The title chances of IMSA Performance Matmut were buried when the rear left suspension of the Porsche GT3-RSR #76 failed and Markus Palttala had to pit for lengthy repairs. During the first 4 hours, Palttala, Narac and Vernay had been racing consistently in the top 3, which would have been enough to bring the FIA WEC GTE-Am championship title to the French team. After returning to the race, the Matmut trio crossed the line 6th securing 3rd in both the team and drivers’ championship.
“We were going well and had the team title practically in our pocket. To win also the drivers’ title for JK and Raymond, we would have needed to pass one car and we were on it. When I felt something was wrong during my 2nd stint, I hoped it was just a tyre going flat but unfortunately it was more serious. It became a real handful as the car wouldn’t go straight anymore and kept snapping left and right unexpectedly, but I kept fighting to keep our chances alive. The guys did a great job to get us back on track quickly but on this level, there’s no margin for delays. Porsche is probably the most reliable GT car out there so it’s a real shame we now got this problem, but that’s part of racing. In any case, everyone at IMSA Matmut can be proud of what they achieved this year. 3rd in both WEC championships and Le Mans win is a great debut in the world championship. It was great to be a part of it and I’d like to thank the team and Porsche for their confidence in me.”
by 
Markus Palttala finished 5th overall and 4th in class in the traditional 6-hour race held in Vallelunga Circuit near Rome. Palttala shared the Porsche GT3-RSR with long-time friend and JWA-Avila team owner Paul Daniels.
“It was good to be back with Paul and see all the guys from the team. They haven’t been racing since finishing the WEC program end of 2012, so it was more about getting out there and have fun racing. We drove the 2008-spec RSR instead of the newer one we ran last year and it was clear that the modern GT2 and GT3 cars are quite a lot faster. Still, it was good fun and I got my share of track time doing almost 5 hours of driving in the race and it was pretty tough without a drink system. We kept it going and did no mistakes and getting into top 5 was great. Of course, it would’ve been even better with a class podium which was real close.”
by
Markus Palttala and Stefan Landmann won the final race of the season finishing 6th overall in the process. After a season filled with bad luck and accidents, the entire RTR powered by SIMFYmusic team was happy to finish on a high.
“Finally! We’ve lead several times this season but this was the first time we crossed the line first. I’m really happy for everyone in the team, because we kept pushing until the end and it paid off. The race was tough as it started wet and then went from mixed to dry. I took the lead in the first lap and pulled away. However, we stayed on wets a bit too long and after the first round of pitstops I had dropped to 3rd in class, over a minute behind the leaders. I pushed like crazy to come back and after the next pitstop, Stefan started his stint just a couple of seconds behind the leading duo. He did a great run passing our competitors and during the last hour I just had to manage the gap and avoid trouble. The Simfy Porsche #110 handled well, pitstops by the RTR crew were spotless and we both drove without mistakes. It was nice to confirm that when all pieces fall together, we are on top.”
by
Markus Palttala was called to return in the FIA World Endurance Championship with Le Mans winning French outfit IMSA Performance Matmut for the remaining 3 races in Japan, China and Bahrain. The quick Finn shares the Porsche 911 GT3-RSR #76 with regular drivers Raymond Narac and Jean-Karl Vernay who are in contention for winning the LMGTE-Am title.
The Japanese round of the FIA WEC was a disappointment for all the teams and fans as the race ran just 16 laps, all behind the Safety Car, and was red flagged due to torrential rain. The IMSA Matmut Porsche finished 5th in class after gaining 3 positions in the early race pitstop shuffle.
“It’s fantastic to be back in WEC which is the top level of sports car racing in the world. IMSA Matmut is one of the top teams with a couple of Le Mans wins and LMS titles under their belt and I’m always happy to jump in a Porsche. Raymond and JK are great drivers so when the team called me to support their title challenge, the decision was really easy. The weekend started well with P1 in FP1 and 2nd in FP2, but then we messed up the qualifying. We were a bit too conservative with the setup, chose the harder tyre with the race in sight and the car was a real handful with nearly no grip at all when the peak was gone. I made it worse trying to compensate by pushing too hard and we ended 8th. We were not that worried because the race is long and forecast said rain, which always suits the Porsche. Unfortunately, that rain was too hard and the green light never came and we had no opportunity to fight back to the front. It’s a shame they handed out points for a race that never started and it’s especially a shame for us because Fuji is the calendar’s best circuit for Porsche and the tricky weather was what we were hoping for. I want to thank the thousands of Japanese fans for sticking with us throughout the day, you are the best! It’s going to be a tough fight to challenge for the title as the Aston Martin is so much quicker than any of the other cars, but I’m looking forward to Shanghai where we will give it everything we have.”
by
Markus Palttala, Stefan Landmann and Henrik Still retired with an empty fuel tank on the last lap while running 2nd in class and 7th overall. Palttala had qualified 11th, 2nd in Cup, in the mixed conditions and took the lead on the opening lap. Fight for the lead went on for hours but in the end, the fuel strategy didn’t work out and the Finn had to park the car half way through the final lap.
“It is really frustrating because we were right there in the fight for the top spot. The overall leaders crossed the line just before the flag fell and it surprised us that there was one more lap to go. We knew it was going to be risky but decided to try all or nothing. It came to nothing but good news is I was able to take the lead in the beginning and pull away for a while so we are on the right way. I also had lots of fun because we started in the middle of the faster cars due to the wet qualifying session. The Cup class is so tough that you can’t win without pushing it to the limit. We learned a lot again and have one more chance in 2 weeks to challenge for the win.”
by
For a second time in a row, the RTR powered by Simfy Porsche #110 was forced to retire due to accident damage before Markus got a chance to jump in. Stefan Landmann crashed out aquaplaning on slicks in difficult conditions resulting in a damaged front water cooler and ending the race of RTR’s Porsche-trio.
“It’s frustrating when you know you have a competitive package but something always goes wrong. It was a lottery with tyre choices because the weather kept changing rapidly. We got it wrong and Stefan was out on slicks when it was poring down with rain. He simply lost it aquaplaning and tapped the wall. The damage was not big but the cooler was leaking, so it was impossible to bring the car back to pits and Stefan had to park it.”
by
Markus Palttala, Jos Menten and Stefan Landmann retired when the latter had a heavy accident early in the race, while running 2nd, and the Porsche #110 of RTR powered by Simfy was damaged beyond repairs.
“The accident was pretty rough, so the most important is that Stefan and all the other drivers and track marshals involved are OK. This 6-hour race is the highlight of the VLN-season and I feel we had the strongest package today, so of course we are all very disappointed that the race was cut so short. We just need to be patient and continue pushing hard and we will get on that top step of the podium we all want so bad.”
by
Markus Palttala and Jos Menten scored the first podium of the season for the SIMFY-coloured Porsche #110 of RTR (raceunion Teichmann Racing) finishing 3rd in class and 7th overall. During the last lap Palttala moved to take the lead, and 5th overall, but just moments later a fuel problem robbed the duo of a chance to win. Nevertheless, the experienced Finn was able to nurture the car home over the finish line using its service pump and thereby salvage a very respectable result.
“We race in the hotly contested Cup-class and I’m more interested in the class result than overall ranking, because all the cars of SP9, SP8 and SP7 classes are quicker than ours. Having said that, it’s always a great accomplishment to get into the top 10 overall, so I’m happy with the 7th we managed today. Of course, to see a win slip through your fingers on the last lap is very frustrating. I’m really happy for the team, who finally got some reward for their hard work. Jos also did a great job today and it’s very nice to work with an old friend.”
by
by 
