Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid: Formula 1 driver Nico Hülkenberg tested the orange and white liveried racing 911 on the Nürburgring Nordschleife
Nico Hülkenberg
Source – Porsche Media Friday, 23 April 2010
The Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid has passed its most unusual task by now with flying colours in preparation for the Nürburgring 24 hour race on 15/16 May. AT&T Williams Formula 1 pilot Nico Hülkenberg tested the orange and white liveried racing 911 on the Nürburgring Nordschleife in the lead up to the third round of the VLN Long Distance Championship Hulkenberg was enthusiastic with many aspects of the experience: “Great car, fascinating technology and an incomparable track,” concluded Hülkenberg.
The Formula 1 driver completed three laps at his Nordschleife debut in a race car and was able to get an idea of the perfect interplay of all the hybrid system components. “This test was great fun. I’m impressed with how well the hybrid system works in the Porsche,” said Hülkenberg. One of the components of the hybrid system, the flywheel generator installed inside the cockpit, was designed and manufactured by Williams Hybrid Power following Porsche’s specifications.
“This circuit is unique, you can’t compare it to any other track in the world. This is certainly not the last time I’ll drive here,” said Hülkenberg, who has driven only single seaters on the race circuit. “Surprisingly, in the slow corners, the 911 is not far off a Formula 1 car. The mechanical grip is impressive.” In the 911 GT3 Hybrid, two electric motors at the front axle developing 60 kW (82 hp) each supplement the 353 kilowatt (480 hp) four litre flat six at the rear. Instead of the batteries used in hybrid road cars, an electrical flywheel power generator fitted in the cockpit beside the driver delivers energy to the electric motors.
Compared to a battery, the flywheel generator has the advantage of storing and delivering high amounts of energy considerably quicker. Thanks to its sophisticated electronic control, the innovative hybrid drive of the 911 GT3 R Hybrid automatically provides optimal efficiency at racing speed. The combination of the combustion engine and electric motors fulfils a simple objective: Less fuel consumption without compromising performance. When overtaking or accelerating out of a bend, the driver can manually override the controls by pressing the boost paddle on the steering wheel and sending energy from the charged flywheel generator to the front axle.
This additional power of 120 kilowatts is available to the driver after each charge process for approximately six to eight seconds.
Photo credit Porsche Media
Heavy traffic – a record 36 entries started the race on the tight, sinuous street course – was a major factor in every team’s race. During the race’s only round of pit stops, the two BMW M3s of Rahal Letterman Racing opted not to take fresh tires. Flying Lizard’s strategists showed extreme confidence in their over-the-wall mechanics, and their gamble paid off as Long beat the previously leading Falken Porsche and 2nd placed Risi Ferrari out of the pits, giving him fresh tires to chase down the now-leading BMW duo. Within two laps, Long had passed Joey Hand for 2nd position, and with 10 minutes left in the race, passed Tommy Milner for the lead.
The victory makes it five consecutive podium finishes for Patrick at Long Beach, and two straight wins. Bergmeister and Long are now tied for the GT championship lead with Jaime Melo and Gimmi Bruni of Risi Ferrari; Patrick and Jörg have now amassed 16 ALMS victories together. The # 45 Porsche also won the Michelin Green X Challenge for the GT entry operating at the highest efficiency with the lowest environmental impact.
Patrick said, “Winning at Long Beach is just an unbelievable result. It’s always spectacular racing at my home track, where I’ve been coming since I was a kid. There’s just something about the energy and the vibe that make it such a special race. The second half of the race started with the Lizard boys absolutely nailing it in the pits – we left nothing on the table with that effort. We were able to overtake the Falken Porsche, the Risi Ferrari and the leading Corvette in the pits. From there, it was about getting past the BMWs, who were very quick on the straight but didn’t take tires in their pit stop.”
He continued, “In the end, I got past Joey Hand in traffic to get into 2nd, and had to make an aggressive move on Tommy Milner to take the lead. Then I was able to pull clear, and by the time the Corvette had got past Milner’s BMW, I was far enough down the track that he wasn’t able to catch me before the checkered flag. We’re excited to be tied for the championship now, and all in all, it was just a fantastic weekend. I’m looking forward to being at the LMS race at Spa in Belgium here in a couple of weeks, and then of course up to Laguna Seca for round 3 of the ALMS.”
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