Category Archives: Porsche 911 GT3 Cup
Porsche at the International Motor Show in Geneva, Sporty premieres in the 911 anniversary year
Stuttgart. Porsche AG has not only begun the year particularly successful, but 2013 also marks the anniversary of the company’s most iconic car: the Porsche 911 has for the last 50 years been equally at home on the racetrack as on the road. Its genetic DNA can be found in every other Porsche model.
At over 820,000 units built, the 911 is the world’s most successful sports car ever.
In addition to the anniversary, the International Motor Show in Geneva also provides a stage for two particularly sporty premieres on the Porsche stand in hall 1. The press conference on the stand takes place on March 5 at 10.45 CET.
The title ‘World Premiere’ truly applies here to the first appearance of an extremely exciting 911 model, which awaits with new engineering highlights, plus a whole lot more. The car’s driving dynamics and driving excitement are at an even higher level than before.
Porsche 911 GT3 Cup
For the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup this will be its first public unveiling. Delivering 460 hp, this single-make cup racer is the latest version of the car, which is, with a total of 2,400 units, the best-selling and most successful sports car in the world.
The new 911 GT3 Cup is initially being deployed in the international Porsche Supercup 2013.
SOURCE: Porsche AG Media Database
Product and Technology Communication
Product Communication
Video: Best Porsche finishes fifth in the fuel gamble at Daytona 24 hour
Daytona 24 Hours
Stuttgart. The sprint to the finish of the Daytona 24 hour race turned into a gripping game of fuel poker in the fiercely contested GT class.
(l.-r.): Nick Tandy, Marco Holzer, Patrick Pilet, Romain Dumas, Patrick Long, Jörg Bergmeister, Michael Christensen, Richard Lietz, Klaus Bachler, Marc Lieb
In the last laps, the teams put all their eggs in one basket with their strategies, waived an additional time-consuming fuel stop so that they had a winning chance at the prestigious sports car classic in Florida.
Richard Lietz
For Porsche works driver Richard Lietz this did not work out: Last year’s winner from Austria, who had held the lead position over long stretches in the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup and was on course for a podium result in the final laps, had to save fuel and was hence unable to utilize the full potential of the car.
(l.-r.): Richard Lietz, Nicolas Armindo, Andy Lally, John Potter
With his Magnus Racing teammates Nicolas Armindo (France), Andy Lally (USA) and John Potter (USA) he finally finished in fifth – ahead of his works driver colleague Marco Holzer (Germany) who shared driving duties in the Alex Job Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup with Jeroen Bleekemolen (Netherlands), Damien Faulkner (Ireland) and Cooper MacNeil (USA).
Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, Magnus Racing: Richard Lietz, Nicolas Armindo, Andy Lally, John Potter
The six best placed of the 34 GT vehicles crossed the finish line inside one lap.
“As title defender we had anticipated a better result than fifth of course, still we can be satisfied with our performance,” said Richard Lietz. “Right up until fifteen minutes before the flag everything was running to plan, unfortunately our strategy didn’t quite work. But we didn’t have a choice.
We did everything we could but it wasn’t quite enough.” He led the field with his number 44 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup over a total of 43 laps – far more than any of his opponents. Marco Holzer said: “It was a tough race for us.
We managed the distance well despite some problems but had to ease off the throttle in the last laps to save fuel. We took the gamble and didn’t want to refuel at the end. Sadly this plan didn’t quite succeed.”
Daytona 24 Hours
“That was certainly one of the most exciting 24 hour races,” said Hartmut Kristen, Head of Porsche Motorsport.
“Our customer teams were right up there in the fight for victory. Last year we came home with a triple victory, this time others climbed the podium.”
The first leader on the Daytona International Speedway was Nick Tandy.
Nick Tandy
At his debut race as a Porsche works driver, the Briton from Konrad Motorsport/Orbit snatched the lead from pole position. His perfect start, however, was not a good omen: After about eight laps and many incidents, he had to park his Porsche 911 GT3 Cup trackside with suspension damage.
