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33 Porsche tackle the long distance classic in the Eifel
Stuttgart. A strong contingent of Porsche teams takes up the 24 hour race on the Nürburgring.
Like last year, Porsche AG as well as various customer teams field 33 vehicles featuring the characteristic six-cylinder boxer engine at the 39th running of the long distance classic in Germany’s Eifel region on 25/26 June.
Eight Porsche works drivers contest Germany’s greatest motorsport event at which Porsche has celebrated four overall victories in the last five years.
After an impressive 24 hour debut last year where it held the lead for eight hours witnessed by over 200,000 ardent spectators and grabbed headlines worldwide, the Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid returns to the Nordschleife this year with the starting number 9.
The vehicle, however, has been substantially reined in by the organizers.
After the latest reclassification, the combustion engine now delivers only 448 hp. Calculated over one lap, the further-developed 911 GT3 R Hybrid (Version 2.0) now delivers a lower system output than last year’s vehicle with a combustion engine.
“This further reduction in performance by the organisers is incomprehensible to us,” says Porsche Head of Motorsport, Hartmut Kristen. “There are no data from the two test races as part of the 2011 Nürburgring Long Distance Championship that would provide the basis for such a grading. Our goal was and is to achieve similar lap times to other GT3 vehicles, but with better efficiency. We feel this goal is the right one long term and very much regret that some officials in motorsport can’t or won’t yet come on board with this approach.”
Sharing the cockpit of the Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid 2.0 are Porsche factory pilots
Joerg Bergmeister (Germany)
Richard Lietz (Austria)
Patrick Long (USA)
and Marco Holzer (Germany)
who were all deeply involved in the vehicle development. The efficiency of the innovative race car from Weissach was improved through targeted optimisation of the hybrid components. The general hybrid layout of the Version 2.0 was adopted from its predecessor. The output of both electric motors in the portal axle increased from 60 to 75 kilowatts each. They supplement the four-litre six-cylinder boxer engine which now only delivers 448 hp after the repeated power reduction.
For seconds at a time, pilots now have about 200 hp more at their disposal, which is equivalent to ca. 32 hp of additional conventional power per Nordschleife lap. Depending on the programming, this electrical power is automatically activated through use of the throttle pedal.
Moreover, hybrid pilots can manually call up this extra power, for instance when overtaking.
“We’ll go all out to continue on from last year’s strong performance with the 911 GT3 R Hybrid. It won’t be easy against the strong opposition who have taken major steps forward, particularly since our car has been disproportionately handicapped,” says Joerg Bergmeister. The Porsche works driver is looking forward to the Nordschleife: “It’s one of the world’s most beautiful race tracks. It’s incredibly demanding but it’s incredible fun as well. Every lap is a challenge.”
This year, the winning Manthey Racing squad fields two Porsche 911 – a GT3 R and a GT3 RSR – sporting a prominent yellow-green design. Manning both vehicles is the winning Porsche works driver quartet, Timo Bernhard (Germany),
Romain Dumas (France)
Marc Lieb (Germany)
as well as Manthey pilot Lucas Luhr (Switzerland)
who have notched up over 50 major international titles between them.
Every year, Timo Bernhard is thrilled anew by the unique atmosphere of the non-stop motorsport party.
Timo Bernhard
“Driving on the Nordschleife is always an experience,” says the Porsche works driver and Le Mans winner, who has contributed to all four Porsche overall victories here between 2006 and 2009. “Although you’re constantly challenged as a driver and there is no chance to catch your breath over the long laps, you still don’t want to climb out of the car.”
Another Porsche factory pilot, Wolf Henzler (Germany), competes for the Falken Motorsport team.
His teammates in the #44 Porsche 911 GT3 R are Martin Ragginger (Austria), Peter Dumbreck (Great Britain) and Sebastian Asch (Germany).
Also hoping for a top result is the Haribo Manthey Racing (No. 8) line-up of Richard Westbrook (Great Britain), Christian Menzel (Germany), Mike Stursberg (Germany) and Hans Guido Riegel (Germany).
With the all-German crew of Georg Weiss, Oliver Kainz, Michael Jacobs and Jochen Krumbach, the Wochenspiegel Team Manthey has proven Nordschleife specialists at the wheel of the #26 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR.
Manthey Racing’s Porsche 911 GT3 R (No. 10) is manned by another strong squad with Marc Gindorf (Monaco), Wolfgang Kohler (Germany) and Peter Scharmach (New Zealand).
The 39th edition of the Nürburgring 24 hour race starts on Saturday 25 June at 16.00 hours. Television station Sport1 broadcasts a total of over 13 hours live on Saturday (from 15.45 hours) and Sunday (from 07.00 hours) intermittently. A one-hour highlight programme of the race will be televised on Sunday at 22.30 hours.
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Schedule Nürburgring 24 hour race
Thursday, 23 June
14.30 – 16.00 hrs, Free practice
19.30 – 23.30 hrs, 1st qualifying
Friday, 24 June
14.00 hrs, Porsche press conference
16.55 – 18.55 hrs, 2nd qualifying
Saturday, 25 June
13.30 – 15.10 hrs, Grid line-up
15.40 hrs, Formation lap
16.00 hrs, Start
CLUB CARRERA a division of CARRERA MOTORS
BEND, OREGON…Porsche Crankshaft Lamp part of the permanent collection. http://clubcarrerabend.com/
Campbell Levy Designs – Handcrafted. Exquisite. Powerful.
You don’t have to decide whether it’s an intriguing work of art, a beautifully crafted lamp, or a memorable way to show your passion for the automobile…because it’s all three.
Centennial, Colorado– Designed and created entirely in their own studio, Campbell Levy Designs, has created a line of high-end crankshaft and cylinder head lamps for the truly discerning auto aficionado’s home or office.
Close up of 356 Porsche Roller Bearing Crankshaft Lamp
Each of the lamps are one-of-a-kind, custom made by Father-Son duo, Edward and Campbell Levy.
Close up of base treatment Porsche 356 Roller Bearing Crankshaft Lamp. Lite weight flywheel.
Extreme attention to detail, and perfection are instantly associated with the lamps created in the Colorado Studio.
426 HEMI CRANKSHAFT LAMP – Rods actually rotate
“Beautiful,” “Outstanding,” “A true work of Art” are just a few of the praises from customers.
DOHC Head Lamp, Mirror Polished on Walnut, with Mica and Silk Shade, with Chromed Cogs
For the first time, collectors, racers, and auto enthusiasts are able to bring their passion from the racetrack or garage inside their homes.
With numerous options, such as nickel plating, custom made shades, and innumerable finishes, each lamp is truly an extension of one’s love for the automobile.
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Representing much more than a simple lamp, every Campbell Levy Designs creation encompasses power, beauty, and one-of-a-kind design, and instantly becomes the center of attention in any space it inhabits.
Source and Contact Information:
Campbell Levy Designs LLC
6032 East Hinsdale Avenue
Centennial, Colorado 80112 (303) 796-7496
CAMPBELL LEVY DESIGNS LLC has been designing and building custom Crankshaft and DOHC Head Lamps since 1974. Recently they have expanded their range to include one off tables of many different configurations, which include glass and marble elements. Be sure to check their website and Facebook page for the latest editions to the line.
Campbell Levy Designs began in 1974 when Edward Levy built his first crankshaft lamp. “The idea came when I saw a BMW engine taken apart, and the architectural qualities of the crankshaft were immediately appealing to me.”
The prototype lamp which emerged from the BMW became the first of a long line of custom crankshaft lamps to come, and it still sits on the desk of the Rocky Mountains’ oldest BMW & Mercedes dealer.
The lamps were an instant hit among all of the premier automobile dealers in the Colorado area. Each piece of art maintained extreme attention to detail, and the intricacies of each new lamp were obvious. Even from the beginning, nothing short of perfection was acceptable.
Edward Levy by no means was a stranger to the automobile scene. He began his career in Manhattan, selling Maserati’s, Ferrari’s, Lamborghini’s, Porsche’s, BMW’s, and Mercedes. His first and favorite cars included a brand new Austin Healey 3000 and a Lotus Elan SE coupe. Many more cars followed.
Recently, Ed’s son Campbell joined the venture. “Along with everyone else, I’ve always admired my Dad’s crankshaft lamps, and I thought it was only natural for us to share his creations with as many people as we could.”
Campbell Levy attended Knox College in Illinois for two years, where he played soccer. In 2001, he transferred to the University of Denver, where he graduated with degrees in Political Science and English in 2003. Following university, he pursued his passion for the outdoors in Whistler, British Columbia, where he pursued skiing and mountain biking. He rode his bike back down the Coast from Whistler to California, and then returned to Colorado to pursue the business of building lamps with his father.
Campbell Levy Designs’ goal is to continue to build custom lamps to the highest possible standard, and to share them with fellow automobile afficionados all over the world.
We are finding that the more lamps we build, the more creative we become. We constantly have new ideas, and there is no limit to what we can create. Whether we are building a completely custom creation, or simply building a classic, you will love our lamps as much as we do. Your satisfaction is guaranteed.
We are looking forward to showing our lamps at the RETRO AUTO exhibit at the Pebble Beach Concours D’Elegance in August 2011, we hope to see you there.
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.”
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His #200 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup will also leave a lasting impression on spectators at the ‘Ring. The winning racer not only impresses with his 450 hp engine output, but is also a feast for the eyes.
Its design is an artistic interpretation of the Nürburgring-Nordschleife as the ‘green hell’ with licking flames as well as a stylised world map signalising the 25 nations from which the international grid comes to contest the greatest Porsche race on earth.
