It's all about Porsche…if you're an owner of a Porsche,or a big enthusiast of Porsche Cars, Porsche Motorsports, Porsche Design, Porsche History, or a member of a Porsche Club….join me on focusing just about PORSCHE!!
Videos from the shootout from the Porsche Motorsport International Scholarship process on the Autodromo di Vallelunga. Which is contested this week and for the next couple of weeks. Porsche will make a decision on who will get the scholarship for the next years Supercup 2013.
Stay tuned here for the latest updates as they come in.
Video Shootout #2 on the Autodromo di Vallelunga …”9 Drivers – 1 Goal”
PORSCHE MOTORSPORT INTERNATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP #1 Video at Autodromo di Vallelunga
Video Shootout #1 on the Autodromo di Vallelunga.. “Dancing in the Rain”
PORSCHE MOTORSPORT INTERNATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP #2 Video at Autodromo di Vallelunga
Dennis van de Laar, Connor de Phillippi, Levin Amweg, Alex Riberas Bou, Jeffrey Schmidt, Pieter Schotthorst (l. – r.), Porsche Junior Programme, Vallelunga
Press Release29/10/2012
Porsche Junior Programme …… Stay tuned for more updates from this post.
Six finalists at evaluation drive in Vallelunga
Porsche Motorsport International Scholarship
Latest video from the shootout on the Porsche press database
Stuttgart. A video from the Porsche Motorsport International Scholarship on the Autodromo di Vallelunga, which is contested today
Porsche Junior Programme
Fifth video from the final of the process on the Porsche press database
A further video from the final of the Porsche Junior process on the Autodromo di Vallelunga, which is contested on Monday and Tuesday
Porsche Junior Programme
Fourth video from the final of the process on the Porsche press database
A further video from the final of the Porsche Junior process on the Autodromo di Vallelunga, which is contested on Monday and Tuesday (10/29 & 10/30)
Stuttgart. Six young pilots aged from 18 to 20 years will front each other to determine who receives intensive support in the 2013 season as a Porsche Junior in the Carrera Cup Deutschland.
Dennis van de Laar, Pieter Schothorst, Jeffrey Schmidt, Alex Riberas Bou, Levin Amweg, Connor de Phillippi, Porsche Junior Programme, Vallelunga
Porsche Junior Programme
Third video from the final of the process on the Porsche press database
Stuttgart. A further video from the final of the Porsche Junior process on the Autodromo di Vallelunga, which is contested on Monday and Tuesday
At the finale of the international youth selection process, two Swiss drivers Levin Amweg (18) and Jeffrey Schmidt (18), two Dutchmen Dennis van de Laar (18) and Pieter Schothorst (20), a Spaniard Alex Riberas Bou (18) as well as American Connor de Philippi (19) will undertake a comprehensive test programme this Monday and Tuesday in Vallelunga (Italy) with the 450 hp Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.
Porsche Junior Programme – 6 Finalisten – 6 Finalists
Stuttgart. A video from the final of the Porsche Junior process on the Autodromo di Vallelunga, which is contested on Monday and Tuesday,
In the lead-up, the six finalists had come out on top in an extensive selection process against young talents from around the world. Factors taken into account were fitness, mental strength, demeanour and technical understanding.
Pieter Schothorst, Dennis van de Laar, Levin Amweg, Connor de Phillippi, Alex Riberas Bou, Jeffrey Schmidt, Porsche Junior Programme, Vallelunga
Now working alongside engineers on the track, the junior drivers, all of whom were successful in various national and international formula race series, will be tested for consistent times over a race distance as well as in simulated qualifying laps. Moreover, candidates must demonstrate their skill in handling the media with television interviews and photo shoots.
Porsche Junior Programme 2013 – Second video from the final of the process
Stuttgart. A further video from the final of the Porsche Junior process on the Autodromo di Vallelunga, which is contested on Monday and Tuesday.
In the weeks following the selection process, two pilots will be chosen after careful analysis of all data and given support in their 2013 Carrera Cup Deutschland campaign as Porsche juniors. Porsche provides a large part of the season’s budget. The junior pilots choose their own race team based on a defined set of criteria from Porsche Motorsport
Dennis van de Laar, Levin Amweg, Pieter Schothorst, Connor de Phillippi, Jeffrey Schmidt, Alex Riberas Bou, PorscheJunior Programme, Vallelunga
Aside from financial funding as well as support from an experienced coach who accompanies the two drivers on and off the race track, the Porsche juniors receive assistance similar to the internationally successful Porsche factory pilots.
Fitness tests with constantly adapted training plans as well as media coaching, technical seminars and sponsor obligations are also part of the programme. In the 2012 season, both Porsche juniors Michael Christensen (Denmark) and Klaus Bachler (Austria) started the programme which initially runs for four years.
Porsche has intensively supported talented youngsters in motorsport since 1997. T
Stuttgart, Germany/Santa Ana, Calif. – October 26 –With a new race car based on the new, seventh-generation Porsche 911 (type 991) street car on the horizon, Porsche Motorsport has announced it will wind down its development program for the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (type 997) – a very successful venture which began in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) in 2005.
Hartmut Kristen, head of Porsche Motorsport worldwide, in making the announcement, explained that the current 911 race car will reach the end of its product cycle, and, while support will continue for customer teams, further new component development will be discontinued in favor of resources devoted to the all-new car.
“Just like our recent Porsche RS Spyder program, we must appreciate the success of our race cars during their product cycle, but move on to new models when it is time to do so. The venerable Porsche 911 GT3 RSR has provided our Porsche customer teams with numerous wins and championships, and will remain competitive in 2013.
Porsche will support the customer teams which continue to race that car, but the time has come and we now must focus our research and engineering development efforts on its successor,” said Mr. Kristen.
“The new Porsche 911 GT3 RSR is slated to make its North American debut in 2014,” said Kristen.
In North America, the development partner helping to design, engineer and implement improvements in the current 911 RSR race car has been Flying Lizard Motorsports in the GT class of the ALMS. This partnership now is discontinued.
Jens Walther, president of Porsche Motorsport North America, was quick to point out that customer teams still wishing to run the current 911 race car will be able to continue to do so in the American Le Mans Series with full at-the track engineering and parts support.
PMNA shop service from Porsche will also continue in 2013.
“We will be at the track with our usual support for 2013, and some of our current customer teams have already committed to run the 911 GT3 RSR (type 997) next year. Each of the current teams will be announcing their plans as we get closer to the ALMS Winter Test in February,” he said.
Walther also pointed out that the Flying Lizards have been a terrific development partner since they took on the role with Porsche Motorsport in2007.
“Team owner Seth Neiman and his entire Flying Lizard Motorsports organization have helped both Porsche Motorsport and all our customer teams around the world by being our development partner in the U.S. Together we have won multiple championships in the ALMS.
The team has assisted in testing everything from new engines and transmissions to the latest aero package we introduced earlier this year – all to improve the car for everyone. Inthe midst of all that, they won three straight ALMS GT championships in the most competitive class in sports car racing.
We thank Seth and his team for that service, and hope their racing plans going forward continue to includePorsche,” Walther said.
“It’s impressive how the 911 GT3 RSR has developed from year to year. The lap times alone are astounding, because despite the restrictions imposed on us again and again by the regulations, the car just got faster every year,” says Porsche works driver Joerg Bergmeister, who has celebrated the majority of his successes at the wheel of the 911 GT3 RSR.
October 26, 2012 – Sonoma, CA – Seth Neiman, Flying Lizard team principal said:
FLYING LIZARDS MOTORSPORTS TEAM
“I and the entire Flying Lizard family would like to thank Porsche for their support and partnership over the last nine years.
Together we have worked hard and have learned to rely on each other in critical moments, of which there have been many throughout our 100 races and multiple GT championships. Joerg Bergmeister, Patrick Long, Hartmut Kristen, Jens Walther, Uwe Brettel, Alwin Springer, Roland Kussmaul, Hans-Georg Breuer and many others at Porsche get our special thanks, along with the numerous Porsche employees and affiliates in Germany, Atlanta and Southern California who have been an integral part of our team, and with whom we have become close friends.Flying Lizard remains committed to sports car racing, and we look forward to announcing details of our 2013 racing program later this year.”
The end of the 2012 ALMS season is marked with the ten hours of Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta. To celebrate the close of the season, Porsche shows the Art of Speed – the racing moments you may have missed from the historic event.
The race
The Petit Le Mans is a highlight of the race series featuring the fastest sports cars in the world. The race on the 4.087 kilometre Road Atlanta circuit near Braselton, one of the most storied and challenging race tracks in the United States, has been contested since 1999.
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
The Porsche drivers
In the cockpit of Flying Lizard Motorsports’ Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, Porsche works drivers Joerg Bergmeister and Patrick Long team up with their factory pilot colleague Patrick Pilet (France). In the Falken Tire entry, Porsche works driver Wolf Henzler (Germany) shares driving duties with Bryan Sellers (USA) and Martin Ragginger (Austria). Driving the sister Flying Lizard-Porsche is Porsche works driver Marco Holzer (Germany) with teammates Seth Neiman (USA) and Nick Tandy (Great Britain). The sixth Porsche works driver in Petit Le Mans is Richard Lietz (Austria) who helms the 911 GT3 RSR of Paul Miller Racing with Sascha Maassen (Germany) and Bryce Miller (USA).
The vehicle
The Porsche 911 GT3 RSR is the top model of Porsche Motorsport’s range of customer race cars. For the 2012 racing season, the vehicle received extensive modifications and has featured a new front splitter and an adapted rear wing since the race in Laguna Seca.
Porsche successes
With nine GT victories since 1999, Porsche is the most successful manufacturer at Road Atlanta. Joerg Bergmeister set the benchmark with five wins in a row from 2003 to 2007. With the Porsche RS Spyder sports prototype, Porsche celebrated three straight victories in the LMP2 class from 2006 to 2008.
The schedule
The race takes off on Saturday, 20 October, at 11.30 hrs local time (17.30 hrs CEST) and runs for maximum ten hours. The event is shown on http://www.americanlemans.com/live. The GT qualifying can be seen live on Friday from 20.20 hours on http://www.porsche.com/alms-live.
Quotes before the race
Hartmut Kristen, Porsche Head of Motorsport: “The traditional Petit Le Mans marks the end of an extremely exciting season where we witnessed particularly tough fights in the GT class. With 40 sports cars lining up for the final round on Road Atlanta the final will certainly be another highlight.”
Joerg Bergmeister: “Petit Le Mans is a memorable finish to the season. We want to win the vice championship but to do this we have to finish in front of our competitors – and that is no easy task.”
Patrick Long: “Road Atlanta is a fantastic track. It’s a real challenge for all drivers. Of course we are hoping to be just as competitive as we were at the last races. If we manage this then anything is possible.”
Patrick Pilet: “A 1,000 mile race is always something very special. It’s a huge challenge but a heap of fun.”
