by John Glynn | Mar 11, 2015 | Classic Porsche Blog, Race and Rally
The John Aldington Trophy race for pre-1967 Porsche 911 SWB racing cars at Goodwood next weekend has gathered an impressive entry list. More than twenty-five 1965 and 1966 short wheelbase 911s are shown on the official entry list for the 20-minute race, with a plethora of well known drivers appearing on the grid.
Thirty tail-happy old 911s on the fast and flowing Goodwood circuit will make for some interesting accidents if the rain comes down. The cars are tricky enough to drive in the dry on regulation tyres, let alone if it gets wet. However, the first big challenge for the cars is to get through scrutineering.
Porsche 911 Goodwood Aldington Trophy
The race is open to pre-1967 2 litre Porsche 901 and 911 models conforming to the FIA Appendix K regulations for Grand Touring cars built between January 1962 and December 1965. All competing cars must have a Historic Technical Passport, and the circuit will insist upon a specific standard of aesthetic vehicle presentation, involving appropriate period livery and detailing.
This means no out-of-period wheels, lights, wing mirrors or dashboard gauges. No windows of an inappropriate material featuring out-of-period ventilation holes or flaps. No advertising, logos or graphics may appear on any vehicle unless these formed part of the car’s original livery during racing prior to 1966.
Minimum weight is strictly 1002 kg. Cars below this weight at scrutineering will not be allowed to race. All cars will be weighed prior to qualifying, with random cars weighed and fuel adjusted post-race. The cars must run aluminium crankcases, Solex carbs, single plug, solid discs, 14-16mm front anti-roll bars (16mm rear), 1380mm front track and 1350mm rear. Minimum ride height is 100mm.
“We shouldn’t have any problems with scrutineering,” says Mark Bates of classic Porsche parts reproduction specialist, EB Motorsport. Bates’ 1965 Porsche 911 raced very successfully at the 2014 Spa 6 Hours (above) and will carry number 6 in the race. “This race at Goodwood could be a bit of lottery, though, given the short qualifying time and the number of cars on track.”
The brief race is named after the legendary John Aldington, son of the famous H.J. Aldington of Frazer Nash dynasty fame and a former MD of both AFN and Porsche Cars GB. Tickets for the weekend are priced at £130 general entry per head, add £76 for roving grandstand per head. Yes, you read that right. I won’t be there, but hopefully we can share some in-car footage after the weekend.
by John Glynn | Feb 23, 2015 | Classic Porsche Blog, Race and Rally
The Le Mans Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) has announced the Classic Le Mans 2016 dates. The eighth edition of Le Mans Classique will be held on 8, 9 and 10 July 2016.
In July 2014, more than 110,000 spectators made their way to la Sarthe, admiring almost 500 race cars on the track and 8,000 vintage cars in a general enclosure accommodating 180 clubs representing 80 marques.
Having attended four CLMs in a row from 2006, I skipped the last one but will be back for 2016. The organisers promise more special features for the next Le Mans Classic, so I hope they don’t muck up the essential charm of the format, which is open access to the paddocks and lots of night-time qualifying.
Anyone coming in from overseas is guaranteed to enjoy the Classic Le Mans. Many competitors running lower down the order keep the speed in check, but the guys at the front run a bona fide race. The eras are split into tranches, which allows fans to plan their viewing and be in certain places for particular groups of cars.
I like watching all of them race, but following 917s, GT40s and 935s from various sections of the circuit over the course of the weekend is cool. I recommend a grandstand seat for night practice and qualifying, and then get out in the country to experience proper speed on the Mulsanne.
It’s easy to drive out to Arnage or Maison Blanc, soak up the energy of the cars as they hammer around the circuit and contemplate the level of endurance these cars were built with back in the day, and how hard the drivers had to push to win at Le Mans.
Not much has changed – Le Mans is still Le Mans – but teams are now huge: massive operations with a lot of data collected that can help show how the car is performing. Back in the golden age, it was quite a different story: you just had to drive the crap out of it and hope things stayed together.
More info on the Classic Le Mans website. Hope to see some of you there!
by John Glynn | Feb 5, 2015 | Porsche News, Race and Rally
Earl Bamber and Nick Tandy will share Nico Hülkenberg’s Porsche 919 LMP1 Hybrid at Le Mans, it has just been announced. It’s an interesting Porsche choice that slams all who claimed that the team’s Daytona upsets would damage either’s shot at Stuttgart’s top drive.
“It goes without saying that each of these drivers is fast and clever,” said Fritz Enzinger, LMP1 Vice President. “But in the WEC, and especially in Le Mans, there are more qualities to be taken into account. The ability to stay focussed and deliver consistent performances are must-haves for endurance racing. Another factor is team spirit and the skills to integrate into the team. This sport doesn’t make sense for loners.