PCNA Team to Report the Sights and Sounds from Germany’s Nurburgring
ATLANTA, June 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Porsche Cars North America is entering a 911 GT3 Cup racecar and dispatching six employees to the inaugural Porsche Carrera World Cup race, which is held during the same weekend as the 39th ADAC 24 Hours of Nurburgring Race in Germany, June 25, 2011. The team will document and share all the off and on-track excitement on the “The Hub”, Porsche Cars North America’s new social media press site.
PORSCHE CARS NORTH AMERICA, INC. 911 GT3 R HYBRID Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid at the Nurburgring. (PRNewsFoto/Porsche Cars North America, Inc., Jan Brucke) ATLANTA, GA UNITED STATES (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110609/CL17259-a )
Held prior to the start of the 39th ADAC 24 Hour Race, the Porsche Carrera World Cup will pit up to 200 competitors and their Porsche 911 GT3 Cup racers against each other and the Nurburgring Nordschleife.
When American Le Mans Series (ALMS) GTC Champion Melanie Snow joins the other Porsche 911 GT3 Cup racers on the starting grid at 10:30 am local time, at Germany’s legendary Nurburgring on June 25, she’ll not only have a unique ground support crew; she is slated to be the only female racer to compete in the Carrera World Cup.
The Porsche employee team, selected from submitted video and written essays detailing their motorsports passion, will be on hand to capture and share the insider’s view on what it takes to compete internationally, what it feels – and sounds – like from the driver’s seat and who’s who in the world of Porsche motorsports.
PCNA employees were also involved in selecting the racing livery, with the winning design designed in-house. The 70.2-mile race is six complete laps of 15.5 miles each with nearly 200,000 spectators expected.
The Porsche Carrera World Cup includes drivers from Porsche’s 18 brand trophy and challenge series worldwide and this race also counts as a competition round towards several other championships, including the Porsche Carrera Cups in Germany, Scandinavia, France and Italy.
911 GT3 R Hybrid “2.0”
Following the Porsche Carrera World Cup race, Porsche takes on the Nurburgring 24-hour race with the latest-generation 911 GT3 R Hybrid. ‘Version 2.0’ features a flywheel accumulator hybrid system that is 20 percent lighter than last year; a weight saving that targets the same lap times as its predecessor, but with even less fuel consumption, resulting in fewer pit stops for fuel. The general layout of the hybrid engine remains the same; however, the output of the electric motors increases from 60 to 75 kilowatts each, or from approximately 80 to 100 horsepower per motor.
Driving the 911 GT3 R Hybrid 2.0, will be
Patrick Long (USA),
Richard Lietz (AUS)
and Marco Holzer (GER).
The trio claimed the first win for the 911 GT3 R Hybrid 2.0 at the VLN 4-hour Nurburgring Long Distance Championship on May 30.
To show their enthusiasm for Porsche motorsports, racing fans can order t-shirts, including a shirt with Melanie Snow’s motto “Some Girls Chase Boys, I Pass Them,” hats and a special edition limited run die-cast model of her 911 GT3 Cup car will be available at http://shop4.porsche.com/usa/ later this month.
In addition to featuring photos and videos posted by the on-site Porsche employee team, “The Hub” will also serve as a Porsche motorsports history destination, including historic racing images from Porsche archives and Porsche motorsports milestones.
Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (PCNA), based in Atlanta, Ga. is the exclusive U.S. importer of Porsche sports cars, the Cayenne SUV and Panamera Sedan. Established in 1984, it is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Porsche AG, which is headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, and employs approximately 220 people who provide parts, service, marketing and training for 195 dealers. They, in turn, work to provide Porsche customers with a best-in-class experience that is in keeping with the brand’s 63-year history and leadership in the advancement of vehicle performance, safety and efficiency. At the core of this success is Porsche’s proud racing heritage that boasts some 30,000 motorsport wins to date.
sport auto is a German automobile magazine, established in 1969, published monthly by Motor Presse Stuttgart, based in Stuttgart. The magazine publishes its “Supertest” of cars, featuring the laptime (usually driven by editor-in-chief Horst von Saurma) at the Nordschleife. The magazine also runs a challenge for the fastest lap time driven with a car that is road legal (TÜV) and registered in Germany. The road legality rule also applies for the tires.The journalists usually enter VLN and 24 Hours Nürburgring races
“Sportauto” readers voted: seven first places for Porsche
Stuttgart. Porsche is the top favorite among sports car fans: The readers of the “sportauto” car magazine ranked seven Porsche models – from the Boxster to the Panamera – first in the 15 categories of“The Sportiest Cars of 2011” survey. A second and two third places top off Porsche’s track record of success.
Tuner-Kategorie Cabrios bis 80.000 Euro – Platz 2: TechArt-Porsche Boxster (Stimmenanteil: 16,3 Prozent)
The top models of the 911 line once again proved to be winners, from the open Carrera GTS and the Turbo S Cabrio to the quasi race cars GT3 and GT3 RS.
These sports cars received three times as many votes as the runners-up. There can be no clearer proof that the 911 model line enjoys highest esteem in the sports car world. Other winners were the Cayman R, Boxster S and Panamera Turbo models. No other marque came close to winning as many first places.
With this result, Porsche clearly strengthened its position at the top. In the 2010 survey, three first places went to Zuffenhausen.
Stuttgart. Last year’s winners narrowly missed out on the podium at the 79th running of the long distance classic.
Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, Team Felbermayr-Proton: Richard Lietz, Marc Lieb, Wolf Henzler
After 24 hours, the Felbermayr-Proton team with Porsche works drivers
Marc Lieb (Germany),
Richard Lietz (Austria)
and Wolf Henzler (Germany) received the flag as fourth in the GTE Pro sports car class.
The French IMSA Performance Matmut squad clinched fifth place ahead of Flying Lizard Motorsports from the USA.
The 911 of the Belgian ProSpeed Competition team crossed the finish line
at the Le Mans 24 Hours in eighth.
In the GTE Am class, where only one professional race driver is permitted per vehicle and only last year’s vehicles are eligible to race, the French Larbre Competition team celebrated second place with the 911 GT3 RSR.
“All of our teams took off into the race well prepared. Under the most difficult circumstances, the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR proved to be enormously durable and reliable. Unfortunately our teams had to cope with two accidents. You could clearly see the performance differences that are a direct result of the current Balance of Performance ratings. Unfortunately the fastest 911 GT3 RSR were affected by the phenomenon that they couldn’t turn the number of laps per set of tyres that were calculated which meant some extra pit stops for tyre changes. Under these conditions we can be satisfied with the results – especially in the GTE Am class where our team claimed a spot on the podium. I congratulate all the teams, drivers and partners who have contributed to this good result.”
Like in 2010, the best-placed Porsche crew put in a brilliant drive with high reliability in all areas. Drivers Marc Lieb, Richard Lietz and Wolf Henzler drove an immaculate race that was punctuated by many accidents and safety car phases. Only in the early stages of the race, the team lost more than one lap, first at the red light on the exit of the pitlane, then due to tyre damage which also required repairs to the car body.
Other than that, the blue 911 GT3 RSR only came into the pits for tyre changes and refuelling. Under the leadership of team boss Christian Ried, the pit crew of the Felbermayr-Proton team again shone with very fast pit stops.
Porsche works driver Patrick Pilet (France) also lost time in the jam at the red light of the pitlane exit. Shortly before midnight, Pilet and his driver colleagues, team owner Raymond Narac and his French compatriot Nicolas Armindo were ranking eighth in the GTE Pro class.
With consistent lap times and a perfectly-running 911, the trio with the two seasoned Le Mans campaigners Pilet and Narac and the 24 hour rookie Armindo fought their way up to fifth place.
The pilots of Flying Lizard Motorsports can look back on a lively marathon.
In the opening phase of the race, the set-up was not perfect, and they also had to contend with tyre damage. For a while, works drivers Joerg Bergmeister (Germany) and Patrick Long (USA) as well as Lucas Luhr (Germany) held a promising fourth place, only to fall back to eighth with technical problems.
After a difficult race, the trio were satisfied to finally bring home sixth place.
Fight to the finish – that was also the motto of the Belgian squad.
Works driver Marco Holzer (Germany), Belgium’s Marc Goossens and Jaap van Lagen from the Netherlands had all but worked their way nearly into the lead after the first third of the race but finally finished in eighth place after losing time with two minor repair stops.
The untiring mechanics of ProSpeed Competition received a very special honour:
They won the “Prix ESCRA”, an award that has been endowed for the 36th time to the best pit crew of the entire race.
In the GTE Am category, Larbre Competition were thrilled with second place in a 2010-spec 911 manned by the all-French line up of Christophe Bourret, Pascal Gibon und Jean-Philippe Belloc.
Two 911 GT3 RSR retired after accidents that were not their fault. One of those affected was the sister car of Felbermayr-Proton. Suffering tyre damage Abdulaziz Al Faisal (Saudi Arabia) flew from the track in the fast Indianapolis corner.
Al Faisal
Luckily, Al Faisal climbed out uninjured, but the Pro-911, which he shared with Nick Tandy (Great Britain) and Bryce Miller (USA), was so badly damaged that the team was unable to repair it.
Horst Felbermayr Senior (Team Proton Competition)
Contesting the GTE Am class, Horst Felbermayr Senior (Team Proton Competition) fell victim to an opponent at 8.00 a.m. when his 911 GT3 RSR was hit hard on the driver’s side.The Austrian was transported to hospital for a medical examination.