Wolf Henzler: “Petit Le Mans is a very special race. At the start shortly before midday it’s usually very warm and then at dusk it turns noticeably cooler. The temperature difference makes the tyre choice more difficult.”
Marco Holzer: “Road Atlanta is a fascinating race track. I hope we can maintain our top form from the last race in Virginia. That would be a great end to the racing year.”
Richard Lietz: “I’m looking forward to contesting such a classic event. I will do everything I can to help my teammates finish the season successfully.”
The American Le Mans Series
The American Le Mans Series (ALMS) was created in 1999 for sports prototypes and GT vehicles. The field is divided into five classes: GT, GTC, LMP1, LMP2 and LMPC. All classes start together but are classified separately.
Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, Team Felbermayr-Proton: Christian Ried, Gianluca Roda, Paolo Ruberti
Stuttgart. The World Endurance Championship showcases the world’s fastest sports cars in the Gulf region on 29 September. At round six of the new long distance championship in Bahrain, the Porsche works drivers Marc Lieb (Germany) und Richard Lietz (Austria) are keen to score their second win of the season with their Felbermayr-Proton Porsche 911 GT3 RSR.
Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, Team Felbermayr-Proton: Christian Ried, Gianluca Roda, Paolo Ruberti
More reports from qualifying and the race over the course of the weekend.
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
Porsche pilots set sights on second win of season
The race
The six hour race is contested on the Bahrain International Circuit close to Sakhir. On the 5.407 kilometre track, two Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup races are held each year as support to the Bahrain Grand Prix.
The Porsche drivers
Marc Lieb and Richard Lietz, the winners of the race in Spa-Francorchamps, share the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR in the hotly-contested GTE Pro class against strong opposition from Ferrari and Aston Martin. Christian Ried (Germany) and his Italian teammates Gianluca Roda and Paolo Ruberti, the winners of the season-opener in Sebring, contest the GTE Am class the 2011 model year Porsche fielded by Felbermayr-Proton.
The vehicle
The Porsche 911 GT3 RSR is the top model of Porsche Motorsport’s customer racing vehicles. For the 2012 racing season, the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR received extensive modifications. Additionally, the race car was fitted with a new front splitter and an adapted rear wing after Le Mans.
The schedule
The six hour race starts on Saturday, 29 September, at 16.00 hrs local time (17.00 CEST). Eurosport 1 shows highlights on 2 October at 00.15 hrs.
Quotes before the race
Hartmut Kristen, Head of Porsche Motorsport: “Motorsport fans in Bahrain already know and love the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup from the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup and the GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East. At the World Endurance Championship, we are now looking forward to showing them some racing action with the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR – our top model of customer racing vehicles – and to win them over with its performance.”
Marc Lieb: “The track is very flowing and huge fun. The decisive factor will be how well we can set-up the car for the track and the very high temperatures. Our performance in Sao Paulo was very good in the second half of the race. In Bahrain we now have to try to maintain that pace over the entire distance.”
Richard Lietz: “I competed on this circuit in 2006 with the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. It suits our car very well. In the many fast corners our aerodynamics could turn out to be a decisive advantage. I think we have the speed to win. Our minimum goal is to finish on the podium.”
The World Endurance Championship
Sports prototypes and GT vehicles race in four different classes in the World Endurance Championship: LMGTE Pro, LMGTE Am, LMP1 and the LMP2. They start together but are classified separately.
Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, Team Felbermayr-Proton: Marc Lieb, Richard Lietz
Richard Lietz, Team Felbermayr-ProtonChristian Ried, Team Felbermayr-Proton
Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, Team JWA-Avila: Paul Daniels, Joel Camathias, Markus Palttala
Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL), René Rast (D), Sean Edwards (GB) Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 07 Zandvoort 2012
Stuttgart. Time penalties for half of the field – that is an exception in Germany’s fastest one make race series. Still it happened at the 13th race of the season on the challenging former Grand Prix circuit of Zandvoort.
And one of the beneficiaries was René Rast. Driving for the Team Deutsche Post by tolimit he did not cross the finish line as the winner but was classified as first.
Hans Bernd Kamps, René Rast Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 07 Zandvoort 2012
With his fifth victory of the season, Rast has extended his series lead to twelve points over his closest rival with four races left on the calendar.
Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL), René Rast (D), Sean Edwards (GB) Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 07 Zandvoort 2012
Second place went to Jeroen Bleekemolen from the Netherlands at his guest appearance for Attempto Racing.
Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL), Sean Edwards (GB) Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 07 Zandvoort 2012
And scoring third place, Sean Edwards (Team Deutsche Post by tolimit) earned more crucial points towards his diminishing chance in the title race.
Sean Edwards (GB) Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 07 Zandvoort 2012
For the double champion of the international Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup and Carrera Cup champion of 2008, René Rast, this result was quietly satisfying: The seasoned campaigner made a mistake during yesterday’s race at the end of the safety car phase and lost certain victory because of the subsequent penalty.
Today, Rast only saw the flag in third after a rather uneventful race. But because the first two, Norbert Siedler (Austria, Konrad Motorsport) and Nicki Thiim (Denmark, Hermes Attempto Racing), were given a 30-second time penalty due to driving too fast under the yellow flag, Rast was handed his fifth victory of the season.
Jeroen Bleekemolen gladly accepted the surprise gift of second place. As a guest starter, however, his job was first and foremost to stock up the points’ account for the Attempto squad – and he certainly did this well.
Start Rennen 2: Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 07 Zandvoort 2012
For Sean Edwards, third place was a positive outcome for a race that started badly. After taking off into the sprint from third on the grid, the Briton was shunted and was running only in seventh after the first lap. On the narrow track on the North Sea coast, overtaking is difficult enough anyway, but rain early this morning complicated the situation even more. Because away the racing line the track was damp and at times wet.
Sean Edwards (GB) Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 07 Zandvoort 2012
Feisty Edwards managed to slip past guest starter Jeroen Mul (Netherlands, Team Bleekemolen), but he had no chance against Jeroen Bleekemolen at his home round.
Norbert Siedler (A) Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 07 Zandvoort 2012
Fourth and fifth place went to two pilots, Norbert Siedler und Nicki Thiim, who fought a gripping duel at the front over the entire race distance: Heading into race 13 from pole position, the Dane immediately moved into the lead, while the Austrian only started from fifth place, but quickly tucked in behind Thiim.
Nicki Thiim (DK) Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 07 Zandvoort 2012
Afterwards, Siedler stuck to Thiim’s bumper over two-thirds of the race distance – until he finally nabbed him in the 15th lap. Jaap van Lagen (Netherlands, FE Racing by Land-Motorsport) was another driver to be stripped of his fourth place after driving too fast under yellow.
Michael Christensen (DK) Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 07 Zandvoort 2012
Porsche Junior Michael Christensen took home seventh position from Sunday’s race. The 21-year-old headed into the race from ninth, made up two places early on and with plenty of space behind and in front of him, drove a lonely race to the flag.
Behind him in eighth and ninth respectively came two Dutch guest pilots competing for Team Bleekemolen, Jeroen Mul and Sebastiaan Bleekemolen. Clemens Schmid (Austria, SWITCH IT Lechner Racing) grabbed the last top ten spot, while the second Porsche Junior Klaus Bachler (Austria, Team Deutsche Post by tolimit) made up three places to finish in eleventh and earn more points as well as gain experience on this demanding circuit.
Tomorrow, on 27 August, news station N24 televises the 30-minute “Porsche Carrera Cup Magazin” at 18.30 hours. And on Sport1, Carrera Cup highlights will be aired on Saturday, 1 September, from 15.00 to 15.30 hours.
René Rast (winner):
“How does the saying go? You learn from your mistakes. What Nicki and Norbert did today, happened to me on the Red Bull Ring. Today I very deliberately slowed down because I thought something like this would happen.
So I won the race today that I threw away yesterday. Points lead extended, team classification extended – a very satisfying day.”
Jeroen Bleekemolen (second):
“My start was not good and I fell back slightly. It was a difficult race today because only the racing line was dry. That was weird with the penalty. The track became faster because it had dried up.
After René and my mishap yesterday where we were handed the time penalty, I was extra careful today. And ironically the two of us finished in first and second.”
Sean Edwards (third):
“I got away well at the start but Norbert forced me to the outside and hit me hard. He said it was wet on the inside, which I don’t understand. But the result is okay and now I’m looking forward to Oschersleben.”
Michael Christensen (Porsche Junior, seventh):
“I didn’t see the yellow flag and I only realised something was up when the green flag came out. I’m happy with my race today. I started from ninth and finished in seventh. I couldn’t have done better.”
Klaus Bachler (Porsche Junior, eleventh):
“I’m really happy with today. Firstly, I drove from 14th on the grid to finish eleventh, secondly I matched the lap times of the front-runners on a drying track, which is particularly pleasing. Unfortunately I didn’t see the yellow flag and I received a penalty. Otherwise I could easily have moved up a few positions.”
Result race 13
1. René Rast (D), Team Deutsche Post by tolimit, 35:02.465 minutes
2. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL), Attempto Racing, + 3.198
3. Sean Edwards (GB), Team Deutsche Post by tolimit, + 4.544
4. Norbert Siedler (A), Konrad Motorsport, + 27.510
5. Nicki Thiim (DK), Hermes Attempto Racing, + 29.335
6. Jaap van Lagen (NL), FE Racing by Land-Motorsport, + 32.430
7. Michael Christensen (DK), Konrad Motorsport, + 46.511
8. Jeroen Mul (NL), Team Bleekemolen, + 47.358
9. Sebastiaan Bleekemolen (NL), Team Bleekemolen, + 47.358
10. Clemens Schmid (A), SWITCH IT Lechner Racing, + 48.122
11. Klaus Bachler (A), Team Deutsche Post by tolimit, + 48.906
Result Amateurs
1. Hoevert Vos (NL), Land-Motorsport, 35:51.507 minutes
2. Christina Nielsen (DK), Farnbacher ESET Racing, + 26.253 seconds
3. Bill Barazetti (D), MRS GT-Racing, + 12.607
Drivers’ standings after 13 of 17 races
1. René Rast (D), 195 points
2. Sean Edwards (GB), 183
3. Nicki Thiim (DK), 140
4. Norbert Siedler (A), 139
5. Kévin Estre (F), 131
Amateur classification
1. Bill Barazetti (D), 202 points
2. Wolf Nathan (NL), 185
3. Harrie Kolen (NL), 165
Rookie classification
1. Kévin Estre (F), 131 Punkte
2. Michael Christensen (DK), 108
3. Philipp Frommenwiler (CH), 88
Team classification:
1. Team Deutsche Post by tolimit, 383 points
2. Hermes Attempto Racing, 274
3. Konrad Motorsport, 249
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
Preview for races 14 and 15 in Oschersleben
Now it’s getting serious. In three weeks, on 14 to 16 September, the Carrera Cup Deutschland contests races 14 and 15 in the Motorsport-Arena Oschersleben – and heads onto the finish straight of the season. The 3.696 kilometre Oschersleben circuit is twisty and offers very few chances to overtake.