Michael Christensen
This also proved to be a bitter experience for his teammate Michael Christensen, the Porsche junior from Denmark who contested his first ever 24 hour race.
Klaus Bachler
For the second Porsche junior, however, Daytona yielded success: Austria’s Klaus Bachler, who contests the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup this year with Michael Christensen, finished eleventh in the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup fielded by Snow Racing/Wright Motorsports after putting in a commendable performance.
Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, Snow Racing/Wright Motorsports: Madison Snow, Melanie Snow, Sascha Maassen Marco Seefried, Klaus Bachler
“We had a few problems during the night but all in all everything went well,” he commented. “That was my first 24 hour race and I learned a great deal.”
At the wheel of his Porsche Cayman, the 2009 overall winner from America David Donohue won the GX class with his compatriots Nelson Canache, Shane Lewis and Jim Norman.
With this, he earned Porsche, the most successful manufacturer in the history of the race, the 75th class victory in Daytona.
(l.-r.): Richard Lietz, Klaus Bachler, Nick Tandy, Marco Holzer, Patrick Pilet, Patrick Long, Michael Christensen, Romain Dumas, Marc Lieb, Jörg Bergmeister
Race result
GT class
1. Albuquerque/Jarvis/Mortara/von Moltke (MEX/GB/MEX/USA), Audi R8, 678 laps
2. Bass/Basseng/Rast/Stippler (USA/D/D/D), Audi R8, 678
3. Wilkens/Assentato/Cosmo/Lazzaro (USA/USA/USA/USA), Ferrari 458, 678
4. Balzan/Frezza/Pier Guidi (I/I/I/), Ferrari 458, 678
5. Lietz/Lally/Armindo/Potter (A/USA/F/USA), Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, 678
6. Holzer/Bleekemolen/Faulkner/MacNeil (D/NL/IRL/USA), Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, 678
10. Farnbacher/Baldwin/Burtin/Ragginger/Renauer (D/USA/USA/A/D), Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, 671
11. Bachler/Maassen/Seefried/Snow/Snow (A/D/D/USA/USA), Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, 668
13. Lieb/Sellers/Davis/Keen (D/USA/USA/USA), Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, 663
GX class
1. Donohue/Canache/Lewis/Norman (USA/USA/USA/USA), Porsche Cayman, 635 laps
SOURCE: 24 Hours at Daytona Porsche AG Media Database Communication Porsche AG Motorsport Press
Related articles
- Video: Four Porsches on the first four grid spots – Daytona 24 Hours 2013 (dedeporsche.com)
- Follow Porsche at 24 Hour Daytona 2013 – Why Everyone Wants to Win (dedeporsche.com)
- PORSCHE: First Mother-Son Duo Enter Rolex 24 – Wright Motorsports and Snow Racing Combine Forces for Strong Entry at Daytona (dedeporsche.com)
- #porsche Launches “Daytona Live”, Follow #rolex24 Updates This Weekend (dedeporsche.com)
Video: Four Porsches on the first four grid spots – Daytona 24 Hours 2013
Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, Konrad Motorsport/Orbit: Nick Tandy, Michael Christensen, Christian Engelhardt, Lance Willsey
Daytona 24 Hours – Press Release – 24/01/2013
Four Porsche on the first four grid spots
Stuttgart. Good starting position for Porsche at the Daytona 24 hour race: In qualifying for the sports car classic in Florida, Porsche pilots locked out the first four grid spots in a field of 36 vehicles entered in the GT class.
Nick Tandy
Pole position went to Nick Tandy in the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup fielded by Konrad Motorsport/Orbit. Daytona marks the first race for the Briton as a Porsche works driver.
Michael Christensen
One of his teammates is Porsche Junior Michael Christensen (Denmark), who contests his first 24 hour race on Saturday.
“Pole position in Daytona shouldn’t be underestimated, even if the race runs over 24 hours,” said Nick Tandy.“Starting from the front allows you to avoid getting caught up in any skirmishes and that’s certainly an advantage. Our car ran perfectly and that gives us a good feeling for the race.”