Result Le Mans 24 Hours GTE Pro class
1. Garcia/Milner/Beretta (E/USA/MC), Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1, 314 laps
2. Fisichella/Bruni/Vilander (I/I/FIN), Ferrari 458 Italia, 314
3. Priaulx/Müller/Hand (GB/D/USA), BMW M3 GT, 313 4. Lieb/Lietz/Henzler (D/A/D), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 312 5. Pilet/Narac/Armindo (F/F/F), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 311 6. Bergmeister/Long/Luhr (D/USA/D), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 310 8. Holzer/Goossens/van Lagen (D/B/NL), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 293
GTE Am class
1. Gardel/Canal/Bornhauser (CH/F/F), Chevrolet Corvette C6-ZR1, 302 laps 2. Bourret/Gibon/Belloc (F/F/F), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 301
Facts and figures
This is the Le Mans 24 Hours
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With grid line-up of 55 vehicles, the 24 Hours of Le Mans consists of two different sports car categories: sports prototypes and modified standard sports cars. The technical regulations of the European Le Mans Series (LMS) and the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) correspond to those of the 24 hour race. All race cars start together in Le Mans; there is an overall classification and a classification for individual classes.
Stuttgart. Porsche’s customer teams have an eventful night behind them. With five hours to go until the finish of one of the toughest Le Mans races in history, the teams in the GTE Pro class currently sit in positions three, four, seven and eight.
Piloting the best-placed 911 GT3 RSR are the winning trio from last year. Porsche’s factory pilots Marc Lieb (Germany), Richard Lietz (Austria) and Wolf Henzler (Germany) fought their way through the field to now rank third thanks to the reliability of their 911, the perfect work of the drivers and the swift pit stops of the Felbermayr-Proton crew.
“I can’t remember the last time I experienced so many accidents at a Le Mans race,” said Marc Lieb, the two-time GT class winner of the Le Mans 24 Hours. “I don’t find it okay that many of the drivers are so extremely aggressive. Luckily we had no problems in the night and we are hoping for a podium finish.”
The drivers of the French IMSA Performance Matmut 911 can thank their fourth place at 10 a.m. to the fact that the night hours ran smoothly. Works driver Patrick Pilet, team owner Raymond Narac and Carrera Cup champion Nicolas Armindo (all France) all put in double stints. As planned, the brake pads were changed once.
Le Mans newcomer Armindo was surprised at the harshness of the competitors in the more powerful classes.
“Sometimes it seems we are completely invisible to them when they are lapping us,” says Armindo. “They drive as if we weren’t even there.”
After leading for quite some time, the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR fielded by the American Flying Lizard Motorsports team lost an excellent fourth place within striking distance of the podium six hours before the finish. Works drivers Joerg Bergmeister (Germany), Patrick Long (USA) and seasoned racer Lucas Luhr (Germany) share driving duties in double stints and are doing a faultless job. However, due to a problem in the engine electrics, the 911 was forced to take an unscheduled pit stop and fell back from fourth to eighth position.
The Belgian ProSpeed Competition squad experienced a problem free start to the race only to suffer a sitback while lying in a promising fourth. A small leak in the water cooling system made repairs necessary in the early morning hours, which relegated works driver Marco Holzer (Germany), Marc Goossens (Belgium) and Jaap van Lagen (Netherlands) back down the field. Extreme bad luck plagued the second driver trio of Felbermayr-Proton. Suffering tyre damage Abdulaziz Al Faisal (Saudi Arabia) flew from the track in the fast Indianapolis corner. The Pro-911, which he shares with Nick Tandy (Great Britain) and Bryce Miller (USA), was so badly damaged that the team was unable to repair it. Luckily, Al Faisal climbed out uninjured.
Contesting the GTE Am class, Horst Felbermayr Senior (Team Proton Competition) fell victim to an opponent at 8.00 a.m. when his 911 was hit hard on the driver’s side of the 911 GT3 RSR. The Austrian was transported to hospital for an examination. In the same class, a 2010-spec 911 GT3 RSR fielded by the French Larbre Competition team currently ranks second.
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Facts and figures
This is the Le Mans 24 Hours
With grid line-up of 55 vehicles, the 24 Hours of Le Mans consists of two different sports car categories: sports prototypes and modified standard sports cars. The technical regulations of the European Le Mans Series (LMS) and the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) correspond to those of the 24 hour race. All race cars start together in Le Mans; there is an overall classification and a classification for individual classes.
The four classes in Le Mans: GTE Pro class: The most popular class of car manufacturers (formerly run as the GT2 class) is traditionally the best supported: Modified sports cars with up to 500 hp and a minimum weight of 1,245 kilograms. GTE Am class: Like the GTE-Pro, but with the 2010-vehicle specifications. Moreover, the regulations stipulate that each vehicle must have one professional driver at the most. LMP1 class: Sports prototypes with up to 550 hp and a 900 kilogram minimum weight. LMP2 class: Sports prototypes of around 440 hp, GT-class homologated engines and a 900 kg minimum weight.
Stuttgart. The opening eight hours of the long distance classic brought mixed fortunes for the five Porsche customer teams.
The Belgian ProSpeed Competition squad made the best start to the race. After completing the first third of the distance, Porsche works driver Marco Holzer (Germany), Marc Goossens (Belgium) and Jaap van Lagen (Netherlands) rank third in the GTE Pro sports car class in the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR.
Flying Lizard Motorsports (USA) follows with factory pilots Joerg Bergmeister (Germany) and Patrick Long (USA) as well as seasoned campaigner Lucas Luhr (Germany) sitting sixth in the strongest-supported class of the 24 hour race.
Driving for the Felbermayr-Proton squad, last year’s winners Marc Lieb (Germany), Richard Lietz (Austria) and Wolf Henzler (Germany) were thrown far back down the field with two mishaps and are now fighting their way through the pack.
An hour before midnight, the Porsche works drivers lie tenth in the GTE Pro class.
“After refuelling we waited for ages for the lights to turn green at the pit exit during the safety car phase,” explains Marc Lieb. “Once we rejoined the race the car suffered tyre damage – I must have picked something up. Unfortunately it happened in the first chicane, that’s about 10 kilometres from the pits.”
Lieb returned to the pits on his rim and lost more time when the crew found that part of the body had also been damaged.
The ProSpeed Competition team are feeling cautiously optimistic.
“The first eight hours ran smoothly,” reported Marco Holzer.
The 22-year-old was a Le Mans rookie last year and now has the role of team leader. For Jaap van Lagen this marks a premiere on the demanding 13.629 kilometre track.
“I know exactly how this feels,” says Holzer. “You need quite some time to find a rhythm and to trust the car and your own ability. Our 911 is running well, the team’s pit stops are super. Our goal is to keep out of any trouble.”
The American Flying Lizard Motorsports team also faced tyre problems. Early on in the race, Joerg Bergmeister fell victim to tyre damage.
“My first stint was difficult because the set-up wasn’t one hundred percent,” said Bergmeister. “We then made a few changes and now the balance is much better. We can’t quite match the pace of the front-runners but we’re looking ahead. We can build on sixth place.”
Heading into the night, the French IMSA Performance Matmut team was not particularly pleased with their eighth place.
Works driver Patrick Pilet was also held up long at the red lights of the pit exit.
“It was really dumb,” complained the Frenchman. “But I had to come in to refuel otherwise I would have been stranded out there. The traffic on the track is brutal and the prototype drivers are at times very aggressive. Nicolas Armindo is a newcomer in our team, but he’s a very controlled driver.” Third in the group is an experienced Le Mans contender, team owner Raymond Narac (France).
The second Felbermayr-911 ranks 13th in the GTE Pro class after eight hours. At the wheel are Le Mans debutant Nick Tandy (Great Britain) and Abdulaziz Al Faisal (Saudi Arabia) as well as American Bryce Miller, who contested the endurance classic last year.
In the GTE Am sports car class, in which only one professional race driver is permitted per vehicle, Larbre Competition lies in a excellent first place with their 911 GT3 RSR in last year’s specification (as stipulated by the regulations for this class). The sister 911 of Flying Lizard Motorsports has settled in to fourth place, with the Proton Competition drivers currently sitting in sixth.
Facts and figures
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This is the Le Mans 24 Hours
With grid line-up of 55 vehicles, the 24 Hours of Le Mans consists of two different sports car categories: sports prototypes and modified standard sports cars. The technical regulations of the European Le Mans Series (LMS) and the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) correspond to those of the 24 hour race. All race cars start together in Le Mans; there is an overall classification and a classification for individual classes.
The four classes in Le Mans: GTE Pro class: The most popular class of car manufacturers (formerly run as the GT2 class) is traditionally the best supported: Modified sports cars with up to 500 hp and a minimum weight of 1,245 kilograms. GTE Am class: Like the GTE-Pro, but with the 2010-vehicle specifications. Moreover, the regulations stipulate that each vehicle must have one professional driver at the most. LMP1 class: Sports prototypes with up to 550 hp and a 900 kilogram minimum weight. LMP2 class: Sports prototypes of around 440 hp, GT-class homologated engines and a 900 kg minimum weight.
Source: Images of the 24 Hours of Le Mans Porsche AG Press Database
Public Relations and Media
Motor and Sports Press
Stuttgart. The first step is taken with success. Porsche customer teams from all over Europe and the USA have secured good grid positions after the qualifying sessions for the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, Flying Lizard Motorsports (l.-r.): Jörg Bergmeister, Lucas Luhr, Patrick Long, Seth Neiman, Spencer Pumpelly, Darren Law
The fastest Porsche driver, works pilot Marc Lieb (Germany), planted the Felbermayr 911 GT3 RSR on seventh in the GTE Pro class. Lieb competes for last year’s winning team with works drivers Richard Lietz (Austria) and Wolf Henzler (Germany). Four other 2011-spec 911 GT3 RSR take up the race in the GTE Pro category. In the GTE Am class, three 911 GT3 RSR from last year take off into the 79th edition of the long distance classic on Saturday at 15.00 hours from positions two, three and four.