Nevertheless, spectators last year were treated to some thrilling fights that was characterised by heavier rainfall.
Three drivers battled for honours at the front – the very same drivers who make up the top group this year: René Rast saw the flag in second last year, Nicki Thiim posted pole position and finished the race in third, and Sean Edwards still managed to snatch fifth place despite losing a front splitter.
Following this year’s race in Zandvoort, René Rast travels to the next round topping the points, followed by Sean Edwards and Nicki Thiim.
Works driver Patrick Long held a clear lead with the Flying Lizard Motorsports 911 GT3 RSR at round six on the Mid-Ohio Sportscar Course (4 August), until a Corvette came within strik-ing distance during a caution phase to snatch the lead whilst the Porsche pitted for a driver change.
Joerg Bergmeister shaved the gap from five seconds to two-tenths – and took the flag in second. At the fourth race in Lime Rock (7 July), Bergmeister celebrated his 35th ALMS victory and Porsche its first win of the season.
Patrick Long, Jörg Bergmeister 2012 ALMS – Mid-Ohio
Two weeks later, Bergmeister/Long again crossed the finish line in first only to be disqualified due to a faulty air inlet system.
International GT Open: Marco Holzer and Nick Tandy continue at the lead
International GT Open, Paul Ricard, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, Manthey-Racing, Marco Holzer (left), Nick Tandy
After securing a fifth and second place in the 911 GT3 RSR of Manthey-Racing at races nine and ten in Le Castellet (21/22 July), factory pilot Marco Holzer and his teammate Nick Tandy head into the second half of the season tied for the points’ lead with an Aston Martin squad.
International GT Open, Paul Ricard, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, Manthey-Racing, Marco Holzer, Nick Tandy
In the GTS class, the Italian customer team Autorlando Sport scored victory with Archie Hamilton and Marco Mapelli.
Grand-Am: Magnus Racing endurance champions after Indy win
P1, Magnus Racing: (l.-r.) Andy Lally, John Potter; P3, Brumos Racing: (l.-r.) Leh Keen, Andrew Davis, Grand-Am, Indianapolis
A historic success for Porsche customer motorsport: Magnus Racing won the inaugural North American Endurance Championship with the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup driven by John Potter and Andy Lally.
Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, Magnus Racing: John Potter, Andy Lally, Grand-AM, Indianapolis
Potter and Lally secured the title for the Daytona 24 hour winning squad with their triumph at the three hour race in Indianapolis (27 July) – the first GT long distance race on the Grand Prix version of the legendary circuit.
Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, Magnus Racing: John Potter, Andy Lally, Grand-AM, Indianapolis
The North American Endurance Championship consisted of three races: Daytona, 6 hours of Watkins Glen as well as Indy. Leh Keen and Andrew Davis rounded off the Indy weekend for Porsche clinching third place in the Brumos 911 GT3 Cup.
British GT Championship: Season enters dramatic final phase
Porsche 911 GT3 R, Trackspeed Racing, British GT, Snetterton Jon Minshaw/Tim Harvey – Trackspeed Porsche 997 GT3 R, Steve Tandy/Joe Osborne – Trackspeed Porsche 997 GT3 R and David Ashburn/Richard Westbrook Trackspeed Porsche 997 GT3 R
Points’ leader David Ashburn heads to the final two races of the season holding a mere two-point advantage after races 7 and 8 in Snetterton (5 August).
Porsche 911 GT3 R, Trackspeed Racing: Steve Tandy, Joe Osborne, British GT, Snetterton Star, Jon Minshaw/Tim Harvey – Trackspeed Porsche 997 GT3 R leads
Taking off into race seven from pole position, Ashburn and Richard Westbrook finished in sixth with their Trackspeed Porsche 911 GT3 R after clashing with an opponent.
Porsche 911 GT3 R, Trackspeed Racing: David Ashburn, Richard Westbrook, British GT, Snetterton David Ashburn/Richard Westbrook Trackspeed Porsche 997 GT3 R
Joe Osborne, Steve Tandy, British GT, Snetterton
Race eight was over early for the pair after seven laps, handing double victory to Steve Tandy/Joe Osborne and Jon Minshaw/Tim Harvey in Trackspeed Racing’s two other 911 GT3 R.
A successful weekend (14/15 July) for Pro GT by Almeras in Magny-Cours: Anthony Beltoise and Henry Hassid finished the first one-hour race in second and secured eighth at the second sprint with their Porsche 911 GT3 R.
Hassid and Beltoise travel to the next race weekend in Navarra (8/9 September) ranking second overall, separated from the leader by just four points.
Works drivers: Comeback for Timo Bernhard
Timo Bernhard VLN Langstreckenmeisterschaft Nuerburgring 2012, 6h ADAC Ruhr-Pokal-Rennen (2012-08-03): Foto: Jan Brucke
On 4 August at 12:54 p.m., Timo Bernhard took over the wheel of Manthey-Racing’s 911 GT3 R from his works driver teammate Romain Dumas to celebrate his comeback following an injury lay-off after he became an innocent victim of a crash during an Audi test drive in Sebring (USA) in March.
Works drivers: Team building for Marc Lieb/Richard Lietz in 356 Carrera GT
At the 20th Ennstal Classic (11/14 July) in Austria – one of the most important oldtimer rallies – works drivers Marc Lieb and Richard Lietz competed in a 356 Carrera GT (1960) from the Porsche Museum.
Sharing driving duties while the other read rally pace notes from the co-driver’s seat marked a new experience for the pair.
Marc Lieb commented,
“It’s a little un-nerving for a race driver to follow the directions of someone else. But it was certainly a great team building exercise.” The two finished on position 124, partly because they ran out of pet-rol on the Red Bull Ring. Lieb said, “We didn’t have our Norbert Singer at the pit wall to do our fuel calculations for us. I guess we were a little bit wrong…”
In addition to the company’s long-term training and support of Porsche juniors, from 2013 Porsche gives a particularly talented youngster from Carrera Cup series worldwide the chance to move up into the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup.
Porsche provides a large part of the budget. The evaluation drive takes place in autumn on a European race track.
Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup: Quartet enters final chase
Kévin Estre is in the lead after claiming his first win of the season on the Hungaroring (29 July). He sits just one point ahead of reigning champion René Rast. Ranking third is Norbert Siedler six points up on Sean Edwards, who in turn is 12 points shy of Estre.
On the Hockenheimring at its 212th race, the Supercup celebrated its 20th anniversary (22 July). Rast won, ex-Formula 1 pilot Nick Heidfeld impressed with tenth place at his guest appearance. Only two races are left on the calendar (Spa, 2 September; Monza, 9 September).
Sean Johnston defended his lead in the Platinum Cup class with two second placings. In the fight for the Gold Cup, Angel Benitez jr. retained his lead with a win at race eight.
Porsche GT3 Cup, Wright Motorsports: Sean Johnston, IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge, Mosport
At race nine, Australian David Calvert-Jones celebrated his first win in the one-marque race series.
Carrera Cup Asia: Ragginger and Simonsen win in Ordos
The former Porsche Junior Martin Ragginger won race five in Ordos (7 July) in the 911 GT3 Cup fielded by Eagle Jiejun & Junbaojie ahead of points’ leader Alexandre Imperatori.
P1, Team Eagle Jiejun & Junbaojie: Martin Ragginger; P2, PICC Team StarChase: Alexandre Imperatori
Victory at race six (8 July) under difficult weather conditions went to guest driver Allan Simonsen after the Dane had started from the 27th and very last grid spot.
Porsche GT3 Cup, Team Eagle Jiejun & Junbaojie: Martin Ragginger, Carrera Cup Asia, Ordos
Imperatori continues his stronghold in the drivers’ standings over defending champion Keita Sawa.
Carrera Cup France: Ledogar and Vernay favourites for the title
With four races left on the calendar, four-time winner this season Côme Ledogar holds a nar-row lead over Jean Karl Vernay.
In Magny-Cours (14/15 July) recently, Vernay chipped away at the gap with a win and two second places, whilst his opponent yielded three third placings.
Start, Kevin Estre (F) Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Ungarn 2012
Reigning champion and guest starter Kévin Estre (Nourry Compétition) impressed with two victories on the circuit near Nevers in France.
Carrera Cup Italia: Postiglione shunts Malucelli from the top of the table
Scoring victory and a fifth place at races seven and eight on the Red Bull Ring in Austria (4/5 August), Vito Postiglione in Antonelli Motorsports’ 911 GT3 Cup replaced Matteo Malucelli at the top of the points’ table.
Porsche GT3 Cup, Antonelli Motorsport: Matteo Malucelli, Carrera Cup Italia, Red Bull Ring
Malucelli finished Saturday’s race in second, but retired from Sunday’s event when an accident damaged the radiator.
Porsche GT3 Cup, Petri Corse Motorsport: Edoardo Piscopo, Carrera Cup Italia, Red Bull Ring
Edoardo Piscopo (Petri Corse Motorsport) clinched a pole-to-flag victory at Sunday’s race. Six races are still to be contest-ed; two points separate both front-runners.
Carrera Cup Japan: Favorites fulfil all expectations
Porsche GT3 Cup, Team Garmin: Ryo Hirakawa, Carrera Cup Asia, Sportsland Sugo
Ryo Hirakawa in the Garmin Porsche extended his points’ lead after taking a clear sweep with pole position, the fastest race lap and victory at races six and seven at the Sportsland Sugo (28/29 July).
Ryo Hirakawa
Hiroaki Nagai claimed both wins for Ninne Racing and with these triumphs also boosted his lead in the Gentleman Class over the second-placed driver. Four races are left on the calendar.
Porsche GT3 Cup, Team Garmin: Ryo Hirakawa, Carrera Cup Asia, Sportsland Sugo
Next event: 8 September, Fuji.
Race notes: Maiden win of the season for Ebimotors at race seven of the Italian GT Cham-pionship on the Red Bull Ring (4 August) thanks to Alessandro Balzan and Giacomo Barri. The pair came third in race eight with the 911 GT3 R.
Naoki Yokomizo and Kyosuke Mineo defended their class lead in the 911 GT3 R fielded by Endless Taisan claiming fifth at race four of the Japanese Super GT in the Sportsland Sugo (29 July).
René Rast clinches second win of season with a gala performance
Sean Edwards (GB), René Rast (D), Robert Lukas (PL) Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup GP Europa – Valencia 2012
Stuttgart. René Rast is back in the fight for the title of the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup. With a gala performance on the Valencia Street Circuit, the Lechner Racing Team pilot impressively clinched his second win of the season on the street course around the America’s Cup harbour.
