I had it completely wrong yesterday: Porsche was not testing a new 991.2 RSR at the Nürburgring. Instead, it was gearing up to run the new-for-2016 Porsche 991 GT3R in a test under racing conditions at the Nürburgring in the Rowe DMV 250-Meilen-Rennen, with works drivers, Nick Tandy and Fred Makowiecki.

At the ninth round of this year’s VLN  Nürburgring Long Distance Championship, the pair ran amongst the race leaders at a cold and foggy Nordschleife, eventually finishing the four-hour race in third place overall. The winner was the polesitter Black Falcon Mercedes SLS, which qualified P1 on an 8:01.443 and turned a fastest race lap of 8:02.786. In comparison, the fastest lap set by the new Porsche 911 991 GT3R was 8:10.828. It finished on the lead lap, 4 minutes behind the Mercedes.

Porsche 991 GT3R test ends with Nürburgring Podium

“We didn’t come here specifically to race, but I’m happy to be on the podium,” said Tandy. “The car was fun to drive.” “Balance was good and it was fun to drive at the Nürburgring,” echoed Fred. “A couple of areas need optimising, but that’s normal in testing and development.”

The new GT3R features an improved aerodynamic package compared to its predecessor, as well as improved driveability and further optimised safety. The engine used in the Nürburgring tests was the proven (current) power plant, but an all-new direct fuel injection engine generation is currently undergoing test bench runs in Weissach and further testing in the USA.

“The first test outing of our new 911 GT3 R was promising,” says Head of Porsche Motorsport Dr. Frank-Steffen Walliser. “Pure performance was not the only priority today. We are also looking at being able to offer our customers a reliable car that runs well in all conditions. The Nürburgring Nordschleife is excellently suited to put the chassis, body and systems under a stress test. And this works best under race conditions.”