In last year’s winning car with the starting number 44, Andy Lally (USA) set the second quickest qualifying time.
Sharing the cockpit of the Magnus Racing 911 GT3 Cup is Porsche works driver Richard Lietz from Austria.
Richard Lietz
Third in qualifying in the fiercely competitive qualifying session on the Daytona International Speedway, in which the eleven top placed cars are all within just one second, went to Sean Edwards (MOMO/NGT) from Great Britain ahead Porsche factory pilot Patrick Long (USA) competing for the Park Place Motorsports squad.
“We won the race last year. Second on the grid is an excellent starting position to repeat this success,” said Richard Lietz.
- Patrick Pilet
Porsche works driver Patrick Pilet (France), one of Sean Edwards’ teammates, was also feeling optimistic.
“Sean did an excellent job. After this great qualifying result we are all looking forward to the race. Our goal is to finish on the podium.”
The Daytona 24 Hours starts on Saturday at 15.30 hrs local time (21.30 hrs CET).
Result GT qualifying
1. Nick Tandy (GB), Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, 1:47.631 minutes
2. Andy Lally (USA), Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, + 0.197 seconds
3. Sean Edwards (GB), Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, + 0.376
4. Patrick Long (USA), Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, + 0.506
5. Alessandro Balzan (I), Ferrari 458, + 0.629
6. Felipe Albuquerque (MEX), Audi R8, + 0.651
7. Marco Seefried (D), Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, + 0.688
8. Robin Liddell (GB), Camaro GT.R, + 0.699
SOURCE: Daytona 24 Hours – Porsche Media Press Database
Communication Porsche AG
Motorsport Press
— at Daytona International Speedway.
In North America, the 24 Hours of Daytona endurance race sets the standard for sports car performance and longevity. Traditionally, the 24 hour race on the Daytona International Speedway is the first highlight of the motorsport season and year after year attracts the best pilots from all kinds of race series worldwide to the ‘Sunshine State’ of the USA.
Porsche has collected 72 class and 22 overall wins in the race’s 49-year history, making Porsche the most successful manufacturer in the history of the race. In recent years, Porsche cars have made up almost one-half of the overall entry list at Daytona.
The race
The endurance classic, which kicks off the Grand-Am Series season, started out in 1962 as a three-hour race. At 1,250 miles in 1964, the race grew to double the distance of the classic 1,000 kilometer races of Spa, Monza and the Nürburgring. The maiden 24-hour event in Daytona took place in 1966. Taking their places on the winner’s list are Formula 1 champions like Phil Hill and Mario Andretti as well as legendary Porsche pilots like Hans Herrmann, Rolf Stommelen, Hurley Haywood and Bob Wollek.
The circuit
The Daytona International Speedway is one of the world’s most famous racetracks. The 24-hour race is contested on the 3.56-mile track combination of oval with banked corner and the infield. The circuit is also the venue for the famed NASCAR Daytona 500 race with more than 250,000 spectators annually.
Related articles
- PORSCHE: First Mother-Son Duo Enter Rolex 24 – Wright Motorsports and Snow Racing Combine Forces for Strong Entry at Daytona (dedeporsche.com)
- Nick Tandy wins Porsche Cup as the best private driver in the world (dedeporsche.wordpress.com)
- VIDEO: Porsche 911 GT3 Cup New Edition of the world’s most successful race car (dedeporsche.wordpress.com)
VIDEO: Porsche 911 GT3 Cup New Edition of the world’s most successful race car
Stuttgart. The Porsche 911 GT3 Cup is the most successful race car in the world. Since 1998, 2,395 units of the near standard vehicle for customer sport were produced.
The new edition of the 911 GT3 Cup is the motorsports version of the future 911 GT3 and as such is the first race car that is based on the seventh generation of the sports car icon from Zuffenhausen.
Porsche 911 GT3 Cup
The 911 GT3 Cup will be run exclusively in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup in 2013.