René Rast (D) Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup GP Europa – Valencia 2012
The German saw the flag 11.539 seconds ahead of Sean Edwards (Konrad Motorsport) from Great Britain, who secured second place in front of the surprisingly strong FÖRCH Racing driver, Robert Lukas from Poland. With this result, Edwards now moves into the lead of the world’s fastest international one-make race series for the first time this season.
Sean Edwards (GB) Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup GP Europa – Valencia 2012
It was René Rast’s race from start to finish. At the wheel of his 450 hp Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, based on the street-legal lightweight 911 GT3 RS sports car, the title defender took off from pole to immediately settle in at front of the pack.
Start, René Rast (D) Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup GP Europa – Valencia 2012
While his pursuers battled for positions behind him, at times at loggerheads with each other, the winner of the season-opening round in Bahrain concentrated on extending his lead lap by lap.
Sean Edwards (GB), René Rast (D), Robert Lukas (PL) Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup GP Europa – Valencia 2012
With this, he continued on from his strong showing in qualifying, in which he snubbed his rivals by clocking a stunning lap time. His third victory in Valencia after 2009 and 2010 was never under threat.
Nicki Thiim (DK) Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup GP Europa – Valencia 2012
Behind the Monaco winner Sean Edwards, Robert Lukas put in a surprising drive at the eventful race. Third place marks the first podium result in the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup for the Pole, but he profited in the final lap from a spin by his compatriot ahead of him, Kuba Giermaziak (VERVA Racing Team). The incident threw the two-time season winner from last year back into fifth place behind Frenchman Kévin Estre (Hermes Attempto Racing).
Robert Lukas (PL) Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup GP Europa – Valencia 2012
The second rude awakening then came after the race: Due to a jumped start, Kuba Giermaziak as well as Kèvin Estre, Norbert Siedler, Christian Engelhart, Alessandro Zampedri and Mateusz Lisowksi were subsequently handed a 30-second time penalty by the stewards of the meeting. This jumbled the results dramatically with points’ leader Norbert Siedler suffering the worst consequences: The VELTINS Lechner Racing pilot from Austria was only classified as eleventh and as a result lost his points’ lead. Germany’s Christian Engelhart, who had travelled to Valencia ranking second overall and after a drive-through penalty was classified as eighth at the finish line, was then shuffled back to 15th after his false start.
As the best Supercup newcomer, Nicki Thiim (Hermes Attempto Racing) saw the flag in fourth place. With his performance he replaces Germany’s Michael Ammermüller (VELTINS Lechner Racing) at the head of the rookie classification.
René Rast (winner):
René Rast (D) Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup GP Europa – Valencia 2012
“That was a perfect race. Taking off from first and finishing in first – it doesn’t get better than that. There was quite a melee behind me with some competitors, and that gave me the chance to build on my lead in the first lap. I then tried to drive consistently quick lap times and not be too hard on my tyres. That worked. Thank you to my team for putting a perfectly prepared car on the track for me today.”
Sean Edwards (second):
Sean Edwards (GB) Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup GP Europa – Valencia 2012
“What a crazy race. My start was actually quite good, but suddenly Christian Engelhart pulled alongside, and then came Kévin Estre. It was pretty tough going in the early phase. And because I had to go hard at that point, I was happy that I could conserve my tyres a little later on. For the championship second place is a great result.”
Robert Lukas (third):
Robert Lukas (PL) Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup GP Europa – Valencia 2012
“It’s great to stand on the podium in third. Everything ran perfectly today. I took it real easy on my tyres early on and then the car became increasingly faster. Things really went well for us. The entire team has worked so hard over the last months for such a result, and I want to thank them very much for that.”
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
Race result
1. René Rast (D), Lechner Racing Team, 30:40.893 minutes
2. Sean Edwards (GB), Konrad Motorsport, + 11.539 seconds
3. Robert Lukas (PL), FÖRCH Racing, + 17.643
4. Nicki Thiim (DK), Hermes Attempto Racing, + 26.975
5. Philipp Eng (A), MRS GT Racing, + 30.511
6. Sebastiaan Bleekemolen (NL), Team Bleekemolen + 35.350
Points’ standings after 5 of 10 races * Drivers
1. Sean Edwards (GB), Konrad Motorsport, 61 points
2. Norbert Siedler (A), VELTINS Lechner Racing, 59
3. René Rast (D), Lechner Racing Team, 58
4. Christian Engelhart (D), Konrad Motorsport, 49
5. Kévin Estre (F), Hermes Attempto Racing, 47
6. Kuba Giermaziak (PL), VERVA Racing Team, 36
* The race in Barcelona was cancelled. However, the extra points for pole position were still awarded.
Silverstone: Preview for the 6th of 10 races on 8 July
On the Silverstone Circuit, one of the world’s most storied race tracks, the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup heads into the second half of the season. Drivers rave about the ultra fast circuit, whose legendary corners Copse, Stowe and Brooklands provide a unique challenge. Last year victory went to title defender René Rast. This time, local hero Sean Edwards is eager to win the race in his native country after claiming victory at his adopted home of Monaco and to improve his title chances. TV stations Eurosport and Sky broadcast the race live.
At the return of the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup to the Valencia Street Circuit, René Rast (Germany) takes up Sunday’s race from pole position. At the wheel of Lechner Racing’s 450 hp Porsche 911 GT3 Cup which is based on the street-legal lightweight 911 GT3 RS sports car, the title defender nailed the fastest time shortly before the end of the qualifying session. Securing the best time on the street circuit around the America’s Cup harbour was a perfect birthday present for his team boss Walter Lechner Jnr.
Driving his team’s newly prepared 911, René Rast, winner of this race in 2009 and 2010, was an unbelievable 0.592 seconds quicker than the second-placed Monaco winner from Great Britain Sean Edwards (Konrad Motorsport).
Sean Edwards (GB) Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup
In the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup, which gains it appeal not least due its extremely tight competition and tough fights for positions, this gap is huge.
Norbert Siedler (A) Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Bahrain 2012
Competing for VELTINS Lechner Racing, Norbert Siedler from Austria occupied third place another two-tenths of a second behind. The winner from Bahrain shares the second grid row with Frenchman Kévin Estre (Hermes Attempto Racing), who clinched second at Monaco.
Germany’s Christian Engelhart, the pole-sitter from Barcelona, planted his Konrad Motorsport 911 on fifth place.
Christian Engelhart (D) Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup
The sixth spot went to Poland’s Kuba Giermaziak (VERVA Racing Team), who is still trying to find his old form this season after winning twice last year.
Kuba Giermaziak (PL) Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup
As the best Supercup newcomer, Germany’s Michael Ammermüller (VELTINS Lechner Racing), leader of the rookie classification, achieved the seventh quickest time. Lining up alongside him on the fourth grid row is Robert Lukas (FÖRCH Racing) from Poland in eighth. Behind him on the ninth and tenth position, the oldest and youngest Supercup pilots stand side by side: Alessandro Zampedri (Team Bleekemolen) is 42, Poland’s Patryk Szczerbinski (VERVA Racing Team) is just 18 years old.
René Rast (pole-sitter):
René Rast (D) Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup GP Europa – Valencia 2012
“That’s my first pole this year, so I’m feeling very, very happy. My team put a perfect car on the track for me today, thanks for that. I like this circuit. We were very quick here in 2009 and 2010. Now I hope I can use this pole tomorrow to bring home a win.”
Sean Edwards (second qualifier):
Sean Edwards (GB) Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup
“Today was much better than yesterday. After free practice we changed a lot on the car and that paid off. I only managed one fast lap but luckily that was good enough for a spot on the first grid row. Now we are feeling very optimistic for the race.”
Norbert Siedler (third qualifier):
“The third spot is really good, but I’m not particularly happy with the qualifying. The first lap was okay, but I made a braking mistake and it possibly cost me a better time.”
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
Qualifying result
1. René Rast (D), Lechner Racing Team, 2:08.298 minutes
2. Sean Edwards (GB), Konrad Motorsport, + 0.592 seconds
3. Norbert Siedler (A), VELTINS Lechner Racing, + 0.773
4. Kévin Estre (F), Hermes Attempto Racing, + 0.951
5. Christian Engelhart (D), Konrad Motorsport, + 0.984
6. Kuba Giermaziak (PL), VERVA Racing Team, + 1.156
The race on Sunday will be broadcast live by TV stations Eurosport (11.45 hrs) and Sky Sport 1 (11.40 hrs). Moreover, Eurosport also airs highlights on Sunday at 20.30 hours in its “Motorsport Weekend Magazin”.
Nicolas Armindo (F), René Rast (D), Michael Ammermüller (D) Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland - 01 Hockenheimring 2012
Stuttgart. A perfect start to the season for René Rast (Germany).
René Rast (D) Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland - 01 Hockenheimring 2012
The one-make cup professional driving for Team Deutsche Post by tolimit – Team Pole Promotion won the first race of the Carrera Cup Deutschland in Hockenheim with an 8.851-second advantage.
Nicolas Armindo (F) Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland - 01 Hockenheimring 2012
Second place went to Frenchman Nicolas Armindo (Attempto Racing). After a weak season last year, the 2010 champion has kicked of his 2012 campaign impressively.
Michael Ammermüller (D) Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland - 01 Hockenheimring 2012
Michael Ammermüller (SWITCH IT Lechner Racing) from Germany was overjoyed with his third spot on the podium. Germany’s fastest one-brand series is contested with identical Porsche 911 GT3 Cup racers.
Nicolas Armindo (F), René Rast (D), Michael Ammermüller (D) Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland - 01 Hockenheimring 2012
The 450 hp GT race car is based on the lightweight street-legal 911 GT3 RS sports car.
Taking up the race from pole position, Sean Edwards (Team Deutsche Post by tolimit) won the sprint to the first corner. The Briton lost his lead briefly to French newcomer Kévin Estre (Hermes Attempto Racing), but the stalwart quickly grabbed it back.
Kévin Estre (F) Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland - 01 Hockenheimring 2012
Last year’s vice-champion drove a controlled race at the head of the field followed by his teammate René Rast and managed to pull clear of his pursuers bit by bit – until tyre damage in lap six threw him out of contention.
Michael Ammermüller celebrated a brilliant debut with position three after the ex-Formula 1 test driver narrowly missed out on a podium spot last weekend clinching fourth at the Porsche Supercup round in Bahrain.
Jaap van Lagen (NL) Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland - 01 Hockenheimring 2012
Behind the Lechner pilot, Jaap van Lagen (FE-Racing by Land-Motorsport) came fourth over the finish line. The Dutchman, who made up one position on his qualifying result, was one of the six race winners last year with his victory at Spielberg in Austria.
Philipp Eng (A) Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland - 01 Hockenheimring 2012
Philipp Eng was the surprise of the day in fifth. Driving for MRS GT-Racing, the Austrian has experience in a Carrera Cup race from one event as a guest starter at the 2011 finale in Hockenheim. With his fifth place, the youngster who has also tested a Formula 1 car, planted himself at the head of the newly-created rookie classification in the Carrera Cup.