(l.-r.): Marc Lieb, Richard Lietz, Wolf Henzler
“We’re satisfied with our preparations and are feeling confident for the race,” said two-time Le Mans winner Marc Lieb. “In the practice sessions, we managed to find a good set-up for our 911 for the challenges of this marathon and the very special, highly demanding race track.”
Richard Lietz, who has also notched up two wins at the world’s toughest automobile race, added:
“The handling of our 911 GT3 RSR is neutral and comfortable. This means that the car tends neither towards oversteer nor understeer. This works in favour of Marc, Wolf and I because our driving styles are similar.”
Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, Team Felbermayr-Proton
The crew of the #75 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR also finished the qualifying without problems. Porsche factory pilot Marco Holzer (Germany) clinched the ninth grid spot for the ProSpeed Competition squad.
Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, Prospeed Competition (l.-r.): Marc Goossens, Jaap van Lagen, Marco Holzer
(l.-r.): Jaap van Lagen, Marco Holzer, Marc Goossens
“Today we worked on our race set-up,” said Holzer. “Yes, we were faster yesterday but our car was rather twitchy, and that wouldn’t have been optimal over the race distance. There are a couple of damn fast corners here in Le Mans so you need a car that you can trust. And now we have that car.”
Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, Prospeed Competition: Marc Goossens, Marco Holzer, Jaap van Lagen
Joining forces with the 22-year-old is Le Mans veteran Marc Goossens (Bel-gium) as well as Le Mans rookie Jaap van Lagen (Netherlands).
Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, Flying Lizard Motorsports: Jörg Bergmeister, Patrick Long, Lucas Luhr
A damaged damper and an accident threw the schedule of the Flying Lizard Motorsports into disarray.
“Because of the faulty shock absorber we worked in the wrong direction for a long time during yesterday’s practice session,” explained Porsche works driver Joerg Bergmeister (Germany). “Then we lost time when a competitor spun and I couldn’t avoid him. The repairs were extensive. We decided to forget about turning an extra qualifying lap and instead we concentrated totally on finding a set-up.”
(l.-r.): Jörg Bergmeister, Patrick Long, Lucas Luhr
Bergmeister takes up the marathon on Saturday with his works driver colleague Patrick Long (USA)
Lucas Luhr
and Germany’s Lucas Luhr from 12th position in the GTE Pro class.
Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, Team Felbermayr-Proton: Nick Tandy, Abdulaziz Al Faisal, Bryce Miller
Grid position 14 went to Nick Tandy in the second 911 GT3 RSR fielded by Felbermayr-Proton. The Briton currently leads the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup series as well as the German Carrera Cup, but this marks his first race in Le Mans. His teammates are Abdulaziz Al Faisal from Saudi Arabia and Bryce Miller from the USA.
Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, IMSA Performance Matmut (l.-r.): Patrick Pilet, Raymond Narac, Nicolas Armindo
The French IMSA Performance Matmut squad had counted on a better grid position than 16th. Still, after team owner Raymond Narac’s accident during the first free practice, Porsche works driver Patrick Pilet, Narac and Le Mans newcomer Nicolas Armindo (all France) could only begin their set-up work this afternoon and therefore lag be-hind.
(l.-r.): Raymond Narac, Nicolas Armindo, Patrick Pilet
In the GTE Am sports car class, Austrian Horst Felbermayr Junior qualified the 911 GT3 RSR of Proton Competition on second place. His teammates are Horst Felber-mayr Senior and team owner Christian Ried (Germany).
(l.-r.): Horst Felbermayr Sr., Christian Ried, Horst Felbermayr Jr.
Position three was snatched by Larbre Competition’s
Grid spot four in the GTE Am class went to Americans Seth Neiman, Darren Law and Spencer Pumpelly from the Flying Lizard Motorsports team.
(l.-r.): Spencer Pumpelly, Seth Neiman, Darren Law
Porsche’s head of motorsport, Hartmut Kristen, praised the teams’ professional preparations for the race.
“They all worked hard to find an optimal set-up. Taking the Balance of Performance into account, the teams made the most out of what was possible.”
The race gets the green light at 15.00 hours on Saturday, 11th June. Television stations Eurosport and Eurosport 2 broadcast the race alternately around the clock with 15 hours of live coverage shown on the main station, Eurosport.
Result Qualifying GTE Am
1. Perazzini/Cioci/Breslin (I/I/D), Ferrari F430, 4:21.015 minutes
2. Ried/Felbermayr Jr./Felbermayr Sen. (D/A/A), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, + 2.250 seconds
3. Bourret/Gibon/Belloc (F/F/F), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, + 2.366
4. Neiman/Law/Pumpelly (USA/USA/USA), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, + 2.636
Facts and figures
This is the Le Mans 24 Hours
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With a grid line-up of 55 vehicles, the 24 Hours of Le Mans consists of two different sports car categories: sports prototypes and modified standard sports cars. The technical regulations of the European Le Mans Series (LMS) and the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) correspond to those of the 24 hour race. All race cars start to-gether in Le Mans; there is an overall classification and a classification for individual classes.
The four classes in Le Mans: GTE Pro class: The most popular class of car manufacturers (formerly run as the GT2 class) is traditionally the best supported: Modified sports cars with up to 500 hp and a minimum weight of 1,245 kilograms. GTE Am class: Like the GTE-Pro, but with the 2010-vehicle specifications. More-over, the regulations stipulate that each vehicle must have one professional driver at the most. LMP1 class: Sports prototypes with up to 550 hp and a 900 kilogram minimum weight. LMP2 class: Sports prototypes of around 440 hp, GT-class homologated engines and a 900 kg minimum weight.
Porsche enthusiast, Flying Lizard fan, Photographer SEAN KLINGELHOEFER, gives us a tour on what it takes to do a photo shoot of the Flying Lizard Motorsports Le Mans Porsches
Flying Lizard 2011 Porsche GT3 RSR Photographer: Sean Klingelhoefer
Sean Klingelhoefer posts another “Making of” behind the scenes look of his Automotive photo session with Porsche Flying Lizards GT3 RSR for Le Mans 24 hour 2011.
It is with great pleasure that I give you a look behind the scenes of the most challenge yet most fun photoshoot I’ve had to date. It should come as no surprise since I’m a Porsche enthusiast and Flying Lizard fan that I jumped at the opportunity to work with the team. It all started with some discussions during the off season, then a few months ago the head of PR/marking got in touch with me about a photo shoot concerning images for Le Mans. What I didn’t know at the time were the constraints I would be facing for the shoot.
READ MORE HERE>>>>> about Sean and the photoshoot of the 911 GT3 RSR Flying Lizards Le Mans Porsche with graphic design by Troy Lee
Flying Lizard 2011 Porsche GT3 RSR Photographer: Sean Klingelhoefer
Sean Klingelhoefer is a photographer specializing in automotive/motorsports photography and post production. He lives in Los Angeles …..more about Sean here
Baden-Württemberg’s new prime minister in consultation with Stuttgart sports car manufacturer
Winfried Kretschmann Baden-Württemberg’s New Prime Minister & Matthias Müller, CEO of Dr. Ing hc F. Porsche AG Photo: Porsche AG Database
Stuttgart. Baden-Württemberg’s new prime minister Winfried Kretschmann is visiting at the invitation of Matthias Müller, CEO of Dr. Ing hc F. Porsche AG, the parent company of the sports car manufacturer in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen.
During an extensive tour of the production of the Porsche 911 and Boxster / Cayman, the Prime Minister also spoke with staff and trainees of the company.
Winfried Kretschmann Baden-Württemberg’s New Prime Minister & Matthias Müller, CEO of Dr. Ing hc F. Porsche AGPhoto: Porsche AG Database
“This first exchange is a good start for an intense and above all constructive dialogue with the Prime Minister and his government,” said chief executive Mueller said: “I am confident that with the necessary understanding for each other together to further strengthen the automotive state of Baden- Württemberg and help expand its international significance.”
Winfried Kretschmann Baden-Württemberg’s New Prime Minister & Matthias Müller, CEO of Dr. Ing hc F. Porsche AG Photo: Porsche AG Database
Kretschmann Prime Minister said: “The visit to the Porsche AG was in a very harmonious atmosphere and gave me a deep insight into the company granted. Porsche is certainly one of the great success stories of our country.”
He was able to obtain get an idea of the performance and the quality awareness of the company, said Kretschmann. With the Boxster with electric drive, which is now being implemented as a prototype, and with the first hybrid models Porsche show that even in the luxury segment more fuel efficient options are possible.
Winfried Kretschmann Baden-Württemberg’s New Prime Minister & Matthias Müller, CEO of Dr. Ing hc F. Porsche AG Photo: Porsche AG Database
“Porsche is right to build in the premium segment cars that use less fuel, thereby harming the environment less. I am firmly convinced that the company Porsche is overcome with his broad technical expertise, its highly qualified staff and its ability to innovate the new challenges,”said the Prime Minister.
Source: Porsche AG Database
Public Relations and Media
Corporate Press
Dirk Erat
Stuttgart. The museum of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, has passed the million visitor mark just two and a half years after opening:
Today, museum director Achim Stejskal welcomed not just one, but 13 school children from India as jubilee guests. “We are very pleased to have been able to surprise these Indian boys and girls from Mumbai,” explained Achim Stejskal. “Almost 35 percent of our visitors are guests from other countries. Fascination for the Porsche brand and its history continues undiminished, all around the world.”
Museum director Achim Stejskal invited the class from Mumbai to take a look behind the scenes: In the museum workshop, which is not normally accessible to visitors, the school children were able to take a seat in a 1954 Porsche 550 Spyder. At the end of their visit, the young jubilee guests received a very special surprise: The Porsche Museum is to support their school project. The boys and girls construct a well in a village close to their school.