“Each driver always has to take into account his teammates, as their individual speeds are what in the end are reflected by the Porsche Team’s results. Also a strong understanding is required of the skills and consequences when lapping slower cars. This isn’t for egocentrics either. Drivers have to view everything as the bigger picture. In every regard, I have full faith in our driver line-up.”
Porsche will field three 919 Hybrids for the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June, and also the previous month’s Six Hours of Spa. The Hulk 919 gets number 19. There are no quotes from the drivers, but you can imagine what they will say in the next press release. “Le Mans is the one every driver wants to win, driving the 919 Hybrid is an honour, I like my team mates and they are all mega quick, so we are in with a great shout if the car holds together,” said all three in unison, probably. Porsche won’t repeat the last bit.
Of course it is all true. Driving the 919 for an outright win at Le Mans is an immense privilege, as the pilots carry not just the team and the honour of Porsche, but all of our dreams along with them. It is a highly demanding appointment.
I think the line-up is killer: I am bloody delighted. Bamber and Tandy are fast, intelligent racers who take no prisoners: the perfect complement of skills alongside Nico Hülkenberg. Of course, none of this should take away from the 911 squad. No drivers are more capable of bringing our greatest champion home atop the GT ranks than the works RSR pilots: Christensen/Lietz/Bergmeister in number 91, and Makowiecki/Pilet/Henzler in number 92.
by John Glynn | Jan 25, 2015 | Porsche News, Race and Rally
Tuthill Porsche celebrates tonight, following victory in the world-famous Monte Carlo Rally. Driving a Tuthill Porsche 911 in the R-GT category, François Delecour finished almost three minutes ahead of his rival, Romain Dumas, to win the opening round of the R-GT Cup.
“We’ve won rallies in Porsche 911s on every continent, but no rally means more to Porsche fans than Monte Carlo, site of so many classic moments in Porsche history,” said delighted team boss, Richard Tuthill. “To win on this event with the great François Delecour is extremely special: something we will always remember.
Having spent days with the Tuthill crew and most of the weekend keeping tabs on events in Monte Carlo via every available social channel, I know how hard the team worked for this win. Rallying may look like a rock-up-and-ponce-around event, but nothing could be further from the truth. The conditions were deadly: one false move from Delecour or one mechanical failure would have killed the whole effort. Victory in a heavier car with less power than the 4-litre RS of Romain Dumas, a more than worthy adversary, is an excellent achievement.
“An overall Porsche win is no longer possible in the modern World Rally Championship, but we treasure this win just as much,” Richard told me. “Fighting equally committed competitors in capable cars right to the finish was incredible. This year’s Monte Carlo Rally showed just how exciting R-GT rallying can be with more cars taking part.
Delecour in Tuthill Porsche wins Monte Carlo
François Delecour and co-driver Dominique Savignoni set quick times from the start of the 2015 Monte Carlo Rally, building a lead of more than three minutes as they entered the fourth and last day’s rallying. Over the final three stages, including the treacherous Col de Turini, Delecour shrugged off extreme pressure before sealing a memorable victory: the first Monte Carlo Porsche win since 1978.
“This rally has been a huge challenge,” said François. “Snow and ice on the twisty mountain roads makes a great test for the driver! The final day of managing the gap to Dumas while driving quickly to keep concentration was not easy: I am just so happy now! We will celebrate tonight with family and friends, and this amazing team of Tuthill Porsche.”
The Monte Carlo win puts Tuthill Porsche and Delecour on top of the 2015 R-GT Cup: a five-round FIA championship for R-GT cars. The next R-GT round is the Geko Ypres Rally in June, which Tuthill Porsche has previously won in historics, as part of a victorious Belgian championship campaign.
“Ypres is a mega event,” says Richard Tuthill. “Starting with a Monte Carlo win in our pocket, a wonderful car that the fans absolutely adore and this incredible driver and co-driver pairing will be a dream come true. R-GT rallying is a brilliant experience: we want to see more drivers signing up for 2015, hopefully using Tuthill Porsche 911s!”
Photos by McKlein Photography
by John Glynn | Jan 24, 2015 | Race and Rally
Much-loved Porsche maniac, French rally legend François Delecour, is currently leading the R-GT category of the 2015 Monte Carlo Rally. The event reached its mid-way point this evening, at which point Delecour’s 3.8-litre ex-GT3 Cup car was two and a half minutes ahead of compatriot and Porsche works driver, Romain Dumas in a GT3 RS 4.0.
Romain is doing a superb job in the 4-litre, matching Delecour’s pace to the second in some split sections on his first-ever Monte and setting faster times in a couple of stages. But Delecour is driving like a man possessed, because he is a man possessed: by a passion for this course. His previous Monte Carlo rallies don’t count for a great deal of pace, as the stages are brand new for everyone. It’s a very careful game of power versus know-how.