Norbert Siedler (A) Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland - 01 Hockenheimring 2012
Behind him came his compatriot Norbert Siedler, the current leader of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. After experiencing a difficult practice session, the Konrad Motorsport pilot was satisfied with his success in gaining ground and the first point.
Nicki Thiim (DK) Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland - 01 Hockenheimring 2012
The Dane Nicki Thiim (Hermes Attempto Racing) clinched seventh place ahead of newcomer Elia Erhart (Marschall Goebel Racing).
Elia Erhart (D) Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland - 01 Hockenheimring 2012
The Porsche Juniors, Klaus Bachler and Michael Christensen, made a good start to the season. Driving for the Deutsche Post by tolimit squad, the Austrian was running in eighth place when he had to pit with tyre problems. After a change of tyres, 20-year-old Bachler rejoined the race far down the field, but was able to match the pace of the frontrunners and saw the flag in 17th.
Klaus Bachler (A) Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland - 01 Hockenheimring 2012
Driving for Konrad Motorsport, Denmark’s Klaus Bachler lost the front lip of his 911 in the turmoil of the race. Despite the heavy understeer that resulted from this, the 21-year-old still managed to bring home ninth place from his debut race.
Michael Christensen (DK) Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland - 01 Hockenheimring 2012
The grid line-up for race two on Sunday is determined by the fastest lap time from the qualifying session. Sean Edwards and Jaap van Lagen start from the first row, with Kévin Estre and René Rast sharing the second.
Taking up Sunday’s race from the third grid row are Nicki Thiim and Philipp Eng.
The race tomorrow starts at 9.30 hrs and is broadcast live on the official Porsche website (www.porsche.com) in high-quality – with editorial clips prior to the actual live-streaming, live-timing and commentary in German and English. On 30 April, the Monday after the race weekend, news station N24 televises the 30-minute “Porsche Carrera Cup Magazin” at 18.30 hours. Sport1 broadcasts Carrera Cup highlights on Tuesday, 1 May, from 16.30 to 17.00 hours.
René Rast (D) Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland - 01 Hockenheimring 2012
René Rast (winner):
“I’m of course extremely happy with my race. I started from third on the grid and won. I had a little bit of race luck on my side, which was at the same time a shame for my teammate Sean and our squad. We don’t yet know where the tyre damage came from, but we still have a chance to secure a good team result tomorrow.”
Nicolas Armindo (F) Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland - 01 Hockenheimring 2012
Nicolas Armindo (second):
“It feels great to climb the podium again. It’s been a long time coming. I was certainly not the fastest today, but with some cleverness and a little luck it was enough for a podium result.”
Michael Ammermüller (third):
“I’m happy to have come from eighth and finished third at my first race. I hadn’t expected that. I had anticipated at best fifth place. I’m sure I had Lady Luck on my side today, but my car was also really well set-up.”
Michael Christensen (Porsche Junior, ninth):
“After a difficult qualifying we managed to find a good race set-up for my car. I thought the start would be hard but it went really well. I got caught up in traffic, the front lip of my 911 ripped off in the turmoil and had to contend with understeer. I then had to cope with a puncture towards the end. So I told myself, just take it easy and get to the finish.”
Klaus Bachler (Porsche Junior, 17th):
“My start wasn’t that great, but afterwards I drove a steady race. I waited for the drivers in front of me to make a mistake and then made the most of it. In this way I could move up the field and was even running in eighth when a tyre problem forced me into the pits.”
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland - 01 Hockenheimring 2012
Race 1 result
1. René Rast (D), Team Deutsche Post by tolimit/Pole Promotion, 24:27.506 minutes
2. Nicolas Armindo (F), Attempto Racing, + 8.851 seconds
3. Michael Ammermüller (D), SWITCH IT Lechner Racing, + 10.772
4. Jaap van Lagen (NL) FE-Racing by Land-Motorsport, + 13.446
5. Philipp Eng (A), MRS GT-Racing, + 14.151
6. Norbert Siedler (A), Konrad Motorsport, + 18.990
7. Nicki Thiim (DK), Hermes Attempto Racing, + 22.755
8. Elia Erhart (D), Marschall Goebel Racing, + 27.711
9. Michael Christensen (DK), Konrad Motorsport, + 35.981
10. Thomas Pivoda (CZ), Konrad Motorsport, + 38.091
Points’ standings after 1 of 17 races Driver
1. René Rast (D), 20 points
2. Nicolas Armindo (F), 18
3. Michael Ammermüller (D), 16
4. Jaap van Lagen (NL), 14
5. Philipp Eng (A), 12
Teams
1. Deutsche Post by tolimit, 24 points
2. Attempto Racing, 18
3. Konrad Motorsport, 17
Stuttgart. Twenty years of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup: The anniversary season of the world’s fastest international one-make race series takes off with a double-header round on 21 and 22 April on the Bahrain International Circuit.
Heading into the season as title favourite is reigning champion René Rast from Germany with the 450 hp Porsche 911 GT3 Cup fielded by Lechner Racing. Rast is looking forward to returning to the desert nation. “The last time I competed in Bahrain I won both races. I’ll be doing everything within my power to repeat that result this year,” says the Supercup champion of 2010 and 2011.
René Rast (D) Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Deutschland 2011
As the flagship series of the 19 Porsche one-make championships worldwide, the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup boasts a healthy grid line-up again this season. “
We have a balanced field and we’re also looking forward to welcoming some new teams into the Supercup family,”
says Jonas Krauss, Head of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup at Porsche Motorsport.
“Onboard are some eager young newcomers like Jeroen Mul coming from Formula 3, Renger van der Zande who contested the DTM in 2011, and ex-Formula 1 test driver Michael Ammermüller. This underlines once more just how attractive the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup is as a spring board for a successful GT career or as a challenge for seasoned professionals.”
In Kévin Estre, the Supercup rookies have a shining example.
Kevin Estre (F) Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Italien 2011
The Frenchman turned heads last year with his strong performances, not only claiming the Rookie of the Year title but also celebrating his first Supercup victory in Monza.
Kevin Estre (F) Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Italien 2011
Now he is back as one of the hot favourites at the wheel of his Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, which is based on the lightweight 911 GT3 RS sports car.
Joining Kévin Estre (Hermes Attempto Racing) to throw a spanner in René Rast’s plans for a hat-trick are Austria’s Norbert Siedler (VELTINS Lechner Racing), Sean Edwards from Great Britain (Konrad Motorsport) as well as the VERVA Racing pilot Kuba Giermaziak.
Kuba Giermaziak (PL) Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Italien 2011
Last year, the Pole dominated in Budapest, becoming the first eastern European winner in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup and went on to claim victory from the Spa-Francorchamps round. Another name on the list of title aspirants is Germany’s Christian Engelhart (Konrad Motorsport), winner of the 2011 season-opener in Istanbul.
Christian Engelhart (D) Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup 2011
Denmark’s Nicki Thiim (Hermes Attempto Racing) is also a force to be reckoned with. The son of former DTM champion Kurt Thiim attracted attention last year with his strong performance in the German Carrera Cup.
Also making the switch from Germany’s most popular race series is the new Supercup team FÖRCH Racing.
The Porsche 911 GT3 Cup racers that are fielded in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup come off the assembly line in Porsche’s Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen plant and receive the final touches in the motorsport department at Weissach. All vehicles are technically identical. An important new feature of the 2012-spec is a 100-litre FT3 safety fuel tank.
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
“The competition in the series has rarely been this high,” states Jonas Krauss at the start of the anniversary season. And he fully expects the fight for the championship to be as exciting as it was last year: Heading to the final round in 2011, six competitors still had the chance to claim the title.
The season-opening race in Bahrain is broadcast live by TV stations Eurosport and Sky – race 1 on 21 April at 11.20 hrs (Sky) and 11.30 hrs (Eurosport 2), race 2 on 22 April at 11.00 hrs (Sky and Eurosport 2). Eurosport also televises highlights at midnight on Sunday in its “Motorsport Weekend Magazin” programme.
At the wheel of the 911 fielded by the Felbermayr-Proton team, Porsche works drivers Marc Lieb (Germany), Richard Lietz (Austria) and Patrick Pilet (France) secured second place in the GTE Pro class at the long distance classic in Florida and with this made a very promising start into the new World Endurance Championship.
“Second place is a great result. Right from the start, our new 911 GT3 RSR was reliable and that’s very positive,” said Marc Lieb.
“But we lacked the speed to win off our own bat.”
Richard Lietz, who had to start from the back of the field because the cockpit temperature of his Porsche in qualifying was one degree over what was permitted, said,
“I’m very satisfied with how the race went. For twelve hours our 911 ran without the slightest technical problem. Which is, of course, not something you take for granted at the first race with a new car.”
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
Christian Ried (Germany) and his Italian teammates Gianluca Roda and Paolo Ruberti made a superb start to the season. With the second Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (2011 model year) run by Felbermayr-Proton they celebrated victory in the GTE Am class.
“This win is a perfect way to kick off the season,” Ried commented. “The last one and half hours of the race were incredibly tough for Paolo, because he had to cope without power steering.”
With the tradition-steeped twelve hour race on the Sebring International Raceway the American Le Mans Series also took off into the season.
Driving the new Porsche 911 GT3 RSR for Paul Miller Racing, Sascha Maassen (Germany), Bryce Miller (USA) and Rob Bell (Great Britain) secured fifth place in the GT class.
At the wheel of Flying Lizard Motorsports’ 911, Americans Seth Neiman, Darren Law and Andy Lally saw the flag in seventh place.
Darren Law (USA) and Andy Lally (USA)
For two other new Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, the season-opening round in the sunshine state of the USA brought less than perfect results.
Porsche works driver Wolf Henzler (Germany) secured ninth with Bryan Sellers (USA) and Martin Ragginger (Austria).
After the qualifying, their Falken Tire team had to replace the engine in the 911, and although the mechanics managed this in record time, he still took up the race one lap behind.
Things were not a lot better for his factory pilot colleagues Joerg Bergmeister (Germany), Patrick Long (USA) and Marco Holzer (Germany) in the second Flying Lizard Porsche: In the formation lap, a Ferrari rammed into the rear of the Porsche, which threw them far back. After putting in a spirited chase, they still managed to yield tenth and earn valuable points towards the end.
Joerg Bergmeister, Marco Holzer and Patrick Long
“Our car ran better in the race than it did in qualifying. We drove consistently fast lap times to the end,” stated Wolf Henzler. Marco Holzer added:
“That was a bitter race. It was already over for us before it had really begun. So our goal was to finish the 70 percent distance and safeguard those important championship points.”
Hartmut Kristen, head of Porsche motorsport, regarded the start of the season as positive.
“Compliments to the Felbermayr-Proton team for their victory in GTE-Am class and second place in GTE-Pro class. This was almost an optimum result,” he said. “I am extremely pleased with the reliability of the new 911 GT3 RSR.
