Though last autumn, André Lotterer's career in endurance was a model of stability. After he debuted at the 24 Hours in 2009 at the wheel of a private Audi R10 TDI, the following year he became a member of the marque's factory team. It was then that he joined the trio that would become one of the cornerstones of today's endurance racing: in six seasons, Lotterer and his teammates (and great friends) Marcel Fässler and Benoît Tréluyer have accrued an exceptional record at the 24 Hours of Le Mans: three victories (2011-2012-2014), two pole positions (2011-2012), two podium finishes (second in 2010, third in 2015) and two other top 5s (fifth in 2013, fourth in 2016). It's a stunning record which also boasts a World Endurance Champion Drivers title (2012). Only Audi's withdrawal from endurance racing has brought to a halt the potential for even greater success in 2017, and caused Lotterer to make the move to Porsche.

Stability and loyalty have been the keywords of Neel Jani's journey in endurance. Since 2009, the year of his first 24 Hours of Le Mans, he has been a member of only two teams. From 2009 to 2013, he emerged as one of the major players in the LM P1 grid, and was one half of an impressive duo that finished fourth at the 2012 24 Hours and even clinched two consecutive victories in the American endurance race Petit Le Mans (2012-2013) at the Road Atlanta circuit. During that period, the French-Swiss duo joined forces with a variety of teammates at the 24 Hours, such as Andrea Belicchi, Marco Andretti, Jeroen Bleekemolen and Nick Heidfeld. When he moved to Porsche in 2014, Neel Jani joined two great figures in the German manufacturer's arsenal: French driver Romain Dumas and German native Marc Lieb. Together they won the Porsche 919 Hybrid's first win at São Paulo in 2014, before the climax of the season in the form of victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the drivers crown in the World Endurance Championship.

Loyalty has also been an important facet of Brit Nick Tandy's career. Though André Lotterer and Neel Jani began in single-seaters, Tandy set his sights on Porsche and the marque's cup races, which eventually allowed him to become a factory driver. In four participations in the 24 Hours of Le Mans (from 2011 to 2016), he drove the beast Porsche 911 three times. In 2015, his only 24 Hours at the wheel of a prototype ended on the top step of the podium, in a 919 Hybrid shared with New Zealander Earl Bamber and German driver Nico Hülkenberg. This year will be his first full season in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) in the LM P1 class, along with two of the best drivers in the class: none other than André Lotterer and Neel Jani.

The two driver line-ups who will drive the 2017 version of the Porsche 919 Hybrid are quite promising with five previous 24 Hours of Le Mans winners (André Lotterer, Neel Jani, Nick Tandy, Timo Bernhard and Earl Bamber), four former World Endurance Champions (André Lotterer, Neel Jani, Timo Bernhard and Brendon Hartley), a lap record-holder (André Lotterer) and a distance record-holder (Timo Bernhard) at the 24 Hours!

Click below for the previous installment in this series.

André Lotterer, Neel Jani, Nick Tandy (1) - Their 24 Hours of Le Mans highlight reel

Photo: For the first time in his career as an endurance racing driver, André Lotterer will not be at the wheel of an Audi in 2017. But there is no doubt he will be just as fast in a Porsche 919 Hybrid!