The 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship has seen the introduction of the new mid-engined Porsche 911 RSR, taking on the established entries from Aston Martin, Ferrari and Ford. 

2015 World Endurance GT Cup Champion Richard Lietz has teamed up with Frederic Makowiecki and are currently lying in second place in the GT FIA World Endurance Driver’s Championship.  The Franco-Austrian pairing have taken three podium finishes and scored their first pole position of the season in qualifying for the 6 Hours of Fuji.  They will be hoping for that elusive first victory for the new car in Japan.

We caught up with Richard Lietz to discuss the new car and the race here in Japan.

Q: How would you sum up your season so far with the new 911 RSR?

“Our season has been good so far.  We are still P2 in the championship and have a close fight with Ford.  We’ve managed to score good points in every race and that is why we are there. We are still looking for the first victory with our new RSR and I hope we have the chance to do this in Japan.”

Q: This year the GTE class is now a full FIA World Championship in its own right.  Is this distinction an important one for you as a driver and for Porsche as a manufacturer?

“I think it is important for Porsche.  For me as a driver, to be honest, I have to do my job.  If they send me somewhere I have to win that championship, or at least try to win the championship.  So for me it doesn’t change too much, but for Porsche it is very important.”

Q: The 911 has always been considered to be a good car in the wet, is this still the case with the new car?

“To be honest with changing the engine position we didn’t expect the new car to be as competitive in the rain as the old car but already in Daytona we saw that the car is competitive and good to drive in the rain.  So we are quite confident. Now we can show this for the first time in the WEC.  Of course you have to change the set up and adapt your driving style.  For the moment it worked well and it drove as we wished in qualifying and it was good enough for us to take pole and score the championship point.”

Q: What is your favourite part of the 4.5km Fuji track?

“For me the favourite part is the second sector, the long right, the quick corners.  I think if you have a very good car there, especially in the dry, you have a nice feeling going to the limit there.”