<< Prev Page 3 of 3 Joest did not race his WSC95 again until Le Mans a year later. Work had nevertheless been done on the car as it was even faster. Porsche would rather have seen Joest support the works effort that consisted of the latest 911 GT1, which had much greater marketing appeal. Winning the race was all that mattered to Joest and he signed another stellar crew; Michele Alboreto, Stefan Johansson and Tom Kristensen. In what was only the WSC95's second race, it once again started from pole position. While Porsche's works effort faltered again, Joest's WSC95 once again came through for the German manufacturer. Later in the year, it continued its winning streak with a victory in a sprint race at Donington.
In 1998, Porsche celebrated their 50th anniversary and were adamant to do so in style with another victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. An all-new GT1 racer was conceived and as a back-up the two WSC95s were considerably modified to become the Porsche LMP1/98. The aerodynamics were further refined with the large intercooler snorkel removed to reduce drag and a revised nose fitted. The cars were also fitted with a drivetrain derived from the GT1 car. This consisted of a slightly larger version of the flat-six engine and a sequential, six-speed gearbox.
To ensure Porsche would receive full credits for the victory the two cars were entered by Porsche themselves. The two LMP1/98s started 9th and 20th and neither managed to finish the race, which ended the winning streak of chassis 001. Fortunately, the 911 GT1s proved up to the task and clinched Porsche's record extending 16th overall win at Le Mans. Porsche then shipped the first car back to the United States for the inaugural Petit Le Mans. Starting third, it eventually finished the race in second, behind its old nemesis the Ferrari 333 SP. Having come full circle, the WSC95 / LMP1/98 was finally retired from contemporary racing.
Porsche, meanwhile, was busy developing a V10-engined prototype racer to replace it but the program was scratched to free up more resources for the Cayenne road-car project. The TWR-built and Porsche engined WSC95 has gone into history as one of the most intriguing sports racing cars. Chassis 001 is one of just four cars to score repeat victories at Le Mans, which also includes a Joest-entered Porsche 956. What was particularly remarkable was that at the time of its Le Mans victories, very few people were actually aware of its origins. In addition to the two Le Mans wins, the same chassis also won the 1991 World Sports Car Championship as a Jaguar XJR-14. << Prev Page 3 of 3
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Joest did not race his WSC95 again until Le Mans a year later. Work had nevertheless been done on the car as it was even faster. Porsche would rather have seen Joest support the works effort that consisted of the latest 911 GT1, which had much greater marketing appeal. Winning the race was all that mattered to Joest and he signed another stellar crew; Michele Alboreto, Stefan Johansson and Tom Kristensen. In what was only the WSC95's second race, it once again started from pole position. While Porsche's works effort faltered again, Joest's WSC95 once again came through for the German manufacturer. Later in the year, it continued its winning streak with a victory in a sprint race at Donington.