Since its opening on 31 January 2009, the Porsche Museum has provided more than 5,100 tours through the 5,600 m2 exhibition and hosted ten special exhibitions.
Many celebrities from all over the world, including Jerry Seinfeld, Paris Hilton, Jamiroquai, Robby Naish, Udo Lindenberg and Peter Maffay have also taken an interest in this historic vehicle collection on Porscheplatz.
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Tickets sold to date would stretch a total of 150 km from Stuttgart to Lake Constance. Furthermore, since then more than 300 classics from the museum’s collection have been travelling the world as rolling brand ambassadors, attending historic racing and classic car events.
Whitsun sees the Porsche Museum opening exclusively for its visitors with the current special exhibition “Ferdinand Porsche – Pioneer of the Hybrid Drive” running until Whit Monday, 13 June 2011.
The Museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday, from 9 am to 6 pm. Entry costs € 8, € 4 for concessions. Children under the age of 14 go free when accompanied by an adult. Further information is available on the internet from www.porsche.com/museum.
SOURCE: Porsche Public Relations and Media Database
Porsche-Museum
Astrid Böttinger
Stuttgart. The Motorsport Newsletter regularly provides the latest information to keep you up updated on Porsche Motorsports all around the world.
Nürburgring
Porsche Intelligent Performance: First win for Hybrid race car on the ‘Ring’ With the further-developed Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid,
(l.-r.): Richard Lietz, Marco Holzer, Patrick Long
works drivers Marco Holzer, Richard Lietz and Patrick Long clinched the maiden win for a hybrid race car on the Nürburgring Nordschleife (28 May). Whilst almost all direct opponents needed three pit stops to refuel at the very fast four hour race, the innovative Porsche stopped only twice, providing the decisive advantage in the race.
Spain
Blancpain Endurance Series: Porsche trio stays at the top
With third overall at the second race of the new European GT series held on the northern Spanish track in Navarra (22 May),
(l.-r.): Raffaele Giammaria, Gianluca Roda, Paolo Ruberti
Porsche Cup winner Gianluca Roda as well as Paolo Ruberti and Raffaele Giammaria held on to their points’ lead. After three hours and 102 laps on the 3.9 kilometre circuit, the Italian trio saw the flag 25 seconds off the winner in a 911 GT3 R of Autorlando Sport. Roda and his teammates had won the first race in Monza.
France
French GT Championship: Beltoise and Pasquali defend points’ lead
Scoring third place twice at round three of the French GT Championship in Dijon-Prenois (13/15 May), Anthony Beltoise and Laurent Pasquali defended their position at the top of the table in a 911 GT3 R fielded by Pro-GT by Almeras. Title defenders Patrick Bornhauser and Laurent Groppi finished race one ranking second in Larbre Compétition’s 911 GT3 R.
Australia
Australian GT Championship: two weekends, two Porsche wins
David Wall is the overall winner of the third race weekend on the Eastern Creek Raceway (28/29 May) west of Sydney. The reigning GT champion planted a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup S on second place in race one on Saturday and won Sunday’s partly wet race. At the second race meeting in Winton (21/22 May) north of Melbourne, the overall winner of the weekend was Dean Grant in a 911 GT3 Cup S run by Vodka O Racing.
Spain
Porsche Mobil1 Supercup: Perfect Monaco weekend for the champion
Pole position, fastest race lap, light to flag win: perfect outcome for reigning champion René Rast in the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup of VELTINS Lechner Racing at round three in Monaco (29 May).
Britain’s Nick Tandy snatched the series’ lead with second after the 16-lap sprint. Victory at round two in Barcelona (22 May) went to Tandy’s compatriot Sean Edwards.
Nick Tandy – René Rast – Sean Edwards
Asia
Carrera Cup Asia: Four straight wins for Alexandre Imperatori
At the second race weekend in China’s Zhuhai (27/29 May) it was 24-year-old newcomer Alexandre Imperatori all the way. With these two victories in the 911 GT3 Cup of the StarChase squad, the Swiss-German has now proved unbeatable after four wins in succession.
Twice, Keita Sawa brought his 2010-spec GT3 Cup home in second. Rodolfo Avila from Macau secured the last podium spot for himself to now rank second on the points’ table.
Netherlands
Carrera Cup Deutschland: Home win for Bleekemolen, inspired show from Tandy
Jeroen Beekemolen (Team Deutsche Post by tolimit) from the Netherlands scored a clear lights-to-flag victory at round two in Zandvoort. Second place went to Martin Ragginger, 3.3 seconds adrift of Bleekemolen.
(l.-r.): Martin Ragginger, Jeroen Bleekemolen, Nick Tandy
However, the hero of the 19-lap sprint on the dune circuit was Nick Tandy.
Taking up the race from the last grid spot, the Briton made a bolt through the field to finish in third. With this, the winner of the season-opener retained his points’ lead.
France
Carrera Cup France: Kevin Estre again scores a double win
The dominant driver at the third race weekend was again Kevin Estre in the 911 GT3 Cup of AS Events. With two victories and the lap record at both races (15 May) on the swiftest track of the year in Dijon-Prenois, Estre extended his lead. After a double victory in Nogaro (24 April), the Frenchman has now been unbeaten at the last four races.
Italy
Carrera Cup Italia: Maiden win for Marco Mapelli, Balzan defends points’ lead
Reigning champion Alessandro Balzan celebrated his second win of the season at round three in the Autodromo di Franciacorta near Brescia in northern Italy in an Ebimotors’ 911 GT3 Cup.
Allessandro Balzan
The second race of the weekend (14/15 May) went to his 23-year-old teammate Marco Mapelli.
Marco Mapelli
Last year, Mapelli won the Cup class of the Italian GT Championship and now contests his first Carrera Cup Italia season.
Japan
Carrera Cup Japan: Hideto Yasuoka proves invincible
Hideto Yasuoka
Victory at the 2010 finale, victory at race one of 2011 in Fuji. And now first at both races in Okayama (21/22 May): Hideto Yasuoka, a young emerging driver supported by Porsche Japan, has a strong grip on his rivals.
Behind the vice-champion, who took off from pole position and turned the fastest race lap twice in Okayama came Akira in second place.
Scandinavia
Carrera Cup Scandinavia: Robin Rudholm hits the ground running
With three straight wins at the third race weekend in Sweden’s Mantorp (21/22 May)
(l.-r.): Linus Ohlsson, Robin Rudholm, Johan Kristoffersson
reigning champion Robin Rudholm (31, Xlander Racing) increased his points’ lead slightly over 22-year-old Johan Kristoffersson (Kristoffersson Motorsport) and his 20-year-old teammate Linus Ohlsson.
Canada
GT3 Cup Challenge Canada: Gripping start of the 20th one-make race series
Two sprint races in the Calabogie Motorsports Park (14/15 May, Ontario) kicked off the first season of the GT3 Cup Challenge Canada.
Fending off a hefty attack from Marco Cirone, Speed Merchants/Fiorano Racing pilot Perry Bortolotti won both heats in the Platinum Cup class for current 911 GT3 Cup race cars.
GT3 Cup Challenge Canada, Ontario, P1: Perry Bortolotti
Both races of the Gold Cup class for older models went to Martin Harvey in the GT3 Cup fielded by Wingho Motorsports Racing/McDonalds.
Source: Porsche Press Database Public Relations and Media
Motor and Sports Press
Oliver Hilger
Troy Lee’s Design Celebrates History of Porsche at Le Mans
June 1, 2011 – Flying Lizard revealed today a commemorative livery for the No. 80 and No. 81 Flying Lizard Porsches for the 2011 24 Heures du Mans. Created by California-based artist Troy Lee, the livery celebrates the history of Porsche at Le Mans, featuring the 28 drivers who have won the 24 Heures du Mans overall in a Porsche.
The No. 80 and No. 81 designs are identical, implemented in complementary colors: candy metallic orange for the No. 80 and candy metallic blue for the No. 81; both anchored by a deep ocean blue. Primary colors provide a backdrop for the driver names and flags which weave throughout the design on the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR.
The Flying Lizard Porsche livery will be officially unveiled at scrutineering on Monday, June 6 in Le Mans at approximately 13.30 CET (just prior to the scheduled scrutineering time for the No. 80). “2011 is a special year for Flying Lizard at Le Mans: our first time fielding two entries,” said Flying Lizard VP of Marketing, Jennifer Hart. “The livery commemorates the heritage of Porsche at Le Mans, starting with drivers Hans Hermann and Richard Attwood, who secured the first overall victory for Porsche in 1970*. The 911 is an ideal canvas for Troy Lee’s beautiful tribute to this iconic race.”
Troy Lee described the concept of the design, “I started with the vibrant colors of the drivers’ country flags: imagining how they could be put to life on a racecar, as if they were blowing by on the front straight. Once we had the theme, we focused on making it come to life in 3D. The challenge was to really show off the depth and movement of these amazing cars, while maintaining the integrity of the Porsche design.”
Lee continued, “A crucial part of this project was getting the right paint: We worked extensively with PPG Industries to develop these custom colors, both for their liveliness and for the depth of the metallic colors. Using the candy paint as a base, we then created the intricate backdrop of asymmetric shapes to balance the design and create the sense of speed.”