The car for one-make racing made its debut on the occasion of the end of motorsport season “Night of Champions” celebration at the R&D Centre in Weissach.
Porsche 911 GT3 Cup
The new Porsche 911 GT3 Cup is powered by a 3.8-litre six-cylinder flat engine. It generates 460 hp (338 kW) at 7,500 revs, surpassing the predecessor by 10 hp.
Porsche 911 GT3 Cup
A six-speed dog-type gearbox developed by Porsche Motorsport which is operated via shift paddles at the steering wheel for the first time in a Porsche brand trophy race car transmits the power to the rear axle.
The single piece race wheels with centre mount were also newly designed by Porsche Motorsport.
Porsche 911 GT3 Cup
The width of the Michelin race slicks was increased by two centimetres to 27 centimetres at the front and by ten millimetres at the rear axle to now measure 31 centimetres.
A newly developed race braking system further improves the excellent endurance qualities compared to its successful predecessor. The 380 millimetre slotted and inner-vented steel brake rotors at the front axle are decelerated by six-piston aluminium fixed callipers. The rear axle features a four-piston version.
Porsche 911 GT3 Cup
During the development of the new car a particular emphasis was put on the driver safety. A newly designed safety cage protects the pilot in case of a roll or a collision as does a newly developed race seat which is distinctively shaped around the head and shoulders and can be adjusted individually with the help of padding. A rescue hatch in the roof provides easy access for primary medical attention and for the extrication of the driver.
Porsche 911 GT3 Cup
“The new 911 GT3 Cup is much easier to drive at the limit,” says Porsche works driver Timo Bernhard, who was significantly involved in the development of the new vehicle.
“The car is excellently balanced. The new axle geometry is enormously positive for the handling. Apart from that the new Cup 911 is great fun to drive.”
Porsche 911 GT3 Cup
Like its predecessor the new Porsche 911 GT3 Cup is produced in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen on the same assembly line as the road legal models.
At the Motorsport Centre in Weissach it receives a general set-up for the circuit and is tested by a professional race driver before delivery to the customers. The basic price for the vehicle, which is available exclusively in white, is 181,200 Euro plus the country-specific value added tax.
SOURCE: Porsche AG Media Database Porsche 911 GT3 Cup
Communication Porsche AG
Motorsport Press
Porsche Junior Program – Six finalists shine at young driver selection
Dennis Trebing (USA), Klaus Bachler (A), Michael Christensen (DK), Mario Farnbacher (D),
Tom Blomqvist (GB), Ramon Pineiro (E)
|
|
||
|
||
Porsche Junior Program – Six finalists shine at young driver selectionStuttgart. The selection process to find Porsche juniors for the 2012 seasonis now on the finish straight. At track tests in Vallelunga (Italy) six finalists agedfrom 18 to 21 years excelled with outstanding lap times and showed impressiveprogress over the two days.
|
Triple victory for Porsche in strongest GT field in history at Daytona 24 Hours, USA
GT Podium
|
|
||
|
||
 |
||
Magnus Racing, (l.-r.): Rene Rast, Richard Lietz, Andy Lally, John Potter
|
Related articles
- Porsche 911 GT3 Dominates at Daytona (autoandracingnews.wordpress.com)
Porsche Motorsport around the world – Newsletter 4 – 2011
Stuttgart. The Motorsport Newsletter regularly provides information on Porsche Motorsport around the world.
Development of an LMP1 sports prototype: Porsche returns to Le Mans Porsche returns to Le Mans with a works-run LMP1 sports prototype. The first outing of the race car developed from scratch is planned for 2014.
With 16 overall victories, Porsche is the most successful manufacturer in Le Mans. The last overall victory went to the Porsche 911 GT1 in the year 1998.
Porsche 911 GT1
Nürburgring 24 Hours: Porsche triumphs and sets new distance record Dramatic 24 hour sprint:
At the 39th running of the classic on the Nuerburgring-Nordschleife (25/26 June), works drivers Marc Lieb, Timo Bernhard, Romain Dumas as well as Lucas Luhr took the lead with a Porsche 911 GT3 RSR after 7:25 hours ahead of strong competition from Audi, BMW und Mercedes.
