Farnbacher Loles showed its championship form of its debut in the American Le Mans Series to run strongly at the head of the GT2 class in the Sebring Twelve Hours.

Dirk Werner, Bryce Miller and Marc Basseng had put the Porsche team firmly in contention for class honours during the opening round of the season at the Florida venue, with Werner storming from sixth on the grid into the class lead shortly after the hour and a half mark.

Basseng and Miller also ran towards the front of the field before Werner climbed behind the wheel for his second stint, but contact with the class-leading Risi Ferrari of Jaime Melo caused extensive damage to the Porsche – with suspension and radiator problems leaving the 911 GT3 RSR parked on the side of the circuit and out of the race.

"I'm so sad right now,” Werner reflected. “I drove to turn seven and the Ferrari was really close because the track had just gone green. We couldn't drive really fast, we were just cruising around and waiting until the track was clear. Then the car crashed into me and broke something on the suspension so I couldn't steer any more.

“I tried to go back to the pits, but I couldn't steer the car and I was afraid I would cross the track at a certain point. Then the engine temperature went high, so I had no chance to get back to the pits. That's really the worst thing that could happen. We were running so great. It's pretty sad for everybody who is involved. All the work they've done to prepare the car is destroyed now."

Team owner Dino Loles admitted he was proud of how his team had performed during the race, even though the end result what the Porsche squad had hoped for.

"We're obviously very, very proud of the way our car ran,” he said. “At the time we were doing as well as possible, leading Porsche's charge against Ferrari. We had very strong stints from Marc and Bryce and then had our hotshoe, Dirk, in the car, looking to reel back that Ferrari.

“It's unfortunate, but we're very proud of what we accomplished this weekend. We proved we can compete at the highest level of GT racing, and we look forward to the opportunity to compete for the rest of the season."