The rally kicked off last night (Thursday), with two long stages over a deadly ice-into-snow-into-dry-tarmac-into-ice surface. Everyone was running studded tyres: the only option in these freezing conditions, high in the mountains around the ski resort of Gap. Making his return to the WRC was fellow Porsche fancier and nine-time world champion, Sebastien Loeb, driving a one-off event for Citröen.
Reigning world champion, Volkswagen’s Sebastien Ogier, went first into the snow, setting a quick time right from the off. The WRC Live service streamed perfect TV pictures of the unfolding stage from Ogier’s front bumper, which were studied very closely. I was texting info back to the Tuthill service tent and maybe Loeb (below) was watching too, as he went out and set a time half a minute quicker than Ogier on the thirteen-mile section. The online rally world went nuts – such a great start to the Monte.
Three R-GT cars are running in this year’s Monte Carlo Rally: all of them Porsches. Delecour and Dumas are racing against Belgium’s Marc Duez in a 996 GT3 built to R-GT rules. Duez set an opening time of 20:38.0 over the stage. Dumas went 20:24.6: roughly 14 seconds quicker than Duez. Delecour went out with the bit between his teeth, setting a time of 19:01.2 – a full minute and 23 seconds faster than the 4-litre.
Stage 2 was another 20 kms. Delecour 16:56. Dumas 17:06, so another ten seconds chipped. Stage three took place early this morning (Friday) in thick fog and sheet ice. Delecour was eight seconds slower than Dumas, but went 17 seconds faster on the following stage.
On it went until the day’s final trial. This stage was a killer, with three top guys (Meeke, Loeb and Kubica) coming off heavily and ripping huge chunks off their cars. Delecour took it steady, finishing ten seconds slower then Romain, but with a lead now stretched to 2m30s. He was joyous on WRC Radio.
“It’s fantastic to drive a Porsche in Monte Carlo: it’s a dream,” he enthused. “When I was a little boy, I watched Waldegård and Nicolas, winning Monte Carlo in 911s, so today it is a dream for me to drive this car on this rally.
“Things now are more complicated than in the past, because we have to run these large tread tyres, which makes it very difficult to keep the car on the road in tricky conditions. But for now we are happy and will keep pushing hard.”
Pushing hard included losing his rear window and a brake line on Stage 5 (above), where he still went thirty-five seconds quicker over the course, with much-diminished rear brakes. The team changed the brake line and the rear discs and pads, and sent their young charger on his way.
“Our aim for this rally was a strong start to our R-GT Cup campaign,” says team boss, Richard Tuthill. “Everyone in the Tuthill Porsche workshop has worked tirelessly since the car’s last WRC outing on Rallye de France-Alsace, making changes required by the FIA and a few more based on driver feedback.
“François has also worked hard. His commercial efforts brought in a major new sponsor, and he’s maintained a high level of personal fitness through the winter. What we’ve seen in the last two days of rallying is a product of all that commitment.”
The 2015 Monte Carlo continues with four tricky stages on Saturday – including the two longest stages in the rally at 51 km and 36 km respectively – before finishing in the mountains above Monaco on Sunday afternoon. Follow the latest news and stage times on www.wrc.com or via @Tuthill_Porsche on Twitter.
Featured Photo Credit: Colin McMaster for McKlein Image Database
by John Glynn | Jan 16, 2015 | Porsche News, Race and Rally
Pictures have just been released of the 2015 Porsche 919 LMP1 Hybrid, three of which will be raced at this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours on June 13-14, with drivers including Formula 1’s Nico Hülkenberg.
Weissach rolled the car out onto the test track for various systems checks in December last year, but serious testing of Stuttgart’s WEC challenger kicks off in Abu Dhabi on January 18. More testing is scheduled before the opening round of the 2015 World Endurance Championship on April 12 at Silverstone.
Porsche’s 2015 LMP1 car is said to be “a comprehensive evolution of the successful car that made its debut in 2014. It features the same innovative drivetrain concept consisting of a 2-litre V4 turbocharged petrol engine, an electric motor powering the front wheels, and two energy recovery systems.”
What has been dropped? We don’t know. Details will emerge as the season progresses: it will also be interesting to see what pace the car runs when it gets to Silverstone, how hard it is on its tyres and whether Porsche applies any changes in approach to quali and race strategy.
2014 was a mixed bag for Porsche in the WEC, with some teething troubles on track and a serious crash for Mark Webber at Interlagos. The team did manage a win with the 919 – Dumas/Jani/Lieb (above) coming home first in Brazil – but only after Toyota had clinched the World Championship, following a virtually flawless season by Anthony Davidson and Sebastian Buemi. Here’s to better results for the car and our heroes in 2015.
edit: Daily Sportscar has done a quick analysis of 2014 919 vs 2015 model, also making the point that Porsche has gone to an 8mJ Hybrid system which requires more cooling. The initial changes are aerodynamic – at least Porsche has its own wind tunnel this year.
