by John Glynn | Aug 8, 2014 | Porsche News, Race and Rally
Been a very busy boy lately with a bunch of new website builds and a lot of new products and projects to look after. It’s left little time for Ferdinand, but I should start catching up after this weekend.
Undoubtedly the biggest Porsche story of the past two weeks has been the launch of Tuthill Porsche’s 911 WRC car. Built to comply with complex FIA R-GT/RGT regulations, the project was led by Graham Moore, who also managed the original Aston Martin V8 Vantage Rally GT project. Graham is super interesting to talk to, and following Team Tuthill’s work in getting the car through the various levels of FIA approval has been highly illuminating.
Graham Moore – Chief Engineer Tuthill Porsche 911 Rally Car
Like many of the engineers and technicians who work with Tuthill Porsche, Graham started with Prodrive in the early 1990s and gained experience across all of the projects of the time, including BMW and Alfa Romeo touring cars. He then switched to Subaru’s Group A and WRC teams, where his work as head of powertrain helped Colin McRae secure Subaru’s first World Rally Championship.
Moving to the race track, Graham worked on the Drayson Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT2 program in Le Mans, American Le Mans and the 24 Hours. The team then built the first bio-fueled, Judd-powered Lola LMP1 to race in Le Mans Series. The car snatched pole in Japan ahead of a full season of Le Mans Series, ALMS and the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2010.
Since then, Graham has been focused on developing high power electric drivetrains for electric racing championships like FIA Formula E, and served as Chief Engineer on converting the LMP1 Lola chassis to race with pure electric power. Graham’s lead role in the Tuthill Porsche RGT project has been a real dream come true for all at Tuthill Porsche in Wardington.
Porsche 911 FIA WRC Rally Car: Restrictions
It will come as no surprise to learn that the FIA’s RGT category is power restricted. The 911 has to run an inlet air restrictor, which limits outright performance on FIA events. This creates an interesting challenge to get the best performance, but Richard and Peter Lythell enjoyed their first outing at Harry Flatters, where the Tuthill 997 RGT car ran as course closing car with an official dispensation from the MSA.
“We had an amazing first day in the car,” said Richard Tuthill, who drove the car on the event. “The main aim of the day was to get miles under our belts. We tried a variety of setups and tyre combinations. Our target for the 911 WRC car was create a Porsche that is easy and fun to drive, and which will appeal to all levels of drivers.
“We’re delighted to report that the car lands beautifully from jumps, is incredibly nimble through the narrow tight twisty stuff and hugely competent in the fast sections. It was born to rally: there is also no doubt that it will be extremely competitive in the overall standings.”
Porsche 911 FIA RGT car at Ulster Rally and WRC Germany
Next outing for the Tuthill Porsche 911 WRC car is next weekend’s Ulster Rally. From Ulster it goes straight to Germany for testing for WRC Germany, and then possibly on to Scandinavia. We are waiting to hear! There may even be a video crew following the Tuthill Porsche in Deutschland, so we look forward to great content after that event.
The plan is to race this car to iron out any bugs and then open the order book for customer versions. Anyone interested in the Porsche 997 GT3 FIA WRC car should email Richard Tuthill and get talking, as build slots will fill up quickly. It takes very little work to switch the car from track day use to rally spec, so it is a true all-rounder.
Rally Pics by JMS Photographic
by John Glynn | Jul 14, 2014 | Classic Porsche Blog, Porsche News, Race and Rally
A nail-biting finish on the 2014 Midnight Sun Rally yesterday, as the 911 legends at Tuthill Porsche claimed another European rally victory, this time by just six seconds after three days of hard fought, flat-out rallying.
Even more impressive was that driver, Patrik Sandell, was on his first ever rally in a Porsche 911, and catching some very experienced drivers ahead of him despite zero pace notes, their supreme local knowledge and proven speed as previous winners. Also the fact that he was driving a 3-litre Tuthill 911 normally found on the Below Zero Ice Driving school! Awesome job all round.
Sandell started the day over forty seconds down on the leader, with just forty kilometres of stages remaining. So Sandell needed to take a second a kilometre out of previous rally winner and former WRC driver, Kenneth Bäcklund, in a very quick Escort RS. As anyone who has rallied will tell you, this is almost impossible.
