by John Glynn | Apr 14, 2013 | Porsche News, Race and Rally
Fourth place in GTE Pro was the best Porsche could manage in today’s 991 RSR debut at the Six Hours of Silverstone. Despite a subdued reaction to the RSR’s debut, the prototype racing was excellent, with McNish setting lap records towards the end, in pursuit of a win he eventually claimed.
Round 1 of the 2013 FIA World Endurance Championship was run in generally dry conditions. A short burst of rain at the halfway point handed Stuttgart some help, but when the circuit dried, the competition had no problem staying in front.
First GTE Pro home was the number 97 Aston Martin Racing Vantage GTE of Turner, Mucke and Senna. Fourth Aston pedaller and friend of Ferdinand, Peter Dumbreck, skipped Silverstone to race the JRM Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 in the opening round of Blancpain Endurance at Monza.
Nice as it must be to race alongside ex-Porsche driver and 2011 FIA GT1 champ, Lucas Luhr, on the epic Monza circuit, Peter would have savoured a trophy in the local Prodrive-built Aston, ahead of Kamui Kobayashi’s Ferrari 458 Corse, and the #99 Aston of Rob Bell, Paul Dalla Lana, Pedro Lamy and Frederic Makowiecki. No doubt Darren enjoyed his day, as did Kobayashi, who soared to second place in the final hour, when a pitstop taken earlier than the others paid off.
After the race, Porsche’s Patrick Pilet tweeted: “Just a little issue on the car, the mechanics make a good job but we lost three laps. Car was great to drive. See u at Spa”. The Pilet/Bergmeister/Bernhard car seemed to hold up Marc Lieb’s encouraging charge in the early part, before Bergmeister boxed the #91 car, to check on loose front suspension. Olaf Manthey said no fault was found, and the car continued on its way. The sister #92 991 RSR and fourth place finisher of Lietz/Lieb/Dumas had what looked like a trouble-free run, just without sufficient dry pace to take it to the Astons.
Interviewed for Motors TV by the Radio Le Mans team after his stint, Romain Dumas noted that the rain shower had played to Porsche’s strengths, and allowed the RSR to close on the Ferrari he was trailing at the time, but also said each pitstop was costing the drivers ten or twelve seconds more than their rivals. “Whatever time we gain on track, we lose in the pits,” bemoaned Romain.
At the flag, the RSR finished a lap plus over a minute behind the winning Aston, but showed a fastest lap within reach of its rivals (see the data). Saving twelve seconds in each of five pitstops might have helped to keep Porsche in touch.
The next round at Spa on May 4th and 5th has some watery comfort. Last year’s big race was held in the wet, and Porsche streaked to glory as a result. But we don’t want to race a car hoping for rain. Here’s hoping Porsche AG Team Manthey can further develop the new boy by Spa, and race to take P1 on merit.
Text © MightyMotorMedia Ltd
by John Glynn | Apr 14, 2013 | Porsche People, Race and Rally
Just watched a great Chinese Grand Prix, and now watching the 6-Hour World Endurance Championship event at Silverstone.
The 991 RSR is going well: number 92 at the hands of Marc Lieb had a good second stint, claiming a few scalps thanks to a combination of raw pace and Ferrari chaos. A Lieb/Kobayashi dogfight ended prematurely, when Kamui’s 458 went off on a slippery track following a sizeable Strakka/Ferrari crash.
Number 91 has been in the garage, losing two laps when Bergmeister boxed with suspected loose front suspension. The RSR looked quick in clean air and is now back in the hunt. That said, it’s just had a dig in the right front corner from a passing prototype.
The 991 is just one story here at Silverstone. Another hot Porsche topic amongst Radio Le Mans commentators is a rumour that Red Bull F1 Racing driver, Mark Webber, has signed a five-year deal to drive for Porsche.
Currently unconfirmed, there’s been some buzz surrounding Webber and Porsche in the last few days, and this rumour makes some sense, given potential changes in Webber’s arrangements at the end of this season following the Multi21 episode in Malaysia.
Would the deal be Le Mans only, or might it cover a wider campaign by Webber and Stuttgart? The second option would seem to call for F1 retirement. Mark’s about more than F1 and is a mega Porsche fan, so we’ll regard any drive as good news for enthusiasts. Will keep you informed.
by John Glynn | Mar 28, 2013 | Porsche News, Race and Rally
Porsche has finally unveiled the 991 RSR, which will contest this year’s World Endurance Championship (WEC) and Le Mans 24 Hours, run by the all-new Porsche AG Team Manthey.
The new 991 GT3 RSR is 100mm longer than its predeccessor, the 997 GT3 RSR. Chassis balance is improved, with the centre of gravity said to be considerably lower than the outgoing RSR. The new car runs more carbon fibre in its construction, with most of the bodywork and much of the interior made from carbon. Windows are polycarbonate and the battery is lightweight lithium-ion.
