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Stuttgart. For the 2013 racing season, Porsche AG will field two new GT racecars based on the newest generation of the Porsche 911 at the Le Mans 24 hour race and in the World Endurance Championship (WEC). For the first time since the overall victory in 1998, a factory team from Porsche will tackle the famed long distance classic in France.
While having halted development of its 997-model 911 GT3 RSR and pulled factory support from Flying Lizard Motorsports and Team Felbermayr-Proton, Porsche announced Friday that it will field a team of its own in next year’s FIA World Endurance Championship with its new-generation GTE contender.
The German manufacturer will team up with longtime partner Manthey Racing to campaign two new 991-model Porsche 911 RSRs in the global sports car championship, including a full attack at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The effort, to be run under the Porsche AG Team Manthey banner, will mark the first factory entry in the twice-around-the-clock marathon by Porsche since its overall victory in the famed race in 1998.
Porsche 911
The two new Porsche 911 RSR, which race in the GTE category, will be run by the Porsche AG Team Manthey.
Porsche 911
The role of team manager goes to the experienced endurance specialist Olaf Manthey, who has celebrated five overall wins with Porsche at the Nürburgring 24 hour race and recently fielded a 911 GT3 RSR in the International GT Open.
Porsche 911
“The new 911 RSR is currently being developed by our engineers and tested by our works drivers,” says Porsche Head of Motorsport, Hartmut Kristen. “What better time could there be to introduce the new car than the Porsche 911’s 50th anniversary.”
Hartmut Kristen, Head of Porsche Motorsport
Full details of Porsche’s factory program, including drivers, are unclear at this point. However, it would seem logical for both cars to be filled with its usual crop of factory pilots, with Marc Lieb, Richard Lietz, Joerg Bergmeister and Patrick Long all appearing to be potential candidates. Additionally, fellow factory driver Marco Holzer and Nick Tandy, who both drove for Manthey’s works-supported squad in International GT Open this year, could be in contention as well.
THINK YOU CAN DESIGN SOMETHING AMAZING INSPIRED BY THE PORSCHE 911?
IF SO, YOU MIGHT WIN A 911 FOR A YEAR, OR $20,000.
Design competitions are a dime a dozen, so it’s hard to create something that stands out and piques the creative interest of talented designers.
But Co.Design thinks they’ve done just that. Today, with great enthusiasm, they’re announcing the Porsche Next Design Challenge.
The winner stands to get a very nice prize indeed: A one-year lease on a brand-new Porsche 911, or a cash-equivalent of $20,000.
The challenge for you: Design an object smaller than a living room and bigger than a purse, which references three design elements taken from Porsche 911s of the past or present. (But not a car!)
Your work will be judged by two design luminaries:Dror Benshetrit, who has created products for everyone from Cappellini to Target, and Jens Martin Skibsted, founder of Biomega and the designer behind Puma’s superb line of city bikes. (The third judge will be yours truly.)
Far from being a purely speculative contest,Co.Design be giving finalists and outstanding entries a spotlight on their site–highlighting the process and ingenuity, and hopefully giving more visibility. You’ll see these posts roll-out throughout the spring, in the run-up to the deadline.
Are you entering the Next Design Challenge? Here’s something to get your creative juices flowing: A look at great Porsche 911’s of the past and present.To get your process started, they created a slideshow of famous Porsche designs. And if you want to find out more about the contest, you can click here.
The deadline for entries is April 6, 2012. We can’t wait to see what you come up with. Good luck!
There are thousands of design details that go into creating a Porsche. Each builds upon the rest, creating the car’s essence. Could you take one element of the iconic design to create a brand new thing that embodies what Porsche is, but in an entirely new outlet?
NEXT DESIGN KEY CONTEST DATES
April 6, 2012
Entries Due
April 13, 2012
Top 25 Designs Revealed
April 23, 2012
Top 7 Designs Revealed
May 14, 2012
Top 7 Updated Designs Posted and User’s Choice Voting Begins
May 21, 2012
Grand Prize Winner and User’s Choice Winner Revealed
Co. Design is looking for designs inspired by Porsche’s signature car.
Enter by April 6th, and you could win a one year lease
on your own Porsche 911 or cash equivalent worth $20,000.
Porsche Everyday Dedeporsches Blog 