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Porsche clinches 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship

There's still another round to go in the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship. But regardless of what happens in Bahrain later this month, Porsche has already laid claim to the manufacturers' title for this year. That's how far ahead it is of the competition. The championship was sealed this weekend when the Porsche 919 Hybrid driven by Timo Bernhard, Mark Webber, and Brendon Hartley crossed the finish line at the 6 Hours of Shanghai in first place. That marked not only the fourth straight win for the trio, but the fourth one-two finish for Porsche and the fifth straight victory this season. That's pretty remarkable when you consider that Porsche only arrived in the series last year, and only serves to further sweeten the win it took at Le Mans this past June. This marks the first time since entering WEC that Porsche has taken the championship, which was claimed last year by Toyota and in the previous two years since the revival of the series by Audi. However Porsche, of course, is no stranger to the winner's circle in endurance racing, having taken 12 previous championships between 1964 and 1986. The victory in Shanghai also puts Bernhard, Webber, and Hartley in prime position to secure the drivers' championship. The trio currently sits in the lead ahead of Audi's Andre Lotterer, Marcel Fassler, and Benoit Treluyer. This despite the Porsche trio having failed to make the finish line in the opening round at Silverstone. Related Video: FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), LMP1, Round 7, Shanghai (CN), Race Porsche secures World Championship title by another one-two win Stuttgart. By taking the fifth victory in a row Porsche has made itself a World Champion in Shanghai. One race before the season's finale no one can take away the constructors' title in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) from the young team from Weissach. In China the winning drivers were Timo Bernhard (DE), Brendon Hartley (NZ) and Mark Webber (AU) in a six-hour race of which two thirds were held on a wet track. The sister car of Romain Dumas (FR), Neel Jani (CH) and Marc Lieb (DE) finished second and hence the season's fourth one-two victory for the Porsche team. Porsche has won the title with 308 points ahead of Audi (238) and Toyota (137). For Porsche it is the 13th constructors' World Championship title in endurance racing and the first since 1986. Between 1964 and 1986 Porsche took twelve constructors' titles in the then Sports Car World Championship.

Ferrari 458 Speciale vs Porsche 911 GT3 shows what Chris Harris does best

After a brief trip behind a pay wall, British auto journalist Chris Harris is back posting videos for free online, and shorts like this one are the perfect example of why his return is so welcome. Showing up at the damp Anglesey Circuit on the Welsh coast with the Ferrari 458 Speciale and Porsche 911 GT3, Harris ostensibly aims to find the better model. However, the final result really succeeds in showcasing the fun to be had behind the wheels of both supercars, particularly when initiating huge slides around the track. As Harris presents it, the vehicles get through the circuit in somewhat different ways The Ferrari is brash and "feels alive," as he puts it as it screams around the track. Alternatively, the Porsche is a bit more restrained, while still being able to show some emotion. In the end, it comes down to trying to get a controlled lap around Anglesey from this duo, but it's pretty clear that the times don't tell the whole story. If you're in the mood to watch two of the world's premiere supercars wag their tails in the wet, then this video cannot be missed.

Will Roegge makes 4K art of Jeff Zwart's 911 build and run up Pikes Peak

Will Roegge has turned his camera on Jeff Zwart and provided another gem, this time documenting Zwart's run up Pikes Peak and BBI Autosport. Bertim Besha dropped out of high school, then worked his way up to founding his own shop, BBI, that gathers a crew of tuners who are just as fastidious about their work as the customers are about their cars.
They prepped the 991-series Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Turbo, the product of combining a 911 GT2 that was the most powerful car Zwart drove up the mountain with a GT3 Cup that Zwart thought had the best handling. Two TiAL turbos and a lot of fettling make for a 3.8-liter flat-six with 700 horsepower, 700 pound-feet of torque and a 7,800-rpm redline. Zwart drove it to a heartbreaking second place this year, finishing less than 1.2 seconds behind the Time Attack 1 class winner when his car suffered its first mechanical issue of the week.
The first video below covers Besha, BBI and the build, the second is Zwart's run. As if the visuals weren't enough, sit back and enjoy the shrieking of the "Hill Climb Special," which is what the constellation Sirius would sound like if it could bark.