(l. – r.): Timo Bernhard, Lucas Luhr, Marc Lieb, Romain Dumas
P1, 24h Nürburgring
Timo Bernhard, Lucas Luhr, Marc Lieb, Romain Dumas
P1, 24h Nürburgring
The quartet fended off rivals to the flag and set a distance record of 3,958.968 kilometres. For Porsche and the Manthey Racing squad, this marked the fifth victory at the “Ring” in the last six years – the same for Timo Bernhard.
Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid, Porsche Team Manthey: Jörg Bergmeister, Richard Lietz, Marco Holzer, Patrick Long
For the innovative Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid the weekend ran less smoothly. Works drivers Joerg Bergmeister, Richard Lietz, Marco Holzer and Patrick Long led the field after four hours in front of 220,000 spectators, but spent a lot of time in the pits with a broken flange on the differential to finish 23rd.
Le Mans Series/Intercontinental Le Mans Cup: Fourth after tough struggle Works drivers Marc Lieb and Richard Lietz brought the 911 GT3 RSR fielded by Felbermayr-Proton home in fourth as the best Porsche at the third round of the LMS (3 July, 4th ILMC race) in Imola.
Team Felbermayr-Proton, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR , Marc Lieb, Richard Lietz
After being the innocent victims of two accidents in the first two races, this result was the best for the title defenders in the GTE Pro category.
Nicolas Armindo (l), Raymond Narac (r)
P1, GTE-Am, Le Mans Series Imola
Nicolas Armindo and Raymond Narac were delighted with victory number two in the GTE Am class with their 911 GT3 RSR fielded by IMSA Performance Matmut.
IMSA Performance Matmut, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, Raymond Narac, Nicolas Armindo
Porsche Carrera World Cup: René Rast wins the greatest Porsche race of all time Rain, the world’s most difficult circuit and a field hailing from 25 countries: The Porsche Carrera World Cup on the Nordschleife, contested prior to the 24 hour race, was not for the faint-hearted.
René Rast (D)
Porsche Carrera World Cup – Nürburgring 2011
After six hours and about 150 kilometres, René Rast celebrated overall victory at the greatest Porsche race in history. In the class for 911 GT3 Cup vehicles from 2007 to 2009, Timo Rumpfkeil won.
For the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup and many national Carrera Cups the race counted towards their respective championships. René Rast took home maximum points for the Supercup.
Former champion Tim Harvey was the quickest in the Carrera Cup Great Britain (13th overall). Kévin Estre won the Carrera Cup France (6th overall), Alessandro Balzan was the best Italian (12th overall) and Johan Kristoffersson the best driver from the Carrera Cup Scandinavia (25th overall).
Grand-Am: Andrew Davis and Leh Keen at the front at half-way mark After the seventh of twelve Grand-Am races, Andrew Davis and Leh Keen rank second in the GT driver’s classification. At the six hour race in Watkins Glen (4 June) the duo won their class in a Brumos Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup with none other than racing legend Hurley Haywood calling the tactical shots. On the last June weekend (27 June), Davis and Keen clinched sixth in Road America.
French GT Championship: Dream weekend for Porsche teams With a double win for Patrick Bornhauser/Laurent Groppi in Larbre Compétition’s 911 GT3 R ahead of Anthony Beltoise/Laurent Pasquali in the GT3 R of Pro GT by Almeras, the fourth race weekend took off in Val de Vienne (25/26 June).
Porsche 911 GT3 R: Anthony Beltoise, Laurent Pasquali
GT Championship France, Val de Vienne
A one-two-three at race two with Beltoise/Pasquali in front of Bornhauser/Groppi and Laurent Cazenave/Jean-Claude Police in the sister Almeras-Porsche made the weekend perfect for Porsche.