“Second place is infinitely doable, but to win we will need others to face misfortune. However, the completion rate at this level is very high,” said a cautious Richard Tuthill at the start of day three. The Tuthill mechanics had made quite a few setup changes overnight, so would the car be quick enough? We were about to find out.
The first stage of the day was SS13 Ramsjöhult: a nine-kilometre thrasher. Sandell won the stage, finishing 8.8 seconds faster than the leader. The day was off to a proper start. “I’m in love with this car right now! It’s close to perfect,” said Patrik at the end of stage thirteen. Next stage was Vallavägen at 8.8 kilometres. Sandell was five seconds faster than the next quickest Porsche, but only six-tenths up on Bäcklund.
Then came Viggaren: 13 kilometres long. Bäcklund held nothing in reserve, but Sandell was first, six seconds quicker than Kenneth. The next stage was Forssjö, five kilometres long. Sandell took a further eight seconds off the leader and with two stages left was just fourteen seconds down.
Penultimate stage was by far the longest of the two remaining: Härad at 6,240 metres long. Over six kilometres, Sandell stuck to his second-a-kilometre rhythm and finished the stage just under nine seconds down on the Escort. Heading into the last stage, a win was looking unlikely. Semi-resigned to finishing second, which would still have been a great Porsche debut for the Red Bull Global Rallycross winner, Patrik left the start with all guns blazing for the 1.5 kilometre stage.
Then, who knows what happened – a burst of nerves, a slippy clutch foot, a distraction in the corner of his mind – but Bäcklund blew the start. False starts earn a ten second penalty: one more than Sandell needed to win. Bäcklund finished eight seconds down, and Sandell finished on top.
“I had a fantastic weekend with Tuthills and the car was awesome to drive,” said Patrik (above, right) at the finish. “The car gave me great feedback all weekend, and I don’t think people understand the speed you can get from a historic Tuthill Porsche. The team have been so professional the whole race and we have really worked together to get this win!”
I know how delighted everyone in the team is to see a fresh face take to the car and bring it home undamaged, on top of the podium. Tuthill Porsche has a groundbreaking rally project coming out soon – it could be amazing if they can get Sandell in that. I will be there to cover it!
Pics courtesy of Midnattssolsrallyt/Fotogubben
by John Glynn | Jul 12, 2014 | Classic Porsche Blog, Race and Rally
Our friends at Tuthill Porsche are chasing a win on Sweden’s Midnight Sun Rally. Porsche virgin, Patrik Sandell, is at the wheel and driving a near immaculate rally on his 911 rally debut.
It’s surprising that Sandell – the 2006 Junior World Rally Champion, currently starring in the US-based Red Bull Global Rallycross series – has never rallied a Porsche 911. There was a time when most budding rallyists would have clocked up 911 seat time, exploring the rear-engined icon on gravel.
But the 32-year old Swede comes from a different generation, where front-wheel drive Ford and Citroen rally cars dominate the junior classes, and there is no perceived need to understand rear-drive dynamics. Nonetheless, Patrik is giving it everything in his Below Zero Ice Driving Porsche to keep in touch with former winner and multiple runner-up, Kenneth Bäcklund in an Escort RS.
““I have finally realised what pure flat out action is,” said Patrik at the end of Day 1. “Driving a no pace notes stage rally with a rear-wheel drive car on great stages is awesome!”
“It’s been pretty interesting out there and Patrik has certainly shown his speed,” says Richard. “Yesterday was ultimately a bit frustrating. The first stage we were bang on the pace, despite a minor overshoot. From then on, due to a very hard packed surface with no gravel at all, plus the stages being very well known by all around us we struggled.
“The good news is that we ran through some setup changes and have ended up with a better setup running EXE TC dampers all round. It will be great to see how today goes on stages that are less well known to the drivers: this will level out the playing field.
“Second place is infinitely doable but to win we will need others to face misfortune. We must also not discount a few quick boys breathing down our necks as well. One mustn’t forget this is Patrik’s first time in a Porsche and the completion at this level is very high.”
