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Porsches claim 2016 AGP Pole Position at Albert ParkPorsche customers race to Albert Park

Australia. Porsches in the hands of their enthusiast owners made history on Wednesday when they were the first cars to take to the 5.3km Albert Park F1 circuit ahead of Sunday’s opening round of the 2016 FIA F1 World Championship.

It was the first time that the Australian Grand Prix Corporation has entrusted personally owned and driven cars to have exclusive use of the 5.3km street circuit to open an Australia F1 Grand Prix programme.

With their pace controlled by 10 experienced Porsche Sport Driving School instructors under Chief Instructor and 1988 Bathurst winner Tomas Mezera, more than 50 Porsches took to the ‘virgin’ circuit yesterday morning for four 20-minute sessions, representing around 25 laps of the circuit per car.

Participating Porsches represented a cross-section of models spanning the past 26 years, ranging from a 1990 model front-engined 944 S2 Coupe to a panzer of five of the very latest 911 GT3 RS models. The latest generation 911 Carreras and 911 Turbo models and mid-engined Caymans and Boxsters also took part.

They included the latest Cayman GT4 driven by seven-times Bathurst winner Jim Richards and the latest Boxster Spyder model, just 10 days and 1,000km old in the hands of its ecstatic owner, Adrian Nelson.

Porsche Cars Australia Director of Marketing Toni Andreevski said he was delighted at the opportunity PCA was able to provide its customers.

“Not many people can say they've driven at high speed around a Formula 1 circuit in their own Porsche," he said. "For our customers it was a rare privilege and opportunity and they enjoyed it and appreciated it immensely."

A special highlight for the Porsche participants was to meet and mingle with newly crowned World Endurance Champion and ex-F1 driver Mark Webber, who will again drive a factory Porsche 919 Hybrid in this year’s Le Mans 24-Hour classic in June.

Webber raised money for the Steve Waugh Foundation by taking two local enthusiasts – Errol Salih and Mike Kenealy – for hot laps in a new 911 GT3 RS before guiding them on a further three laps as they followed him driving the latest 911 models.

“It was a once in a lifetime experience,” is how serial Melbourne Porsche owner Greg LeManna described exploring the performance of his 2004 Porsche 911 RS on the Albert Park F1 track.

“I’ve driven all the famous Australian circuits including Bathurst and Phillip Island, but to drive an actual F1 circuit ahead of the opening round of the World Championship in your own car was very special.

LeManna’s 19 year-old son Jordan driving a front-engined 1993 Porsche 968 CS was the youngest of the participants and was awed by the experience.

“It was a huge privilege,” he said. “Just being there was really exciting. I wasn’t the fastest driver for sure, but that wasn’t the point. I wasn’t auditioning for a start in the Grand Prix!”

Porsche’s high profile will continue throughout the 2016 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix with Porsche Carrera Cup Australia racing cars taking to the circuit for practice, qualifying and racing on each of the event’s four days.

Porsche will also have a major display of the latest 911 Gen II and 911 Turbo models at the Avenue of Champions, while around 200 Porsche guests will enjoy the best seat in the house at the Grand Prix from Friday-Sunday in the Porsche Pavilion located at the exit of the always-eventful Turn 2.

A special treat for Motorsport fans will be two historic Le Mans Porsche race cars - the 935/77 and WSC Spyder prototype - on display in the Carrera Cup paddock.

18/3/2016