Taranaki racing driver, Stefan Webling (22) made the most of the opportunity presented to him when he was offered the chance to join the Australian-based VIP Petfoods Porsche Endurance Racing Team for the VIP 12 Hour Endurance event at Hampton Downs Raceway last weekend and took out the race win.
As part of the race regulations, the team had to use three drivers during the race so the father and son team of Tony and Klark Quinn who race this car at long distance events around the world, had to find a third driver for the factory-built Porsche RSR Le Mans spec car. A New Plymouth-based race management team, O’Neill Race Management, had previously done some work for the Quinns, and put Stefan’s name forward as a fast, safe driver who could fill the role, Webling having raced successfully in Formula Ford and the Toyota Racing Series.
“I did about ten laps in the car during Friday practice, and Tony seemed happy with my speed and consistency, so I got the drive on Saturday and did a double stint in the car during the race,” said Stefan.” My instructions were clear – ‘be consistently quick, look after the gear and keep the car in one piece’. So, I did what I was told to do, but once I had done a few laps and got used to the car, I put in a few fast laps and was pleased to record times close to the Quinns."
"By that time, the car was comfortably in the lead so there was no real pressure on me to risk anything by trying too hard. Tony (Quinn) seemed happy with my performance and attitude, and I certainly enjoyed the opportunity to experience working with such a professional team and driving such a fantastic car. I have raced a Porsche 996 and also spent some time in a 997 and love driving these Porsche cars – but this special RSR was something else with its amazing grip and handling. The experience has certainly whetted my appetite to get another chance in a similar event in a similar car.”
The car that Stefan drove had been raced successfully overseas by the Quinns in similar endurance events at Dubai and the Nurburgring, ex-pat Kiwi Craig Baird having shared the driving at Dubai to win the 24 hour race.