As far as the time difference to our fastest rivals in qualifying and in the race is concerned, we will be analysing that gap to determine whether the performance balancing influenced this.
Congratulations as well to Paul Miller Racing for its great result in the American Le Mans Series with fifth.
It’s a pity that the race was over before the start for one of our strongest cars, it was not the team’s fault.”
Round two of the World Endurance Championship takes place on 5 May 2012 in Spa-Francorchamps/Belgium.
On 14 April, round two of the American Le Mans Series takes off on the street course in Long Beach, California.
Results
World Endurance Championship GTE Pro class
1. Bertolini/Beretta/Cioci (I/MC/I), Ferrari F458 Italia, 307 laps
2. Lieb/Lietz/Pilet (D/A/F), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 306
3. Mücke/Fernandez/Turner (D/MEX/GB), Aston Martin Vantage, 291
4. Fisichella/Bruni/Vilander (I/I/SF), Ferrari F458 Italia, 215
5. Melo/Makowiecki/Vernay (BRA/F/F), Ferrari F458 Italia, 183
GTE Am class
1. Ried/Roda/Ruberti (D/I/I), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 298 laps
2. Bourret/Gibon/Belloc (F/F/F), Chevrolet Corvette, 297
3. Bornhauser/Canal/Lamy (F/F/P), Chevrolet Corvette, 288
4. Kaufmann/Waltrip/Aguas (USA/USA/P), Ferrari F458, 283
5. Krohn/Jönsson/Rugolo (USA/S/I), Ferrari F458 Italia, 265
6. Binnie/Palttala/Camathias (USA/SF/CH), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 251
American Le Mans Series GT class
1. Hand/Müller/Summerton (USA/D/USA), BMW E92 M3, 307 laps
2. Magnussen/Garcia/Taylor (DK/E/USA), Chevrolet Corvette, 307
3. Gavin/Milner/Westbrook (GB/USA/GB), Chevrolet Corvette, 307
4. Müller/Auberlen/Alzen (D/USA/D), BMW E92 M3, 306
5. Maassen/Miller/Bell (D/USA/GB), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 302
6. Brown/Segal/Lazzaro (USA/USA/USA), Ferrari F458 Italia, 302
7. Law/Neiman/Lally (USA/USA/USA), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 302
9. Henzler/Sellers/Ragginger (D/USA/A), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 289
10. Bergmeister/Long/Holzer (D/USA/D), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 251
World Endurance Championship Teams GTE Pro
1. AF Corse, Ferrari, 25 points
2. Felbermayr-Proton, Porsche, 18
3. Aston Martin Racing, Aston Martin, 15
Teams GTE Am
1. Felbermayr-Proton, Porsche, 25 points
2. Labre Competition, Chevrolet, 18
3. AF Corse-Waltrip, Ferrari , 12
American Le Mans Series GT class
1. Joey Hand, Dirk Müller, Jonathan Summerton, BMW , 24 points
2. Jan Magnussen, Antonio Garcia, Jordan Taylor, Chevrolet , 20
3. Oliver Gavin, Tommy Milner, Richard Westbrook, Chevrolet, 17
5. Sascha Maassen, Bryce Miller, Rob Bell, Porsche, 12
7. Seth Neiman, Andy Lally, Darren Law. Porsche, 8
9. Wolf Henzler, Bryan Sellers, Martin Ragginger, Porsche, 6
10. Jörg Bergmeister, Patrick Long, Marco Holzer , Porsche, 5
Teams
1. BMW Team RLL, BMW, 24 points
2. Corvette Racing, Chevrolet, 20
3. Paul Miller Racing, Porsche, 12
4. Extreme Speed Motorsports, Ferrari, 10
This is the World Endurance Championship
Sports prototypes and GT vehicles race in the new World Endurance Championship. They are divided into four classes that start together but are classified separately:
LMGTE Pro class: This class is reserved for slightly modified standard sports cars with 440 to 500 hp and a minimum weight of 1,245 kilograms (e.g. Porsche 911 GT3 RSR). LMGTE Am class: Like the LMGTE Pro, but the regulations stipulate that there must be no more than one professional driver per vehicle. LMP1 class: Sports prototypes with up to 550 hp and a minimum weight of 900 kilograms. LMP2 class: Sports prototypes with around 440 hp and a 900 kilogram minimum weight.
This is the American Le Mans Series
The American Le Mans Series (ALMS) was created in 1999 for sports prototypes and GT vehicles.
The field is divided into five classes that start together but are classified separately:
GT class: This most popular class amongst car manufacturers traditionally receives the most support: Slightly modified standard sports cars with 440 to 500 hp and a minimum weight of 1,245 kilograms (e.g. Porsche 911 GT3 RSR).
GTC class: This class is reserved for vehicles from one-make race series like the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. LMP1 class: Sports prototypes with up to 550 hp and a minimum weight of 900 kilograms. LMP2 class: Sports prototypes with ca. 440 hp and a 900 kg minimum weight. LMPC class: Prototype brand trophy series for the ORECA FLM 09.
Stuttgart. With the qualifying session for the tradition-steeped twelve hour race on the Sebring International Raceway in Florida/USA, both the new World Endurance Championship and the American Le Mans Series took off into the new season. The long distance classic, at which the new Porsche 911 GT3 RSR makes its race debut, marks the only time that the two series run together.
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
In the GTE Pro class of the World Endurance Championship, Porsche works driver Richard Lietz (Austria) planted his Felbermayr-Proton Porsche 911 GT3 RSR on the fifth grid spot.
At the wheel of the second Felbermayr-Proton Porsche, Paolo Ruberti (Italy) posted fourth in the GTE Am class.
“My lap was perfect and our car feels very good,” said Richard Lietz.
“Still, the gap is too big. We’ll be analysing this and trying to close that gap as quickly as possible.”
In the American Le Mans Series, Porsche factory pilot Joerg Bergmeister (Germany) also posted the fifth best time in the GT class with the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR fielded by Flying Lizard Motorsports.
“That was a decent lap,” he said, “but it was all that was possible today.” His works driver colleague Wolf Henzler (Germany) clocked the eighth quickest time in Falken Tire’s Porsche 911 GT3 RSR.
“We have to get more familiar with our new car,” he said. “It handles the bumps extremely well, but we still experienced way too much oversteer.”
Sascha Maassen (Germany) posted the new 911 run by Paul Miller Racing on ninth and commented,
“We turned our fastest lap of the weekend during qualifying and that’s exactly how it should be. But we’re still in the process of familiarising ourselves with the tyres of the new car. And there’s a great deal of potential there.”
Several pilots from the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup are using the GTC class, which they contest with the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, to gain experience in international long distance racing.
The seasoned Supercup and Carrera Cup pilot Sean Edwards (Great Britain) clinched pole position with Damien Faulkner (Ireland) posting second. Reigning Supercup rookie champion Kévin Estre (France) put his 911 on position five.
Nicki Thiim (Denmark), who contests the world’s fastest international one-brand series for the 2012 season, qualified on sixth.
“That was an exciting qualifying. We are all very close,” said Sean Edwards.
“My team has done a great job in preparing the 911. Last year an accident before the qualifying prevented us from competing in the race. Now we’re back with a vengeance.”
The race starts on Saturday, 17 March, at 10.30 hrs local time (15.30 hrs CET) and is broadcast live on http://www.alms.com.
Qualifying result
World Endurance Championshi GTE Pro class
1. Gianmaria Bruni (I), Ferrari F458 Italia, 1:58.427 minutes
2. Jaime Melo (BRA), Ferrari F458 Italia, + 0.286 seconds
3. Olivier Beretta (MC), Ferrari F458 Italia, + 0.611
4. Stefan Mücke (D), Aston Martin Vantage, + 1.697
5. Richard Lietz (A), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, + 1.779
GTE Am class
1. Dominik Farnbacher (D), Ferrari F458 Italia, 2:00.258 minutes
2. Niclas Jonsson (S), Ferrari F458 Italia, + 0.745 seconds
3. Pedro Lamy (P), Chevrolet Corvette, + 1.456
4. Paolo Ruberti (I), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, + 1.603
American Le Mans Series GT class
1. Jan Magnussen (DK), Chevrolet Corvette, 1:58.996 minutes
2. Oliver Gavin (GB), Chevrolet Corvette, + 0.011 seconds
3. Joey Hand (USA), BMW M3, + 1.031
4. Johannes van Overbeek (USA), Ferrari F458 Italia, + 1.098
5. Jörg Bergmeister (D), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, + 1.123
8. Wolf Henzler (D), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, + 2.636
9. Sascha Maassen (D), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, + 3.154
10. Seth Neiman (USA), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, + 8.358
Sports prototypes and GT vehicles race in the new World Endurance Championship. They are divided into four classes that start together but are classified separately:
LMGTE Pro class: This class is reserved for slightly modified standard sports cars with 440 to 500 hp and a minimum weight of 1,245 kilograms (e.g. Porsche 911 GT3 RSR). LMGTE Am class: Like the LMGTE Pro, but the regulations stipulate that there must be no more than one professional driver per vehicle. LMP1 class: Sports prototypes with up to 550 hp and a minimum weight of 900 kilograms. LMP2 class:Sports prototypes with around 440 hp and a 900 kilogram minimum weight.
This is the American Le Mans Series
The American Le Mans Series (ALMS) was created in 1999 for sports prototypes and GT vehicles. At the season-opener in Sebring, the field is divided into five classes that start together but are classified separately: GT class: This most popular class amongst car manufacturers traditionally receives the most support: Slightly modified standard sports cars with 440 to 500 hp and a minimum weight of 1,245 kilograms (e.g. Porsche 911 GT3 RSR). GTC class: This class is reserved for vehicles from one-make race series like the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. LMP1 class: Sports prototypes with up to 550 hp and a minimum weight of 900 kilograms. LMP2 class: Sports prototypes with ca. 440 hp and a 900 kg minimum weight. LMPC class: Prototype brand trophy series for the ORECA FLM 09.
“The six finalists have had very little opportunity to get experience at the wheel of a GT race car. They have far exceeded our expectations,” praises Maassen.
“All of the pilots very quickly grasped how you have to drive the 450 hp Porsche 911 GT3 Cup in order to be fast.”
Aside from financial support, the drivers receive assistance similar to the
Flying Lizard Returns for 9th Consecutive ALMS Season
February 06, 2012 – Sonoma, Calif. – Flying Lizard Motorsports announced its driver lineup for the 2012 Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.
The team will field two new racecars in the GT class for the ALMS season: the No. 45 and No. 44 2012 Porsche 911 GT3 RSRs. Joerg Bergmeister and Patrick Long, both Porsche factory drivers, will return for their fourth consecutive season driving together in the No. 45; this will be Bergmeister’s fifth year with the team.
