MRS GT-Racing claims dominant 991 win at Mugello

The MRS GT-Racing-entered Porsche 991 Cup was driven to victory by Charles Putman, Charles Espenlaub and Joe Foster at the 12 hours Italy-Mugello. The American trio finished four laps ahead of the second placed car and ran like clockwork through both days.
The MRS GT-Racing Porsche 991 Cup emerged victorious after 12 hours with American drivers Charles Putman, Charles Espenlaub and Joe Foster driving the car at Mugello, the second event counting towards the 24H Series and which split into two segments. Besides, the level of competition in class made the result all the more rewarding.

Thursday´s private test already proved how competitive MRS GT-Racing was expecting to be by setting a best lap of 1:56.270. Putman, Espenlaub and Foster had time for a little Friday morning fun improving his previous best lap clocking a 1:56.445 in free practice, the last session before qualifying. The latter, defining the starting grid, saw Espenlaub scoring a lap of 1:55.253, 6th in class.

The first part of the 12 hours Italy-Mugello got underway at 2PM, with Espenlaub making the race-opening stint. The 47-years old driver was able to gain two places almost immediately and, into hour 2, moved up to second place before pitting. Espenlaub handed over the #78 Porsche to Putman who ran in the top-three for most of his stint. When Foster made his first stint, the American trio was still involved in tantalising battle for the lead with the Dinamic SRL Porsche. The first part of the 12 hours of Italy-Mugello came to an end at six in the evening with MRS GT-Racing 2nd in class.

With the cars taking a well-earned break in parc ferme, the race resumed on Saturday morning for the remaining eight hours. Up front, there was a wheel-to-wheel competition and multiple lead changes. Everybody at MRS GT-Racing knew there was no margin for error but everything was going according to plan when the 12-hour was entering its decisive phase. Then, with two hours to go, the American trio moved back into the lead of the 991 class and never lost the lead taking the checkered flag as winners and 9th overall.

Johan Koning Hemmerling: “It was a great way to end the weekend! Both the team and the drivers made a great effort to achieve this result and it paid off. We had zero mechanical problems. Unlike Dubai here nothing, even Lady Luck, could deprived us of victory.”