Italian GT Championship: Autorlando pilot battles for points’ lead After a win and a second place at the third race weekend at the Autodromo dell Umbria near Magione (19 June), Autorlando pilot Ruberti lies a close second in the GT drivers’ classification. Ruberti shared the cockpit in Magione with his regular teammate Mario Cordoni.
Belcar Endurance Championship: Tactical brilliance yields win for Prospeed A courageous tyre choice and a perfect performance from drivers Marc Goossens and Maxime Soulet yielded the Prospeed Competition team their second win of the season at round three in Spa (18 June).
The squad sent the 911 GT3 R into the three-hour race on slicks, whilst the competition opted for rain tyres. With ten laps to go, Prospeed again made the right choice with slicks and won by more than a minute. Goossens/Soulet currently lead the driver’s classification.
British GT Championship: Victory for Trackspeed-Porsche at Brands Hatch Tim Bridgman and Gregor Fisken are the victors of the spectacular third race in Brands Hatch (19 June). A rain shower after the first half hour provided thrills and spills amongst the 30-strong field.
Bridgman and Fisken brought their Porsche 911 GT3 R fielded by Trackspeed home in first after two hours. Reigning champion David Ashburn was forced into retirement with a fire in the rear left wheel arch of his Porsche.
Pikes Peak Race to the Clouds: Jeff Zwart clocks record time in 911 GT2 RS At the wheel of a Porsche 911 GT2 RS, American Jeff Zwart set a record time for street homologated sports cars at the famous Pikes Peak Race to the Clouds in Colorado (26 June).
Porsche 911 GT2 RS: Jeff Zwart
Pikes Peak Race, Colorado
In the 620 hp 911, he broke the old record on the 20 kilometre track which leads over 156 corners from an altitude of 2,860 up to 4,600 metres, by 24 seconds.
Porsche 911 GT2 RS: Jeff Zwart
Pikes Peak Race, Colorado
Zwart had collected the 911 GT3 RS himself from Porsche Motorsport in California and drove the 1,770 kilometres to the start.
Carrera Cup Deutschland: Six races, six different winners Sean Edwards from Great Britain won the sixth round of the season on the rain-soaked, extremely difficult Norisring in Nuremberg (3 July) to extend his points’ lead ahead of Jeroen Bleekemolen.
Round five of the series run at the Porsche Carrera World Cup (25 June) went to Nicolas Armindo, with the Frenchman finishing fifth out of 98 starters.
Carrera Cup Japan: Hideto Yasuoka unstoppable At the fourth and fifth race of the Carrera Cup Japan on the extremely demanding Fuji International Speedway (11/12 June), Hideto Yasuoka again proved unbeatable in his class with two pole-to-flag wins.
(l.-r.): Akira Fujita, Hideto Yasuoka, Michael Green
Porsche Carrera Cup Japan, Fuji International Speedway
The talented youngster driving for the Garmin Porsche team has yet to be beaten in 2011. Akira Fujita secured second place twice.
IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge by Yokohama: Macneil and Cisneros win in Montreal Cooper Macneil (Alex Job Racing) celebrated his first victory in the Platinum Cup class after a rainy fifth round on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve run as support to the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Montreal (11 June), with points’ leader Henrique Cisneros retiring after a journey off the track. Gold Cup class honours went to Eduardo Cisneros after a hefty duel with the 15-year-old front-runner Madison Snow.
GT3 Cup Challenge Brasil: Rosset and Junior continue on-going duel With fading brakes, points’ leader Ricardo Rosset managed to salvage his victory at the first race in Interlagos (18 June), fending off an attack from second-placed Constantino Junior. Victory at the second race on the same day went to Junior, who had taken up the race from seventh on the grid as per the regulations. In the drivers’ classification, Rosset sits ten points ahead of Junior. The Challenge race for older 911 GT3 Cup was won by Fernando Barci.
