Porsche Motorsports Weekly Event Notes: Tuesday, July 31, 2018
This Week.
• Quick Time Travel. Porsche Brings Full Factory and Customer Contingent to Road America.
Next Race.
IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Event: Continental Tire Road Race Showcase, Road America
Dateline: Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin
Date: Friday – Sunday, August 3 – August 5, 2018
Track Length: 4.048-miles, 14-turn
Race Duration: 2-Hours, 40-minutes
Class: GTLM (Porsche 911 RSR)
GTD (Porsche 911 GT3 R)
Round: GTLM. 8 of 11
GTD. 8 of 11
Next Round: Michelin GT Challenge at VIR, VIRginia International Raceway, August 17 – 19, 2018
IMSA Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge.
Event: Road America 120
Dateline: Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin
Date: Friday – Sunday, August 3 – August 5, 2018
Track Length: 4.048-miles, 14-turn
Race Duration: 2-Hours
Class: GS (Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport MR)
Round: GS. 6 of 10
Next Round: Biscuitville Grand Prix, VIRginia International Raceway, August 17 – 18, 2018
IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama.
Event: Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge, Road America
Dateline: Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin
Date: Friday – Sunday, August 3 – August 5, 2018
Track Length: 4.048-miles, 14-turn
Race Duration: 2, 45-Minute Races
Class: Platinum (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, MY 2017 - 2018)
Gold (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, MY 2015 – 2016)
Round: 9 – 10 of 15
Next Round: GT Challenge, VIRginia International Raceway, August 17 – 18, 2018
Porsche Profile.
Event Story Lines.
Quick Time Travel. Porsche Brings Full Factory and Customer Contingent to Road America.
With the Continental Tire Road Race Showcase scheduled for August 5 at Road America, the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship takes a short trip into the past. The storied 4.048-mile (6.515-kilometer) circuit close to Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin is regarded as the birthplace of American sports car racing. Despite its modern facilities, the picturesque tree-lined circuit harkens to the golden era of sports car racing. The Porsche GT Team fields two 911 RSR in the GTLM class against strong opposition from Ford, Chevrolet and BMW. The 510 hp 911 RSR has won two races thus far this season in North America’s premier endurance sports car race series: the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring and at Mid-Ohio. In the GTD class, Porsche’s customer teams of Wright Motorsports and Park Place Motorsports compete racing the 911 GT3 R.
Road America, which opened in 1955, is the longest circuit on the IMSA calendar and is one of the few courses retaining its original layout. Sports fans regard the race track, on which Porsche celebrated a one-two finish in the GTLM class in 2015, as “America’s National Park of Speed”. European drivers often call it this continent’s Nordschleife – the legendary full Nürburgring race course in Germany – or compare it to Spa-Francorchamps – the classic Belgian road course.
2015 Road America-winners Patrick Pilet (France) and Nick Tandy (Great Britain) share the cockpit of the No. 911 Porsche 911 RSR. This season, the pair won the 12 Hours of Sebring. The winners of the Mid-Ohio race, Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium) and Earl Bamber (New Zealand), who recently claimed a third-place result at Lime Rock, share driving duties in the second 911 RSR (No. 912) for the two-hour, 40-minute race.
In the GTD class, the Porsche customer team of Wright Motorsports challenges for its first win of the year with their 911 GT3 R. In the cockpit of the No. 58 car are the works driver Patrick Long (Manhattan Beach, California) and Porsche Selected Driver Christina Nielsen (Denmark). The No. 73 Park Place Motorsports Porsche tackles the race with factory driver Jörg Bergmeister (Germany) and Patrick Lindsey (Santa Barbara, California).
Depending on the size of the air restrictor, the 4.0-liter flat-six engine of the Porsche 911 RSR, which is mounted in front of the rear axle, puts out approximately 510 hp. The particularly large rear diffuser combined with a top-mounted rear wing provides strong downforce and aerodynamic efficiency. The 500 hp 911 GT3 R is designed for worldwide GT3 series. The vehicle is campaigned by customer teams, for whom Porsche has provided an evo-kit in 2018 to maximize performance. A new-for-2019 911 GT3 R debuted earlier this year.
Dr. Frank-Steffen Walliser, Vice President Motorsport and GT Cars.
“We have a hectic July with three very tough races in the USA and Canada behind us. Despite the enormous stresses on drivers and the team, our 911 RSR gave a strong overall performance, which unfortunately hasn’t been rewarded with a victory yet. After scoring podium results at Watkins Glen and Lime Rock as well as pole position in Bowmanville [Canadian Tire Motorsport Park], we’re now facing the next big challenge with the race on the legendary Road America. It’s a real classic on one of America’s most beautiful race tracks. After our last victory here in 2015, we definitely want to win again.”
Pascal Zurlinden, Director GT Factory Motorsport.
“Road America is a traditional closed circuit with a lot of fast corners and loads of character. Teams and drivers face a difficult task with the setup of our 911 RSR. They have to find a perfect compromise to ensure they have the necessary grip for the slow corners. We’re looking forward to this challenge.”
Sebastian Golz, Project Manager GT Customer Sport.
