Porsche’s heartfelt farewell to Audi in WEC

The relationship between Porsche and Audi in the World Endurance Championship is a strange one.

Both owned by the Volkswagen Group, the pair are intense rivals on track, having shared carbon-fibre laden jabs on the world stage for the last three years.

Audi, run by Team Joest, has dominated international sportscar racing for the past 18 years, racking up incredible win rates and crushing the opposition year after year at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

For large parts of those 18 years, Porsche has laid dormant, content with history recording them as the most successful manufacturer in sporstcar history.

But in their absence, Audi drew closer and closer to Porsche’s records each year as they notched up victory after victory.

Then, in 2014, Porsche announced its return to take their brothers on in the WEC, and especially at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

What ensued was a brilliant three-year battle of two titans of motorsport.

Kicking it all off, was a tongue-in-cheek welcome video from Audi to Porsche, written in black rubber by their LMP1 car outside the Porsche headquarters in Stuttgart.

This year, Audi announced their shock retirement from top-tier sportscar racing, leaving Porsche to battle Toyota on their lonesome.

Bringing the three-year story full circle, Porsche have paid their respects to Audi with a heartfelt message that brings us back to those taunting tyre marks outside the Porsche headquarters.

It is a touching display of sportsmanship and respect between the two brands and rivals.

I’m not crying, you’re crying!

It should also be noted Toyota paid their respects to Audi at the final round of the 2016 WEC campaign in Bahrain with a banner and stickers on their LMP1 cars. Sportsmanship isn’t dead yet!