Bergmeister is a five- time ALMS GT drivers’ champion (2005-2006 and 2008-2010). The 2008, 2009 and 2010 championships were won with Flying Lizard in the No. 45. Long has won the title three times: 2005, and 2009-2010, each with Bergmeister.
At Sebring, the pair will be joined by Porsche factory driver Marco Holzer. 2012 will be Holzer’s second year with the team. After Sebring, Holzer will return to his regular seat in the sister No. 44 Porsche for the season.
2011 12 Hours of Sebring
For Sebring, in the No. 44, Seth Neiman will be joined by Darren Law and Andy Lally. Law has driven with the Lizards since 2004 and will return as a guest driver in 2012.
Darren Law
Sebring will be Lally’s first race with the team.Andy Lally
Lally heads to Sebring following a GT win last week at the 2012 Rolex 24 At Daytona (with Magnus Racing). 2012 is Lally’s fourth GT win at the Rolex 24 At Daytona. Among his notable achievements in endurance racing and stock car racing, Lally was named NASCAR Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year for 2011. Click here for more information on Lally.
Thomas Blam, Flying Lizard Chief Strategist said,
“Marco Holzer has proven to be a highly consistent driver; he contributed a great deal to our 2011 program. He will be a very solid addition to Joerg and Patrick in the No. 45 for Sebring. In the No. 44, we have an All-American lineup with Seth, Darren and Andy. This will be Andy’s first time driving with the Lizards but he has a proven performance record in Porsches and brings a wide breadth of endurance racing experience.”
The new Porsches will have their inaugural run at the ALMS Sebring Winter test this week: February 8 and 9 in Sebring, Florida.
Developments to the RSR for 2012 include a wider body, increased front tire diameter and wider front and rear track width. Porsche has also modified the bodywork to optimize aerodynamics and added new air intake ducts to the rear quarter panel.
The Porsche 911 GT3 RSR is powered by a six-cylinder boxer engine with a four-litre capacity. Click here for details.
About Flying Lizard Motorsports
Flying Lizard returns to the American Le Mans Series for their ninth season and the fourth consecutive season for Bergmeister and Long together in the No. 45.
The Lizards have won two ALMS GT team championships (2008 and 2009) and have finished in the top three each year since 2004.
The team has secured three ALMS GT drivers’ championships: Bergmeister and Long took the title together in 2009 and 2010 and Bergmeister with Wolf Henzler in 2008. Bergmeister is five-time ALMS GT drivers’ champion (2005-2006 and 2008-2010) and Long has won the title three times (2005, and 2009-2010), all with Bergmeister.
Bergmeister is the only driver in Grand-Am and ALMS history to win the championship in both series in the same year (2006).
Flying Lizard has also competed in the 24 Heures du Mans from 2005 through 2011, finishing third in 2005, fourth in 2006, sixth in 2008, and sixth in 2011.
Thanks to Michael Jordan at Insideline for sharing!
This is Zwart’s street car, so he selected his options appropriately.
“Since I’m using it as my every-day car,” he says, “I got nav and XM satellite radio and all that funny stuff that really doesn’t line up for a full race car for the street, but I do need some things. Also I got a little red stitching inside.
“I deleted the graphics so I can go slightly low key. My last RS was black with black graphics, which worked well. It’s always dicey to order a color like this that is not usually available, but I must say I am very pleased how it came out.”
As Circle Porsche’s Michelle Larson says, “It’s the best part of this business. Everybody leaves here happy; after all, they’re taking a Porsche with them.”
The RS 4.0’s key feature is a 4.0-liter street-legal version of the racing-type RSR engine and it delivers 500 hp at 8,250 rpm and 339 lb-ft of torque at 5,750 rpm. The chassis setup is mid-way between the GT3 RS 3.8 and GT2 RS, and it includes rod-ends in the rear suspension. If you look closely, you’ll also notice the aero whiskers forward of the front wheels and a steeper, 9-degree inclination of the rear wing. Overall the car has 450 pounds of downforce at its top speed, some 82 pounds at the front and 348 pounds at the rear. The RS 4.0 gets to 100 km/hr (62 mph) in 3.9 seconds on the way to 193 mph.
Stuttgart. The 24 hour race in Daytona remains Porsche territory:
At the cliff-hanger 50th anniversary of the long distance classic in Florida/USA, the Zuffenhausen sports car manufacturer celebrated a convincing triple triumph in the GT class against strong opposition from the likes of Audi, BMW, Corvette and Ferrari.
(l.-r.): Andy Lally, John Potter, Richard Lietz, Rene Rast
Victory went to Porsche works driver Richard Lietz (Austria) in the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup fielded by Magnus Racing with teammates René Rast (Germany) as well as Americans Andy Lally and John Potter.
Porsche Factory Pilot Richard Lietz (Austria) – Magnus Racing
Magnus Racing – René Rast (Germany)
Magnus Racing – American Andy Lally
Magnus Racing – American John Potter.
#44 Magnus Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup
After a thrilling finale in front of record crowds on the Daytona International Speedway, Lietz saw the flag 9.412 seconds ahead of his factory pilot colleague Wolf Henzler.
#67 TRG Racing’s Porsche 911 GT3 Cup
The previous year’s winner from Germany shared the cockpit of TRG Racing’s Porsche 911 GT3 Cup with Jeroen Bleekemolen (Netherlands), Marc Goossens (Belgium), Spencer Pumpelly (USA) and Steven Bertheau (USA).
Jeroen Bleekemolen (Netherlands), Marc Goossens (Belgium), Steven Bertheau (USA), Factory Pilot Wolf Henzler, Spencer Pumpelly (USA)
Scoring third place was Porsche works driver Marc Lieb (Germany) with Americans Hurley Haywood, Leh Keen and Andrew Davis in the legendary starting number 59 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup run by the Daytona-winning squad Brumos Racing.
Porsche works driver Marc Lieb (Germany) with Americans Hurley Haywood, Leh Keen and Andrew Davis – Brumos Racing Team
“Today we all witnessed why Daytona is one of the world’s most fascinating races,” said Wolfgang Hatz, Board Member for Research and Development at Porsche AG.
“For me that was a 24 hour sprint. The front-runners were incredibly close right to the flag. I’m very pleased to see that we had virtually no technical problems with our cars and the teams and drivers did such a magnificent job under difficult conditions.
Congratulations and well done to you all.”
Joerg Bergmiester, Patrick Long, Marc Lieb, Marco Holzer, Patrick Pilet, Wolf Henzler, Richard Lietz – Porsche Factory Pilots
Porsche’s head of motorsport, Hartmut Kristen, commented after this latest success:
“The 50th running of this classic was unbelievably exciting. For much of the time, there were ten GT cars in one lap. The spectators were again treated to some fantastic motorsport. And it’s great of course to celebrate an impressive victory in front of such spectacular crowds. The Porsche 911 GT3 Cup again brilliantly underlined its outstanding reliability at this extremely difficult race.”
With its latest win, Porsche has now scored 22 overall and 74 class wins, making it the most successful manufacturer in the history of this race.
The anniversary race of the endurance classic in Florida, at which the new Porsche 911 ran as the safety car, was stronger than ever before. In the GT class alone, 45 cars lined up to start.
“To beat so many great drivers, the crème de la crème of GT pilots, is simply awesome,” said the winner Richard Lietz.
“Winning this race for Porsche is a highlight of my career, comparable only to my two victories in Le Mans.”
His teammate René Rast, the two-time champion of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, to whom Porsche gave the chance to compete at Daytona in recognition of his excellent performance last season, said:
“Everything ran smoothly. We didn’t experience a single technical problem. That was only the second 24 hour race of my career and undoubtedly the toughest. During one of my stints I spent three and a half hours at the wheel. That was incredibly exhausting.”
In the gripping final phase, Wolf Henzler again pulled out all stops, but the leading Richard Lietz managed to stave him off to the flag.
Porsche Factory Pilot – Wolf Henzler
“He was just too quick today,” Henzler stated. “But to climb the podium again after my win last year is a huge success for me.”
With the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup fielded by Brumos Racing, which took off into the race from pole position, Marc Lieb pitted shortly before the flag for a ‘splash and dash’ refuelling stop.
Porsche Factory Pilot – Marc Lieb
Despite having led the race for long distances up until this point, he was unable to rejoin the fight for victory.
“We experienced a bit of bad luck towards the end with our race strategy,” he said. “But although I was rather disappointed initially, it’s still a great team effort to come third against such an incredibly strong GT field.”
Andrew Davis, Leh Keen and Marc Lieb – Brumos Racing
Turning the fastest race lap of the entire GT field, Porsche factory pilot Marco Holzer (Germany) turned heads at the classic on the Daytona International Speedway.
Porsche Factory Pilot – Marco Holzer
Alex Job Racing #23
He didn’t, however, manage to reach the flag.
“Everything was running beautifully with our car until the retirement,” he commented.
“But we had a bit of bad luck under the yellow flag. Three times we came in to refuel just before a caution phase and lost laps because of it. That’s rough.”
Lady Luck wasn’t with Porsche works drivers Joerg Bergmeister (Germany) and Patrick Long (USA) either.
Porsche 911 GT3 Cup of Flying Lizard Motorsports
With the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup of Flying Lizard Motorsports, which they shared with American Seth Neiman and Mike Rockenfeller (Switzerland), they were holding their own with the front-runners early on, but fell back and had to settle for 15th place at the flag.
Bergmeister/Long/Neiman/Rockenfeller (D/USA/USA/D), Porsche 911 GT3 Cup
“Early on in the race we were running in the top three,” said Patrick Long. “Our pace was very fast.
But Seth’s collision with a Daytona prototype put us out of serious contention.”
Porsche 911 GT3 Cup of Flying Lizard Motorsports
GT class
1. Lietz/Lally/Rast/Potter (A/USA/D/USA), Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, 727 laps
2. Henzler/Bleekemolen/Bertheau/Goossens/Pumpelly (D/NL/USA/B/USA), Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, 727 laps
3. Lieb/Haywood/Davis/Keen (D/USA/USA/USA), Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, 726 laps
4. Edwards/Bremer/Liddell (USA/DK/GB), Camaro GT.R, 726 laps
5. Beretta/Bertolini/Vilander (MC/I/SF), Ferrari 458, 726 laps
6. Franchitti/Bomarito/Hinchcliffe/Tremblay (GB/USA/CAN/USA), Mazda RX-8, 722 laps
7. Pilet/Farnbacher/Keating/Simonsen (F/D/USA/DK), Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, 721 laps
11. Armindo/Curtis/Lewis/Sofronas/Willsey (F/USA/USA/USA/USA), Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, 713 laps
14. Avenatti/Faieta/Poordad/Sweedler/Wagner (USA/USA/USA/USA/USA), Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, 707 laps
15. Bergmeister/Long/Neiman/Rockenfeller (D/USA/USA/D), Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, 706 laps
Traditionally, the 24 hour race on the Daytona International Speedway is the first highlight of the motorsport season and year after year attracts the best pilots from all kinds of race series worldwide to the ‘Sunshine State’ of the USA.