The lightweight transmission is new, with six speeds selected by steering wheel paddles. Cooling has been rethought and the radiator is now located in the centre up front. Such survival tweaks combined with many more quick release body panels, should make this new 911 easier to run in competitive endurance events and reduce the duck tape budget.
WEC starts at Silverstone in two weeks, before moving on to Spa in May and Le Mans in June. We have previously reported the drivers and hope to attend a few WEC events this year – I’ve got to get cracking on accreditation.
by John Glynn | Mar 24, 2013 | Classic Porsche Blog, Race and Rally
The intrepid WEVO Porsche team has reached the tip of South America in the 2013 Great South America Challenge.
The month-long rally drew to a close in Ushuaia, with landing-craft transport across the Straits of Magellan, from Patagonia to the southernmost tip of this epic continent. High winds and dirt roads kept the teams honest in Argentina, but WEVO’s Hayden Burvill reports the rally as much tamer than previous marathon events including Peking to Paris, and London to Cape Town.
“Not much to report, no challenge for Lola, me or Steven. Great scenery and a lovely introduction to Argentina, that will lead to future visits, hopefully on better rallies! The event is now officially finished: we finished 1st in class, 2nd overall. Good fun being with my two drivers thsi time out and great to be 54deg South.”
Not sure what marathon is coming up next. Porsche friend Alastair Caldwell is just back from a month-long thrash through India in his Pagoda Mercedes and his in-house mechanic has finished refurbing a classic Rolls Royce after its last rally event.
Tuthill Porsche is working on cars for the next Peking-Paris and the forthcoming London-Sydney, which should both be interesting. I’m looking forward to more desert miles to blog about.
by John Glynn | Mar 13, 2013 | New Models, Porsche News, Race and Rally
Porsche has upgraded the 997 GT3R ahead of the 2013 season. We’ve already covered some of this in our earlier Falken Porsche N24 RSR blog, but it’s useful to look at Porsche factory pictures of the R.
The most obvious changes are to the aero package. Front bumper, wings, sill trims and underbody diffuser have all been optimised to produce additional downforce. The rear wing has been widened to full body width.
Longer wheelbase, increased track – 50mm wider front and rear – and 12-inch front wheels combined with improved aero performance allow higher cornering speeds.The 4.0-litre flat six produces 500 hp, sent to the rear via a 6-speed sequential dog ‘box with air shift and steering paddles. This is fast and smooth, and should be reliable.
Porsche offers a conversion kit for older GT3Rs at €45,500 plus tax. I wonder how many Euros that is per Nurburgring tenth of a second.
by John Glynn | Mar 7, 2013 | Porsche News, Race and Rally
Our friends at Falken Tyres have confirmed their driver lineup for the 2013 Nurburgring 24-Hour. The team will also run their Porsche 997 GT3 RSR at a number of VLN events this season.
Sebastian Asch, Peter Dumbreck, Wolf Henzler and Martin Ragginger are all confirmed as Falken Porsche drivers for the year, with the clear aim of a top ten finish in the 24 Hour event. The Porsche 997 GT3 RSR has also received a few upgrades ahead of its first outing: a VLN test on the 16th of March.
Falken Motorsports’ experienced team principal, Sven Schnabl, has upgraded the teams’ RSR with a new aero package of wider wings, new splitter and double canards up front, with a larger rear wing to increase downforce. Cooling vents around both front and rear arches are bigger, and the car can now run 12-inch front wheel rims, half an inch wider than last year. The 997 also now runs four headlamps.
Falken’s Japanese engineers have developed a range of new tyres for this season, which the drivers are keen to explore. “After a really exciting 2012 season, we are hungry for more in 2013,” says former Porsche Junior, Martin Ragginger. “We will give it everything we’ve got for the fans and aim for a top ten place in the 24-Hour Race.”
Falken’s season looks busy, with a race weekend every month bar September:
- 16.03.2013 VLN Set Up Day
- 23.03.2013 ADAC Westfalenfahrt
- 27.04.2013 ADAC ACAS H&R-Cup
- 17-20.05.13 ADAC ZURICH 24h-Rennen Nürburgring
- 22.06.2013 Adenauer ADAC Simfy Trophy
- 20.07.2013 ADAC Reinoldus-Langstreckenrennen
- 24.08.2013 ADAC Ruhr-Pokal-Rennen
- 12.10.2013 ROWE DMV 250-Meilen-Rennen
Chances are we’ll get to at least one of these events: I rarely miss a Nurburgring 24-Hour and am overdue a weekend in the woods. Are you heading out to one or more VLN rounds? Keep in touch if yes – could do with some keen amateur photographers on my side.
Email mail@ferdinandmagazine.com to let me know your plans. See the Falken Tyres site at Falken-Europe.de.