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President of Porsche Motorsport North America Jens Walther added, “We are proud that Flying Lizard chose to honor the 28 drivers who have stood on the top step of the podium for Porsche at Le Mans. This design exemplifies the effort that Flying Lizard puts into every aspect of their race preparation, and shows why Lizard drivers have won the American Le Mans Series GT championship for the last three years.” Flying Lizard initiated the project with Troy Lee in late 2010. Hart added, “We worked with Troy’s team for several months to finalize the concept and design. The livery is a combination of candy paint overlaid with vinyl. The vinyl was custom-tailored to each Porsche and applied at our shop in Sonoma by Iconography Studios. Each car has a clear coat to protect the graphics. We are thrilled with the end result; the Porsches are uniquely beautiful and seem to be almost humming with energy.”
Click here for full list of drivers featured in the livery.
Flying Lizard also launched today new team merchandise which features the unique livery design. Click here for details.
Flying Lizard Driver Lineup
Joerg Bergmeister (Germany), Patrick Long (USA) and Lucas Luhr (Germany) will team in the Flying Lizard No. 80 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR in the GTE Pro class. Darren Law (USA), Seth Neiman (USA) and Spencer Pumpelly (USA) will pilot the Flying Lizard No. 81 Porsche in the GTE Am class.
Follow the Race
The 24 Heures du Mans will get the green flag at 15.00h CET (6:00 am PT) on Saturday June 11. The race will be broadcast live in its entirety on Eurosport in Europe and partial coverage on SpeedTV in the United States. Radio Le Mans will broadcast live English language radio coverage. Flying Lizard will broadcast the team radio live throughout the race; read the team race blog for frequent team updates at www.lizardms.com
About Flying Lizard Motorsports
Flying Lizard Motorsports has competed in the American Le Mans Series GT class since 2004. The team has finished in the top three in the ALMS GT drivers’ and team championships every year since 2004. In 2010, Flying Lizard No. 45 drivers Joerg Bergmeister and Patrick Long won a hard-fought battle for the GT drivers’ championship. In 2009 and 2008, the team swept all ALMS GT titles: drivers’ championship (Bergmeister and Long in 2009, Bergmeister and Wolf Henzler in 2008); Flying Lizard won the team championship; and Porsche won the manufacturer championship. In 2009, the Flying Lizard No. 44 Porsche also won the Michelin Green X Challenge championship.
Flying Lizard has also competed in the 24 Heures du Mans from 2005 through 2010, finishing third in 2005, fourth in 2006, and sixth in 2008. The team is sponsored in the ALMS by Openwave Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: OPWV), a global software innovator delivering context-aware mediation and messaging solutions for communication service providers and eSilicon, a semiconductor company.
Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, round 3 at the Formula 1 race in Monte Carlo/Monaco
René Rast hits the jackpot in the Principality
René Rast (winner)
Stuttgart. When the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup took off into the most prestigious race of the year in Monte Carlo, the world-famous Casino was still closed.
René Rast (winner)
But still René Rast found his luck. In the picture postcard setting of the Principality on the Cote d’Azur, the German won round three of the world’s fastest international one-make series on Sunday at the wheel of VELTINS Lechner Racing’s 911 GT3 Cup. With this, he repeated his triumph of last year.
The race in the glamour world of the rich and beautiful is a unique challenge. The narrow street circuit is unforgiving of mistakes. Run-off zones are virtually non-existent, instead there are walls and crash barriers. Full concentration is needed from start to finish – this is the only way to get through the twisty labyrinth between luxury apartment blocks and high class boutiques safely.
To finish the 16 laps sticking to the ideal line is gruelling work. Drivers change gears 34 times per lap, that’s about every 2.8 seconds. Ex-Formula 1 world champion Nelson Piquet once compared driving through the maze of streets to “flying a helicopter in the living room”. No one is immune to the fascination of this race.
Driving in Monaco, say the pilots unanimously, is a fabulous experience. To win in Monaco is a dream.
2nd place Nick Tandy (GB), Konrad Motorsport, + 4.392 seconds, 1st place René Rast (D), VELTINS Lechner Racing, 26:05.841 minutes 3rd place Sean Edwards (GB), Team Abu Dhabi by tolimit, +9.273
On Sunday, René Rast fulfilled this dream for the second straight time. And hit the jackpot: Fastest in free practice, pole position, race winner and fastest race lap – with this, the reigning champion announced his comeback to the title fight impressively. Putting in a cracking start and following up with a solid drive at the highest level, he held off an attack from arch rival Nick Tandy.
The Konrad Motorsport pilot from Great Britain again had to settle for second place at round three, but with this performance snatched the points’ lead to rank first overall ahead of his compatriot Sean Edwards. Driving for the Abu Dhabi by tolimit squad, Edwards, resident of Monaco and winner of Barcelona, saw the chequered flag in third place.
Jeroen Bleekemolen’s hopes of being the first Supercup pilot to win three races in Monaco were dashed this season. The Dutchman of Abu Dhabi by tolimit yielded fourth. Behind the double Supercup champion came Kuba Giermaziak from Poland.
In the cockpit of VERVA Racing’s Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, he took up the race from third on the grid, only to make a mistake in the first lap while accelerating out of the famous St. Devote and was unable to regain his lost positions over the rest of the race. Still, he was the leader of a group of pursuers with Sebastiaan Bleekemolen and Norbert Siedler.
Driving for Team Bleekemolen, the Dutchman clinched sixth place, his best so far this season, while the Austrian competing for VELTINS Lechner Racing finished in seventh. Scoring his first top-ten result this season was Italy’s Alessandro Zampedri (Team Bleekemolen) in eighth, with Poland’s Robert Lukas (Hermes Attempto Racing) in ninth ahead of Supercup returnee Matt Halliday (MRS Team PZ Aschaffenburg) from New Zealand, 2009 winner of the BBS rookie classification.
Kévin Estre from France did not see the flag. After a strong start to the season, the ball in the race roulette of Monte Carlo rolled the wrong way for the newcomer and he retired early on in the race after an accident.
René Rast (winner): “What a great race. The boys in my team put a fabulous car on the track for me today. Thanks guys. I was able to pull away in the first laps and drove consistently fast times right to the flag. It feels really good to climb to the top of the podium again. We can keep doing this. Now we’ll continue the hard work and I’m already looking forward to the race on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife.”
Nick Tandy (second): “Second place and leader of the championship – not bad. As far as I’m concerned I can be second at every race as long as I can take home the title at the end. This is the first time I’ve led the series. René drove a great race, unbelievably precise, just millimetres away from the crash barriers. It was impressive. We were both faster than the rest today and that makes me optimistic.”
Sean Edwards (third): “A good start is decisive in Monaco. I got away well, but then I shifted to second gear too early and lost contact with the others. Still, third in Monaco is a great result. René was much quicker than all of us. I could match Nick’s times but he was too far ahead for me to have any real chance at second place.”
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Race result
1. René Rast (D), VELTINS Lechner Racing, 26:05.841 minutes
2. Nick Tandy (GB), Konrad Motorsport, + 4.392 seconds
3. Sean Edwards (GB), Team Abu Dhabi by tolimit, +9.273
4. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL), Team Abu Dhabi by tolimit, + 13.516
5. Kuba Giermaziak (PL), VERVA Racing Team, + 24.582
6. Sebastiaan Bleekemolen (NL), Team Bleekemolen, + 24.885
Drivers’ standings after 3 of 9 races*
1. Nick Tandy (GB), 54 points
2. Sean Edwards (GB), 52
3. René Rast (D), 43
4. Kuba Giermaziak (PL), 37
5. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL), 36
6. Christian Engelhart (D), 34
* It has yet to be decided if and when there will be a replacement for the cancelled Formula 1 race in Bahrain with two rounds of the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup.
Round 4 of the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup takes place on 25 June as part of the Porsche Carrera World Cup on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife.
SOURCE: Porsche AG
Public Relations and Media
Motor and Sports Press
Oliver Hilger
Basis for the first victory was certainly the lower consumption of the hybrid compared to the other cars.
At the fourth round of the VLN, the Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid celebrate the first victory – only two stops as the key to success
Less recharge, drive longer: this is the recipe for success of the enhanced Porsche 911 GT3 R hybrid.
With version 2.0, Porsche works driver Richard Lietz, Marco Holzer and Patrick Long drove in the fourth round of the Endurance Championship for the first victory of the hybrid race car from Weissach.
While almost all direct competitors stopped three times to refuel in the pits, the hybrid with just two stops, was victory and checkered flag for the Porsche hybrid.
The second race of the 911 GT3 R hybrid in the Endurance Championship in 2011 is the successful completion of the intensive preparation for the 24-hour race Nürburgring 25-26. June.
“We are using the technical specifications of the vehicle and the reliability of the hybrid system extremely satisfied,” saysPorsche head of motorsport Hartmut Kristen.
“We have over the competition a pit stop saving and go with less energy input from the outside similarly fast lap times. This is what we mean by Porsche Intelligent Performance. I am particularly pleased that even the 911 GT3 RSR by Manthey Racing the known efficiency of the Porsche 911 models could prove, and was number two. “
The focus of the development of the Porsche 911 GT3 R hybrid was clearly on the increase in efficiency. For this, the vehicle weight was reduced from 1,350 kg to 1,300, which even the hybrid components are involved. Their weight was reduced by 20 percent by direct optimization. The general hybrid layout was taken from the 2010 model.
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The power used in the portal axle two electric motors has been increased from every 60 to 75 kilowatts. Overall, the pilot of the 911 GT3 R Hybrid 2.0 seconds, an additional capacity of around 200 horsepower, which corresponds to a lap on the Nordschleife of an additional conventional capacity of approximately 23 kW (32 hp). The electric power is automatically supplied as programmed when the accelerator pedal.
In addition, the pilot, the hybrid-electric auxiliary power to retrieve it manually, for example when overtaking. While the portal axle drives the front wheels, was the 4.0-liter, now 465 hp six-cylinder boxer engine that delivers its power to the rear axle, cut back in power, and optimized in terms of fuel consumption.