With a recent win against the Red Bull Rallycross heroes in Washington, Sandell is clearly at the top of his game. To see a 911 being driven this hard by a relative new boy with no pace notes is thrilling. I am loving this event and the arrival of an exciting new force in classic rallying!
by John Glynn | Jun 22, 2014 | Classic Porsche Blog, Race and Rally
Former Belgian Historic Rally Champion, Glenn Janssens, blitzed to victory on the last weekend’s Ypres Historic Rally in a Tuthill Porsche 911.
Close to the Franco-Belgian border, the beautiful city of Ypres is storied in European rallying. First run in 1965, the Ypres Rally has attracted the biggest names in rallying, with previous winners including Walter Röhrl in the Opel Kadett, and a trio of Porsche victors: Bernard Béguin, Marc Duez and the great Henri Toivonen.
The Ypres Historic continues the great rally’s tradition of running through Ypres marketplace at the start before heading to the first special stage at Boezinge. Driving his powerful Tuthill Porsche 911, Jannsens and co-driver Stéphane Prévot dominated proceedings from the evening start on Friday, taking stage wins in all but the final sections of the two-day classic.
Tuthill Porsche wins Ypres Historic Rally
Fending off challengers including five-time British champion, Jimmy McRae, in an Opel Ascona and experienced rivals in quick Ford Escorts and very fast E21 BMWs, Janssens and Prévot married speed and experience to build a dominant lead, before managing their pace on the closing stages to come home first overall.
“Stage results don’t show the skill and concentration required to win at this level,” said Richard Tuthill. “Glenn’s got exceptional natural pace, which is encouraged by complete trust in his Tuthill Porsche platform and partnership with such an experienced co-driver.
“A long-time European classic, Ypres Historic is the Monaco Grand Prix of the Belgian Historic calendar. To take a convincing win against strong competition underlines the pace of our cars and proves Glenn’s fire to win burns brighter than ever. Well done to Glenn and Stéphane from all of the Tuthill Porsche team.”
Tuthill Porsche now moves on to the Goodwood Festival of Speed, charity support with five Porsche rally cars running at this summer’s Carfest and launching a groundbreaking Porsche rally car on this summer’s European WRC events. Top secret at the minute, but all will be revealed!
![Tuthill Porsche wins Britannia Tour]()
by John Glynn | May 12, 2014 | Classic Porsche Blog, Race and Rally
Tuthill Porsche driver and fellow Irishman, Howard Redhouse, has won the 2014 Mini Britannia one-day rally in an ice-driving Porsche 911 taken straight out of Sweden!
Tuthill Porsche wins Britannia Tour
Three Tuthill Porsche-prepared 911s took part in this precursor to the full Tour Britannia: the Belgian Historic Championship challenger of Glenn Janssens, Duncan Buck’s RSR-style rally car, and a Tuthill-built 3-litre 911, which had last run at Tuthill Porsche’s Below Zero ice driving camp on the frozen lakes of Sweden.
In changeable damp-to-wet conditions, Tuthill Porsche 911s traded fastest times on every stage of the historic motorsport event, including those run on the BBC Top Gear track at Dunsfold Park (pics by Steve Kilvington Motorsport Photography). In the end, the winning driver was long-time Tuthill competitor and experienced endurance racer, Meath’s own Howard Redhouse.
“This event was excellent fun,” smiled the victorious Redhouse. “It was my co-driver Scott Nicholson’s first motorsport outing, and we pushed flat out from the start. The sometimes damp, sometimes wet conditions were a great leveller in the inter-team battle between our 3-litre ice driving car and Glenn Janssens’ championship-winning monster. It’s a very satisfying victory!”
“Only one thing beats watching Tuthill Porsche cars in competition, and that’s watching our drivers compete for the win,” said team boss, Richard Tuthill. “Howard, Glenn and their co-drivers gave it everything and it’s especially rewarding to see one of our Below Zero Ice Driving cars take the win. A well-prepared Tuthill Porsche with a capable driver stands a chance on any event.
Tuthill’s Winning Week
“In the last seven days, Tuthill Porsche has claimed a category win in the British Historic Rally Championship, taken second and fourth place on the 2014 Sydney London Marathon rally and we’re about to confirm a former World Champion for our team on the Classic Rally of South Africa in September: another great Tuthill 911 adventure for experts and novices alike. It’s been a week to remember!“