Race notes: Pole-sitters Manuel Giao and Miguel Angel de Castro win round three of the Spanish GT Championship (19 June) on the Circuito de Albacete in the 911 GT3 RSR of the Drivex squad. +++ Gianluca Roda and Fabio Babini defend their GTS class lead at the fifth and sixth race of the International GT Open in Spa (25/26 June) with a Porsche 911 GT3 R fielded by Autorlando Sport.
SOURCE: Porsche AG Media Database
Public Relations
Media Motor and Sports Press
Porsche’s magnificent triumph at the Nordschleife 24-Hour Race Nürburgring
Nürburgring 24 hour race
Stuttgart. It was one of the most exciting and dramatic 24 hour races at the Nürburgring.
And it finished with a triumph for Porsche: In front of 220,000 spectators lining the legendary Nordschleife, Porsche works drivers Marc Lieb (Germany), Timo Bernhard (Germany), Romain Dumas (France) as well as Lucas Luhr (Switzerland) won the 39th running of the long distance classic in the Eifel with the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR and relegated their strong opponents from BMW, Mercedes and Audi to finish down the field.
For Porsche and the Porsche Team Manthey, this marked the fifth victory at the traditional race in the last six years – likewise for Timo Bernhard.
With the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR – the world’s most successful GT race car of the last years – the Porsche quartet snatched the lead on Saturday at 23.25 hours and held on to it to the flag.
What followed were 16 hours and 35 minutes at the head of the field, 108 consistently fast and faultless laps under immense pressure on one of the toughest race tracks on earth – this speaks volumes about the reliability of the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR and for the skill of the pilots. The new distance record set with a total of 156 laps and 3,958.968 kilometres underlines the superb effort of the winners and their team.
“We already knew before the start that we could only win if we worked together as a team, from the drivers through to the mechanics. And this worked very well for the entire time,” Timo Bernhard said. Indeed, aside from the usual tensions on the track, there was just one truly critical situation – strangely enough in the pits.
Lucas Luhr: “During a pit stop the petrol pump didn’t work. Fuel simply didn’t come out. So we had to push our car back to another pump and in doing so lost almost a minute.”
The Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid also gave an impressive performance, even though its second start at the 24 hour classic did not yield the anticipated top result.
Fielded by Porsche Team Manthey with Porsche works drivers Joerg Bergmeister (Germany), Richard Lietz (Austria), Marco Holzer (Germany) and Patrick Long (USA), the innovative race car with its ground-breaking drive concept finished an impressive 28th after a breathtaking chase through the field, 17 laps behind the winner.
Showing its true potential, the 911 GT3 R Hybrid moved into the lead on Saturday about four hours after the start. But a broken flange in the differential sent it into the pits for repairs, which cost six laps to the leader. But the trouble wasn’t to stop there: After a good seven hours, the same problem struck again necessitating a second unplanned pit stop. This time repairs took 40 minutes. With a ten-lap gap to the front-runners, the 911 GT3 R Hybrid rejoined the race in position 105. Clocking lap times which were sometimes faster than those at the front, it ploughed through the field to rank 23rd.
However, on Sunday morning the vehicle’s charge was interrupted yet again: While lapping a slower competitor, Patrick Long was nudged and spun at high speed in the Flugplatz passage. In the pits, however, no damages to the vehicle were found.
Manned by Porsche factory pilot Wolf Henzler (Germany) as well as Peter Dumbreck (Great Britain), Martin Ragginger (Austria) and Sebastian Asch (Germany), the Porsche 911 GT3 R fielded by Falken Motorsports took up the race on intermediate tyres. This proved to be a good decision. Wolf Henzler made up several places before pitting after two laps once the rain had stopped to change to slicks. An engine change in the first quarter of the race robbed the team of all chances for a better result. At the flag, the Falken quartet occupied 49th. The swift lap times that the 911 GT3 R yielded after the long repair phase were, in this case, a poor consolation.
“It was somewhat frustrating to drive such great times and yet be so far down the field,” said Wolf Henzler. “Still, considering these times, the mood in the team is good. It gives us a lot of motivation. Despite everything, we’re taking home a wealth of experience from the Nürburgring.”
