Le Mans as Toyota Reliability Fails on Last Lap

Competing in the LMP1 class, the Porsche 919 Hybrid has a total system output of more than 900 horsepower with a compact 2.0-liter turbocharged V4 engine combined with an electric powertrain that also features two different energy recovery systems.

The Circuit of the Americas race will be a six-hour event and starts at 5:00 PM Central Time.

“COTA for me is the most beautiful of all new circuits because it has a great mixture. Sector one is especially interesting. After the steep start-finish straight the first left-hander is a blind corner. Then some flowing esses follow,” said driver Timo Bernhard. “If you make a mistake there, you suffer from it for a long time. In the first sector, all the corners are somehow connected to each other. The middle sector offers good opportunities for overtaking under braking, and the last sector is very tight. You definitely have to position your car carefully. I’m always looking forward to racing in the U.S. I did this for quite some years for Porsche and had a lot of success in the ALMS. I think the sports car culture in the States is great.”

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Jason Siu
Jason Siu

Jason Siu began his career in automotive journalism in 2003 with Modified Magazine, a property previously held by VerticalScope. As the West Coast Editor, he played a pivotal role while also extending his expertise to Modified Luxury & Exotics and Modified Mustangs. Beyond his editorial work, Jason authored two notable Cartech books. His tenure at AutoGuide.com saw him immersed in the daily news cycle, yet his passion for hands-on evaluation led him to focus on testing and product reviews, offering well-rounded recommendations to AutoGuide readers. Currently, as the Content Director for VerticalScope, Jason spearheads the content strategy for an array of online publications, a role that has him at the helm of ensuring quality and consistency across the board.

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