“We ran like clockwork with hybrid penalty,” said Marco Holzer.
“The key to success was now near the low fuel consumption and reliable technology that all drivers were on a uniformly high level of the road and have made no mistakes,” added teammate Richard Lietz.
A trouble-free race also went to the yellow-green Porsche 911 GT3 RSR of the Manthey team.
With seven seconds behind occupied Lieb, Luhr and Dumas in second place.
“This was an almost perfect race. Unfortunately, our 911 GT3 R, the cockpit I’ve shared with Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas, roughly by a competitor of the runway bowled,” said double starter Marc Lieb..
Oliver Hilger-Photo Porsche
Nürburgring Long Distance Championship PHOTOS: Porsche AG Press
Jim Danielson and Sean Kleinschmidt spent the summer before their freshman year at Purdue University turning a Porsche1987 924S with a blown engine into an electric-powered vehicle, displayed here at the 2009 Green Week car show. (Purdue News Service photo/Mark Simons)
Peter Thiel Gives Whiz Kids $100K To Quit College, Start Businesses
Jim Danielson is being paid to drop out of Purdue University.
This month the electrical and computer engineering major finished his sophomore year in West Lafayette and got an offer he couldn’t turn down.
Wednesday, Danielson was named as one of the first recipients of the 20 Under 20 Thiel Fellowship.The program is the brainchild of Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal and venture capitalist for Facebook.
One climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. Another started college in third grade. Another opened a business at age 9. And yet another scored 5580 on the SATs (on a total of 5 tests, but still).
Now they’re all getting two years of mentoring from a network of tech and entrepreneurial experts and $100,000 to start a business. The benefactor? PayPal founder, early Facebook investor, and Stanford’s least favorite alumnus, Peter Thiel.
Jim Danielson is working on building a more powerful and efficient motor for electric vehicles. He has already electrified a Porsche 1987 924S, including power electronics of his own design. He is currently co-launching Makt Systems LLC, a start-up to commercialize his research and design. Before becoming a Fellow, Jim co-founded the Electric Vehicle Club at Purdue and was president of Purdue Innovations, the university’s entrepreneurship club.
For Danielson that means creating a more powerful and efficient motor for electric vehicles.”I had this idea for the motor, but I did not have the funding to go through with it and I didn’t have the connections to really start a business,” Danielson said Thursday morning from his home in Arlington Heights, Ill., outside Chicago.They bought the Porsche for $500, then sold parts from it that they didn’t need for about the same amount. They spent about $6,000 on the conversion.
“One of the other reasons I thought the Thiel Fellowship was a good idea to drop out of school for a few years and forgo my degree, is that the electric vehicle industry is a fast-changing marketplace.
“I feel if I had waited two years to finish my degree and start a business without funding, I would lose the opportunity to make an impact in the industry.”The idea for applying to the Thiel Fellowship was planted in Danielson by his mother.” I had a heard about it from a friend and I told Jim about it,” Kim Danielson said. “But I told him, we would want you to be in school, not do something like this.”Kim Danielson said she expected her son to finish college and find a job — just as his three other siblings have done or are in the process of doing.
But Jim Danielson quietly applied for the fellowship, at age 19, and only told his parents after receiving a call he was a finalist. Overall, more than 400 people applied from 20 countries for the Thiel Fellowships”I would be lying as a parent, if I said we did not have concerns about his leaving school for two years,” she said.
But after researching Thiel and the fellowship, Kim Danielson and her husband realized it was the perfect fit for Jim.”You know how people think about doing things but don’t because we see the barriers,” she said. “Jim doesn’t see the barriers; he sees the possibilities.”Danielson became interested in electric motors in high school through involvement in the BattleBots robot competitions.
After high school Danielson electrified a Porsche 1987 924S with fellow Purdue student Sean Kleinschmidt .”I never was interested in gasoline cars,” he said. “I didn’t mess around with cars growing up, I messed around with electronics.
“Once on campus, Danielson co-founded the Electric Vehicle Club at Purdue and was president of Purdue Innovations, the university’s entrepreneurship club. Sunday Danielson will head to Mountain View, Calif. to start the program. But he will return to Purdue in the fall to take one class — electric motor design.”I will be simultaneously working on my project for the majority of the day,” he said.
In January he will move back to Silicon Valley and leave Purdue.Through the fellowship Danielson will work with mentors in the electric vehicle industry and have access to technology, labs and professionals that are not available at the West Lafayette campus.His goal is to create an electric motor for electric vehicles that is more efficient and cheaper to produce than current models. Much of the interest around the fellowship has focused on its creator, Thiel, who has raised eyebrows with his criticism of higher education in America and the debt associated with getting a modern college degree.
Danielson and Thiel were featured Friday on CNN’s American Morning program. During the program, Thiel said students taking part in the program were not dropping out of school. He called it “stop out,” since they can return to classes later. “Every moment in history happens only once.
So these technologies and inventions, there is a right time and right place for them,” Thiel told CNN. “If the Facebook people has stayed in college for another two years, they may not have started Facebook.”
Porsche entered the Chinese market in 2001 and in this one decade they’ve been present there they enjoyed an enormous success. So they announced a celebratory edition of the 911 on this occasion.
It is the Porsche 911 Turbo S China 10th Anniversary Edition which as you might have already guessed is limited to 10 units, each sporting a numbered plaque.
The Turbo S 3.8-liter flat-six makes 530 hp and sends them to all four wheels via a PDK gearbox. So the technicalities are similar to other Turbo S models. But the visual features set it apart.
The China edition is finished in a a special Gold Bronze Metallic garnished with carbon and high gloss bits. It even comes with Fuchs 19-inch wheels borrowed from the 911 Sport Classic special edition. The car also has a factory-fitted aero kit with bigger front spoiler and rear wing. A pretty unique 911 then.
But then it has hefty price tag of nearly 550,000 USD! That’s most likely due to the Chinese tax on imported cars, because a 911 wouldn’t cost that much no matter how special it is.
What’s so special? The new Porsche 911 10th Anniversary Edition China is characterized by a particular body for the golden color, topped by the front cover of carbon fiber (the same material is also a rear spoiler, fixed and clearly visible on the door of the sports coupe) and the rims 19-inch alloy Classic Sport (mostly blacks, with a drawing rather than vintage flavor).
Inside the cabin of the new Porsche 911 10th Anniversary Edition China, the manufacturer has installed the steering wheel Sport Design, Alcantara, sports sessions, the decorative insert Carbon fiber badge, and exclusive special version.
There was a VIP Preview in Shanghai on 20 April, where thе Porsche 911 “10 Year Anniversary Edition” was launched on 20 – 22 May at thе Porsche National 10 year anniversary event.
Owners of thе 911 “10 Year Anniversary Edition” will receive a replica sculpture with each owner’s name personally engraved on thе base plate.
“The Porsche 911 series is well recognised as thе most iconic Porsche model line.
Beyond greeting thе 10th birthday of Porsche in China, an important milestone in Porsche history, thе Porsche 911 ‘10 Year Anniversary Edition’ is anothеr endorsement to commemorate 25 years of Porsche Exclusive creations, all offering thе highest level of personalisation service,” said, Mr. Helmut Broeker, Chief Executive Officer of Porsche China.
The new Porsche 911 “10 Year Anniversary Edition” will be available at Porsche Centres across Mainland China from this June2011.
Porsche Centre Zhengzhou
Tel: +86 371 62008 911
Ten Years of Faith: Porsche Commemorates a Decade in Mainland ChinaAnniversary year honours outstanding growth in China market
Shanghai. Porsche China celebrates its tenth anniversary in 2011, looking back on a decade in which it has made history, broken records and led the automotive industry in bringing sports cars that are ‘Made in Faith’ to the Porsche enthusiasts of China. Since the opening of Porsche Centre Beijing Central in 2001, China has grown to become the second largest market for Porsche worldwide, achieving stunning growth over the past decade: from 27 cars sold in 2002, to 13,856 in 2010 in Mainland China.
The sports car maker’s illustrious legacy has been built with faith in its ability to meet the needs of the world’s most dynamic automotive market. By becoming an official subsidiary of Porsche AG in 2008, Porsche marked the beginning of a new era in its China history. The new subsidiary allowed Porsche greater flexibility to successfully satisfy the demands of the Chinese market. To date, the company has opened 31 Porsche Centres in China, with September 2010 seeing Porsche China open its first directly-operated Porsche Centre at Shanghai Pudong. This flagship facility is now a vital component of future Porsche operations in China, setting a benchmark for innovative new strategies and initiatives and making Porsche China even more responsive to the needs of customers.
Further landmark events are scheduled for 2011, as Porsche China continues its programme of expansion with grand opening ceremonies at Porsche Centres Taizhou, Zhengzhou, Haikou and Chengdu Airport. As a symbol of its phenomenal growth over the last decade, Porsche China welcomed its 50,000th customer this year, demonstrating the rising popularity of the marque as it moves forward into a second decade in the China market.
Mr. Bernhard Maier, Vice President Sales and Marketing of Porsche AG said, “The achievements of Porsche in Mainland China have been a significant factor in the success of Porsche across the world in the last ten years. With an on-going commitment to this market, we will continue to expand our network of Porsche Centres, bringing our Chinese customers ultimate sports cars that are instilled with Porsche DNA and provide the standards of performance, style and agility that are derived from Porsche Intelligent Performance.”