After a trouble-free early phase under difficult conditions, the Porsche 911 GT3 R, which Manthey Racing ran parallel to the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, was taken out of the race after a good two hours. The team wanted to concentrate on just one car. A perfect strategy that was rewarded with victory. And as Timo Bernhard crossed the finish line with the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, the Eifel at last showed its true sunny colours.
Result Nürburgring 24 hour race
1. Lieb/Bernhard/Dumas/Luhr (D/D/F/CH), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 156 laps
2. Müller/Farfus/Alzen/Lamy (D/BRA/D/P), BMW M3 GT, +4:23.7 seconds
3. Basseng/Fässler/Piccini/Stippler (D/CH/I/D), Audi R8 LMS, – 1 lap
4. Stippler/Hennerici/Haase/Winkelhock (D/D/D/D), Audi R8 LMS, – 1
5. Ekström/Scheider/Werner/Abt (S/D/D/D), Audi R8 LMS, – 2
6. Heyer/Jäger/Bleekemolen/Seyffarth (D/D/NL/D), Mercedes-Benz SLS, – 3
7. Arnold/Margaritis/Brück/Frankenhout (D/D/D/NL), Mercedes-Benz SLS, – 3
8. Farnbacher/Simonsen/Seefried/Melo (D/MC/D/I), Ferrari F 458, – 4
9. Abbelen/Schmitz/Kentenich/T. Bergmeister (D/D/D/D), Porsche 911 GT3 R, – 4
10. Weiss/Kainz/Jacobs/Krumbach (D/D/D/D), Porsche 911 GT3 R, – 5
28. J. Bergmeister/Lietz/Holzer/Long (D/A/D/USA), Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid, – 17
49. Henzler/Ragginger/Dumbreck/Asch (D/A/GB/D), Porsche 911 GT3 R, – 24
SOURCE: Porsche AG Media database
Public Relations and Media
Motor and Sports Press
PORSCHE MOTORSPORT NEWS: Porsche Cup driver Craig Baird – the man of 109 victories
Popular Porsche Series in 2011 has been a success and a tight battle at Barbagallo Raceway. Despite being off the Australian scene for two years, the Porsche Cars Australia Carrera Cup has already re-established itself as a key category in Australian motor sport. The opening round of the series was held at the Australian Grand Prix meeting and it was established star Craig Baird who took the honours.
The world’s most successful Porsche Cup driver in VIP car at Porsche Carrera World Cup
Craig Baird – the man of 109 victories
Stuttgart. A great honour for Craig Baird: Porsche AG has invited the world’s most successful Porsche Cup pilot to contest the Porsche Carrera World Cup on 25 June on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife at the wheel of the VIP car with starting number 200.
Over the course of his career, the 40-year-old New Zealander has already notched up 109 victories in Porsche one-make race series. With the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, built by Porsche Motorsport in Weissach, Baird takes up the greatest Porsche race in history against more than 100 competitors from 25 nations.
“With his skill and experience, he is the ideal person to drive our VIP car,” says Uwe Brettel, Head of Motorsport Sales at Porsche AG. “More than any other driver, he embodies the customer sports philosophy of Porsche.”
Craig Baird, who lives with his wife and two children on the Gold Coast of Australia, has clinched the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia title twice and the GT3 Cup Challenge New Zealand six times since 2004.
At the Dubai 24 Hours of 2008 he won with a Porsche 911 GT3 RSR. Baird knows the Nürburgring-Nordschleife from contesting the 24 hour race there in 2006 and 2007.
On his list of successes are 23 national championship titles. For his services to motorsport, he was awarded the “New Zealand Order of Merit” in 2010.
“It’s a huge honour for me to be given the chance to contest this race against the world’s best Porsche Cup pilots at the wheel of a Porsche AG VIP-911,” says Craig Baird.
“To bring the Porsche Carrera World Cup to the Nordschleife is a fantastic idea and will most certainly be an unforgettable experience for drivers and fans.”
Porsche Everyday Dedeporsches Blog 