Spearheaded by title defender Wolf Henzler (Germany), seven Porsche works drivers contest the strongly supported GT class. With 22 overall wins, Porsche is the most successful manufacturer in the history of the race.
The race
The endurance classic, which kicks off the Grand-Am Series season, started out in 1962 as a three hour race. At 1,250 miles in 1964, the race grew to double the distance of the classic 1,000 kilometre races of Spa, Monza and the Nürburgring. The maiden 24 hour event in Daytona took place in 1966. Due to the oil crisis in 1974 the race was not run. Taking their places on the winner’s list are Formula 1 champions like Phil Hill and Mario Andretti as well as legendary Porsche pilots like Hans Herrmann, Rolf Stommelen, Hurley Haywood and Bob Wollek.
The circuit
The Daytona International Speedway is one of the world’s most famous race tracks. The 24 hour race is contested on the 5.729 kilometre track combination of oval with banked corner and the infield. The circuit is also the venue for the famed NASCAR Daytona 500 race with over 250,000 spectators annually.
The Porsche drivers
In the traditionally very competitive GT class, seven Porsche works drivers have victory in sight with the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup:
Title defender Wolf Henzler competes for TRG Racing, Joerg Bergmeister (Germany) and Patrick Long (USA) line up for Flying Lizard Motorsports, their winning team from the American Le Mans Series. Alex Job Racing has Marco Holzer (Germany) onboard, with Patrick Pilet (Franc) taking the wheel of the second TRG-Porsche. Magnus Racing competes with Richard Lietz (Austria), whilst his teammate in the new World Endurance Championship, Marc Lieb (Germany), lines up for Brumos Racing.
One of the partners of the Porsche works driver is the US racing legend Hurley Haywood (USA). With five overall and six class victories, Haywood is the most successful pilot ever in Daytona. On 4 May he celebrates his 64th birthday.
US racing legendHurley Haywood (USA)
Also taking up the race with the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup is Audi factory pilot Mike Rockenfeller (Switzerland).
Audi factory pilotMike Rockenfeller (Switzerland)
In recognition of their brilliant performances in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, Porsche AG gave the two-time champion René Rast (Germany) as well as “Rookie of the Year” Kévin Estre (France) the chance to compete at Daytona.
Two-time championRené Rast (Germany)
“Rookie of the Year” Kévin Estre (France)
What they said before the race
Hartmut Kristen, Head of Porsche Motorsport:
“Daytona is always a very special race for Porsche. Our Porsche teams have already yielded many great results here with the Porsche 911. And with 21 vehicles we are very well represented again this year. For teams like Brumos who compete in 2012 as title defenders of the Grand-Am Series, it is particularly exciting that the most important race of the year is also the start of the season. And it will be particularly interesting to see the new competitors who compete with modified and, in fact, more powerful GT3 vehicles.”
Jörg Bergmeister:
“After the long break over winter, this race is a great way to get ready for the new season. Porsche was always very strong in Daytona. I last won the race here in 2009 and I’m feeling quite confident that we’ll be good for a win again this year. The competition was never this strong. It’ll be a tough fight from start to finish.”
Joerg Bergmeister (Germany)
Patrick Long:
“Our excursion into the prototype class last year was an interesting experience. But now I’m looking forward to racing a 911 again in Daytona. The fact that our GT-class rivals are not only much stronger in sheer numbers makes the task for us and our team even more interesting.”
Patrick Long (USA)
Marc Lieb:
“Our tests ran well in Daytona and I’m sure that we’ll be competitive in the race. The 24 Hours of Daytona is always a cool event, and added to this is the unbelievably big grid for the 50th anniversary. I’m looking forward to driving for such a well established and successful team like Brumos Racing with the legendary starting number 59.”
Marc Lieb (Germany)
Wolf Henzler:
“When we tested I was really impressed by the strength of our competition. With 42 GT cars on the grid, it’ll certainly not be an easy race. I imagine things will get really tough right from the start flag. I’m driving again for TRG, the team with which I won last year. My teammates are very strong and of course I’ll do my best to repeat my victory from last year.”
Wolf Henzler (Germany)
Marco Holzer:
“It’s a fantastic challenge to start the season with a 24 hour race, and a classic like Daytona at that. I very much like this circuit. It’s demanding but real fun. We did a great deal of work on the car with my team Alex Job Racing. I’m quite optimistic for the race.”
Marco Holzer (Germany)
Richard Lietz:
“Great that the season finally gets underway. The GT class booms, the competition is stronger this year than ever before. That will surely be an interesting race. We always had a good car in the last years and we are keen to continue the success streak of Porsche in Daytona.”
Richard Lietz (Austria)
Patrick Pilet:
“Driving in Daytona is something very special for us all. This race is a legend and a great challenge, particularly in its anniversary year. Manufacturers send the best GT teams with very strong driver contingents to Daytona. The fight for victory is open like never before.”
Patrick Pilet (France)
Porsche successes
With 22 overall and 72 class victories, Porsche is by far the most successful manufacturer in the history of the Daytona 24 hour race.
The first overall win for Porsche was in 1968 with Vic Elford, Jochen Neerpasch, Rolf Stommelen, Jo Siffert and Hans Herrmann with the Porsche 907.
The latest win in 2010 went to Joao Barbosa, Terry Borcheller, Ryan Dalziel and Mike Rockenfeller with the Porsche-Riley. In 2003, Joerg Bergmeister, Timo Bernhard, Kevin Buckler and Michael Schrom clinched a sensational overall win with the near-standard Porsche 911 GT3 RS against more powerful Daytona prototypes.
In the previous year, Porsche works driver Wolf Henzler secured the GT class victory at the wheel of the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.
The schedule
The 24 hour race in Daytona starts on Saturday, 28 January, at 15.30 hrs local time (21.30 hrs CET).
Other interesting facts
– Marking the longest winning streak in the history of the race, Porsche notched up a total of eleven overall victories between 1977 and 1987. Add the class victories to this and Porsche has 21 wins in succession between 1966 and 1987 (in 1974 the race was not contested due to the oil crisis).
– According to statistics, Porsche veteran Hurley Haywood has turned more than 18,800 laps from his 37 Daytona starts to date and with this has completed almost 110,000 kilometres – that’s far more than two and a half times the circumference of the earth. For this, the Porsche dealer from Jacksonville/Florida has spent 476 hours behind the wheel and used around 1,100 sets of tyres.
– Right behind front-runner Hurley Haywood with five overall wins (1973, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1991) in the all-time list of winners at Daytona are two further Porsche pilots: Rolf Stommelen (1968, 1978, 1980, 1982) and Bob Wollek (1983, 1985, 1989, 1991) each with four overall victories.
The calendar
Thirteen races in the USA and Canada make up the calendar of the Grand-Am Series for 2012:
28/29.01. 24 Hours Daytona/Florida
01.04. Birmingham/Alabama
29.04. Miami/Florida
13.05. Millville/New Jersey
03.06. Detroit/Michigan
10.06. Lexington/Ohio
24.06. Elkhart Lake/Wisconsin
01.07 6 Hours Watkins Glen/New York
29.07. Indianapolis/Indiana
12.08. Watkins Glen/New York
19.08. Montreal/Canada
09.09. Laguna Seca/California
28.09. Lime Rock, Connecticut
This year marks an important race in the manufacturer’s history because we will be celebrating 50 years at Daytona. As the most winning Marque of the Rolex 24, Porsche will be the official pace car of the 24 hour race, showcasing the new 911. Porsche Cars North America is excited to announce the return of the two-day customer hospitality program at the Rolex 24 at Daytona.
Each hospitality package is $300 and includes an official race ticket to the Rolex 24 and access to the Porsche hospitality tent Saturday (Jan 28) and Sunday (Jan 29) with the following amenities:
Food and Beverage (3 meals per day)
Lounge area
Track feed from the race
Team/Sponsor presentations
Driving Simulators for xBox
Gift bag
In addition to the Rolex 24 at Daytona, any additional customer hospitality programs that will be implemented later in the year will appear on the same website. Dealers, customers, and prospects are able to use this site to order any of the motorsport hospitality packages.
For more information on each of the events or to order hospitality packages please visit:www.porscheracingusa.com.
Porsche is commemorating both 60 years of racing at Le Mans and its 2014 return to the storied endurance race with a series of videos.
Porsche will make its return to the LMP1 class of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2014. To celebrate, it has released another teaser video that highlights the brand’s history at the famous race from the early years.
Porsche has more wins at Le Mans than any other manufacturer, including Audi. The company has 16 overall victories, including seven in a row from 1981 to 1987. Scores of famous racers have sat in the driver’s seat, including Jacky Ickx, Derek Bell, Hurley Haywood and Hans-Joachim Stuck.
When the announcement of Porsche’s return came last summer, Penske Racing made it known that it would love to back a Porsche team at Le Mans. Roger Penske said his organization wanted to follow up on its success with the Porsche RS Spyder LMP2 in the American Le Mans Series, though no deal has been made.
The company won’t be back until 2014, which means that Porsche still has some hurdles to jump, such as finding a pilot or two and, well, building a car.
The world’s oldest endurance race for sports cars, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, has tested the abilities of both drivers and manufacturers since 1923. German automaker Porsche has set numerous records and claimed 16 total victories since the inception of this monumental race, more than any other entrant. Porsche presents us with this compilation of hand-chosen clips from the early days of Le Mans, highlighting the car manufacturer’s achievements in the days preceding its era of dominance with the Porsche 936, 935, and 917 between 1970 and 1980. The promotions are in anticipation of Porsche’s triumphant return in 2014 to the circuit.
Porsche owned large swathes of the 1970s at Le Mans, with five overall victories. Starting with the 917 at the dawn of the decade – and leading to the 936 and 935 – legendary drivers paved the way for complete dominance by Porsche in the 1980s. The manufacturer – the most successful in the history of the gruelling endurance race – is now set to return to Le Mans in 2014 with an LMP1 sports prototype.
Building on the great successes of the 1970s, Porsche drivers swept all before them in the following decade, with an incredible seven overall victories throughout the 80s. With the Jacky Ickx/Derek Bell team winning in the 936 in 1981, and then leading in an incredible Porsche 1-2-3 win the following year in the newly developed 956, this was a legendary era for the manufacturer. Enjoy the greatest moments here.
365 km/h top speed. And top performances. In the ’90s, the 24 Hours of Le Mans are again dominated by Porsche Motorsport. New race cars. New drivers. And now, a new show.
A glorious past. And now, a mission: In 2014, Porsche Motorsport will return to Le Mans. With a LMP1 prototype and the determination to add another chapter to this success story.
We’ll definitely be watching. The company is setting up its YouTube channel for a running series of these teaser videos, so stay tuned.
Porsche Everyday Dedeporsches Blog 