Throughout its first decade in China, Porsche has nurtured an automotive culture that values intelligent sports car engineering. Since Porsche first thrilled crowds at Auto Shanghai 2005 with the Carrera GT super sports car, Chinese enthusiasts have enjoyed yet more magnificent model premieres from the RS Spyder at Auto Shanghai 2007 and the Cayenne Turbo S at Auto China 2008 in Beijing. The World Premiere of the Porsche Panamera in 2009 – notably held on the 94th Floor of the Shanghai World Financial Centre – also underlined the great faith that Porsche has invested in the China market. More recently, Chinese crowds were treated to a glimpse of the mid-engine 918 Spyder at Auto China 2010 and the innovative new racing lab, the 918 RSR, at this year’s Auto Shanghai.
In supporting this enthusiasm for its unique sports cars, Porsche China has welcomed events that celebrate the faith of Porsche in its past, present and future. From 2002, the Porsche World Roadshow has toured China, proving to fans nationwide that there is no more exciting way to experience Porsche than on the racetrack. This sentiment is undoubtedly supported by the aspiring racers and customers that have made the Porsche Sport Driving School so hugely popular. Enthusiasts have also had a chance to take their passion for Porsche on the road with the Porsche Drive to Excellence. A fully comprehensive range of driving activities has been provided by Fascination Porsche since 2009, with a selection of famous sports cars from the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart and current model lines bringing unforgettable driving experiences to cities across China.
With popular acclaim has come significant praise, as China’s best automotive publications have continued to recognise the brilliance of Porsche Intelligent Performance. Close to 70 awards have been bestowed on the Porsche range, including ‘Best Imported Sports Car’ for the 911 Carrera from Auto Magazine, Auto World Magazine’s ‘People’s Choice Award’ for the Cayenne SUV and the title of ‘Luxury Car of the Year’ from Orient Auto for the Panamera. Porsche has also been honoured with the ultimate accolade from Auto Motor und Sport for two consecutive years, as ‘Best Sport Brand’ in 2010 and ‘Best Brand’ in 2011.
Highlighting its legendary racing history, Porsche has continued to bring the excitement of motor sports to new audiences in China. From 2001, the marque has triumphed throughout Asia, bringing its unique motorsport legacy to events from the Transsyberia Rally of 2008 to the Intercontinental Le Mans Series at Zhuhai in 2010. Since roaring off the grid in 2003, the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia (PCCA) has become China’s most popular one-make series, contesting rounds each year on racetracks across China. The success of the series has proved inspirational to Chinese teams, with PCCA legends such as Darryl O’Young and Christian Menzel taking to the track alongside mainland Chinese racers such as Wang Jianwei and Rose Tan with the support of thousands of Chinese fans. The success of teams from Mainland China, such as Team Jebsen, Team StarChase, Team BetterLife, Team Kangshun and Team C&D, point to a bright future for the series, which has now been under the management of Porsche China since January 2011.
As Porsche celebrates the many milestones of its first decade in China, it continues to demonstrate its commitment to China’s social development through the ‘Empowering the Future’ initiative. Conceived after Porsche contributed an initial RMB 5 million in the aftermath of the Wenchuan earthquake of 2008, the collaboration with UNICEF has supplied educational resources and training to schools that were affected by the natural disaster. Through direct donations and fund raising programmes such as the ‘Empowering the Future’ Art Contest with Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, Porsche has now contributed more than RMB 10.2 million and four modified Cayennes to the initiative, improving the lives of over 55,000 students in 260 schools throughout the region and affirming the strength of its confidence in China’s future.
In tribute to a first decade of achievement for Porsche China, customers, media and Porsche representatives from across the country were invited to the Grand Hyatt Beijing on May 20- 22 for an evening of gala celebrations. Guest of honour Dr. Wolfgang Porsche, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Porsche Automobil Holding SE and grandson of company founder Ferdinand Porsche, was joined by Mr. Bernhard Maier, Vice President Sales and Marketing Porsche AG, in addressing the VIP audience. Both expressed their excitement at the success of Porsche China while underlining the continued importance of this market to worldwide Porsche operations. Renowned singer Na Ying also joined the event, presented by celebrity hosts Tsai Kang Yong and Wang Youjia.
The ten year anniversary celebration was complemented by the third annual Fascination Porsche event at Beijing Goldenport Circuit from May 21-22, as invited guests enjoyed a dazzling array of Porsche sports cars and activities within an authentic motor sport setting. Arriving from all corners of the world, the event features a showcase of some of the most famous cars in the history of Porsche. The award-winning line-up of Museum cars included championship racers such as the Porsche RS Spyder and Porsche 935, and models such as the Porsche 356 Speedster. Attendees were also treated to the sight of the Porsche 917 KH – originally sponsored by mineral oil producer Gulf and winner of classic races such as Daytona and Le Mans. Throughout the Fascination Porsche event, a range of track driving activities brought Porsche Intelligent Performance to life behind the wheel of contemporary models such the Boxster S, Cayman S and Panamera.
Mr. Helmut Broeker, Chief Executive Officer of Porsche China, said, “For the tenth anniversary of Porsche China, I am proud of the many milestones we have achieved so far. The successful expansion of our Porsche Centre network has brought flawless and consistent service closer to our customers across China. As a result of these great efforts, we welcomed the 50,000th Porsche customer in this market this year. With this growing community of Porsche enthusiasts, Porsche has been credited with bringing sports car culture to this emerging market. I would like to offer my thanks to our Porsche Centre dealers, customers, partners and media friends who have made this past decade a triumph. Together we have shared in China’s great prosperity, and together we look forward to many more decades of outstanding accomplishment for Porsche in China.”
[San Francisco] SFGate.com In Alameda Blog – By now you’ve probably heard the news — or seen the billboards and painted vans. According to one Oakland minister, this Saturday at 6 pm local time, the world is going to end. Read more: here…..
It’s pretty dire stuff, and by all accounts a lot of people, mostly with a fundamentalist Christian affinity, are at pains to make sure they are not left behind. The most visible evidence of this comes from people who have spent considerable sums of their personal fortunes to spread the message on placards, cars, billboards and every other form of mass communication they can think of — or afford — in hope of saving some straggling souls.
One person, has been warning Christians and heathens alike by driving around in a painted Porsche with Rapture messages.
“In case of Rapture, this Porsche will be unmanned, a-rockin’, don’t come a-knockin’ …driver will be unarmed, unlegged, unheaded, untorsoed…”
Now, how do the rest of us divide up the spoils left behind?
ok, I got dibs on….first the entire contents of the Porsche Museum, Versailles and the British Museum. Along with the Smithsonian and the Getty.
Strong growth in April: Porsche reports a 53 per cent surge in customer deliveries Cayenne sales double and Panamera wins over even more buyers world-wide
FRANKFURT (Dow Jones)–German sportscar manufacturer Porsche Automobil Holding SE (PAH3.XE) said Tuesday its April global vehicle deliveries surged 53% on the year.
MAIN FACTS:
-In April 2011, customer deliveries rose to 11,741 vehicles world-wide.
-During the first four months of 2011, deliveries jumped nearly 32% from the year-earlier period.
-The new generation of the sporty Cayenne off-roader was the main driver of sales.
-With 19,175 deliveries from January to April, sales of this model have virtually doubled compared to the same period in the previous year.
-In Europe, April customer deliveries were up nearly 31% on the year.
-Frankfurt Bureau, Dow Jones Newswires; 49-69-29725-500
Stuttgart. Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, has made a good start in the spring:in April 2011, the sports car manufacturer showed an increase in customer deliveries to 11,741 vehicles world-wide.
This is a strong gain of 52.8 per cent over the same period in the previous year. Looking back on the first four months of the current financial year 2011, deliveries have jumped 31.5 per cent overall.
The main driving force behind this is the new generation of the sporty Cayenne off-roader. With 19,175 deliveries from January to April, sales of this model have virtually doubled compared to the same period in the previous year.
Bernhard Maier, Porsche AG Board of Management Member for Sales and Marketing, sees this as confirmation of the company‘s strategy:
“Every Porsche is the sportiest model in its segment. Our customers world-wide love the combination of performance and efficiency, such as in the new Panamera S Hybrid or 911 GT3 RS 4.0.”
Porsche has posted robust growth in all key sales regions. North America (USA and Canada), saw growth of 77.1 per cent in April, which is 3,495 vehicles more than the same month of the previous year. Of this, 3,172 vehicles (+ 81.5 %) were sold in the USA, which is traditionally the number 1 marketplace for Porsche.
In Europe, Porsche has reported a gain of 30.6 per cent in the fourth month of the year: exactly 3,896 more sporty vehicles were sold than in April 2010. In Germany, sales grew by 1,523 vehicles (+ 19.5 %). In Asia and in the rest of the world, sales rose by 56.5 per cent to 4,029 vehicles. China, now Porsche’s second most important market, reported continued growth; with 2,316 Porsche vehicles delivered, sales were up 48.8 per cent compared to April 2010.
The overall results for all four model series clearly reflect the positive development made by Porsche in the past month: 5,998 Cayenne models were sold, almost double the figure of the same month last year.
The Panamera as well, up 14.9 per cent with unit sales of 2,212, accounts for a significant share of Porsche’s success. In the sports car segment, the 911 almost matched the previous year’s level with 2,225 vehicles delivered (- 2.9%). Sales of Boxster series were down 8.7 per cent at 1,306 units. 762 vehicles were accounted for by the Boxster and 544 units by the Cayman.
Nürburgring 24 hour race
The vehicle, however, has been substantially reined in by the organizers.
Joerg Bergmeister (Germany)
Richard Lietz (Austria)
Patrick Long (USA)
and Marco Holzer (Germany)
Romain Dumas (France)
Marc Lieb (Germany)
as well as Manthey pilot Lucas Luhr (Switzerland)
Timo Bernhard
Another Porsche factory pilot, Wolf Henzler (Germany), competes for the Falken Motorsport team.
Porsche Everyday Dedeporsches Blog 