“We’re curious to see if our customer teams perform as strongly as in previous years at Road America. Spectators can reach almost every part of this track and get the chance to witness firsthand how the GT cars push the limits of traction in the corners. It’s a great experience for every sports car fan.”
Patrick Pilet, Driver, No. 911 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR.
“Road America is my favorite racetrack in the USA. I like its tradition and character. For me, it’s America’s equivalent to Spa. The course is fast, demanding and hilly, with a beautiful landscape as the backdrop. Racing there is always very intense. This was underlined in 2015 when we started from the last grid spot and went on to win.”
Nick Tandy, Driver, No. 911 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR.
“This championship thrives on its contrasts, which makes it incredibly varied and interesting. Recently we raced on the shortest track of the calendar at Lime Rock, now we’re competing on the longest. This requires a totally different and considerably more complex race strategy, also in terms of possible safety car phases. The fact that we’ve already won at Road America gives us an additional boost.”
Laurens Vanthoor, Driver, No. 912 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR.
“Road America is a real drivers’ racetrack. If you dare to hold off a bit longer before braking for the corners, you can easily overtake in some places. I like such challenges. Races there are always hotly contested. We scored second in 2017 and missed out on victory by just six-tenths of a second. We definitely want to win this time.”
Earl Bamber, Driver, No. 912 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR.
“I’m looking forward to Road America. It’s my favorite racetrack in the USA. I like that the course is fast and challenging and also set in a beautiful location. Porsche has always done well on this circuit. We made up some ground in the championship with our podium result at Lime Rock. Now we have to keep it up if we aim to continue the fight for the title.”
Patrick Long, Driver, No. 58 Porsche Consulting/Porsche Digital Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R.
“At Lime Rock we took off from pole position for the first time this season with our 911 GT3 R. Although this great grid position didn’t translate into a top result in the race, it makes us very confident for Road America.”
Christina Nielsen, Driver, No. 58 Porsche Consulting/Porsche Digital Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R.
“I always consider Road America to be a highlight on the schedule. It’s one of those really old-school tracks, which I think is why it’s a favorite for a lot of drivers. It’s also just a really cool area to visit and the fan turnout is always great. I’ve had some pretty mixed results in the past with one podium back in 2016, but the team’s built up a lot of momentum since Lime Rock so I’m excited to see what we can do on Sunday."
Jörg Bergmeister, Driver, No. 73 Park Place Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R.
“We’ve performed well at Road America in recent years. It’s my all-time favorite race track in America, very fast and very challenging. Fans can look forward to some great racing with real fights for positions.”
Social Media.
Porsche Cars North America. @Porsche
Porsche GT Team (North America). @PorscheNARacing
Porsche Motorsport – GT Cars. @PorscheRaces
Porsche Racing. @Porsche_Team
Porsche Motorsport North America @porschecustomerracingna (Instagram)
Porsche Rennsport Reunion VI. #PorscheRennsport
Model Hashtags.
Porsche 911 RSR. #911RSR
Porsche 911 GT3 R. #911GT3R
Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. #911Cup
Event Hashtag. #CTRRS
Series Hashtags and Handles.
GT3 Cup Challenge USA. #GT3USA
GT3 Cup Challenge Canada. #GT3CAN
Pirelli Trophy West USA. @PirelliTrophy (Twitter)
@PirelliTrophyWestUSA (Instagram)
Intercontinental GT Challenge. @IntercontGTC
Future Porsche Events.
Pirelli World Challenge.
Event: SprintX Championship Finale: Grand Prix of Utah, Utah Motorsports Campus
Dateline: Tooele, Utah
Date: Friday – Sunday, August 10 – 12, 2018
Track Length: 3.048-miles, 24-turn
Race Duration: 2, 60-minutes
Class: GT-X (Porsche 911 GT3 R)
GTS-X (Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport MR)
Round: GT-X. 9 and 10 of 10
GTS-X. 9 and 10 of 10
Next Round: Sprint Championship Finale: GP of Watkins Glen, Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, New York, August 31 – September 1, 2018
IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Event: Michelin GT Challenge at VIR, VIRginia International Raceway
Dateline: Alton, Virginia
Date: Friday – Sunday, August 17 – August 19, 2018
Track Length: 3.27-miles, 17-turn
Race Duration: 2-Hours, 40-minutes
Class: GTLM (Porsche 911 RSR)
GTD (Porsche 911 GT3 R)
Round: GTLM. 9 of 11
GTD. 9 of 11
Next Round: Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, September 7 – 9, 2018
IMSA Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge.
Event: Biscuitville Grand Prix, VIRginia International Raceway
Dateline: Alton, Virginia
Date: Friday – Sunday, August 17 – August 19, 2018
Track Length: 3.27-miles, 17-turn
Race Duration: 2-Hours
Class: GS (Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport MR)
Round: GS. 7 of 10
Next Round: Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, September 7 – 9, 2018
IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama.
Event: Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge, VIRginia International Raceway
Dateline: Alton, Virginia
Date: Friday – Sunday, August 17 – August 19, 2018
Track Length: 3.27-miles, 17-turn
Race Duration: 2, 45-Minute Races
Class: Platinum (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, MY 2017 - 2018)
Gold (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, MY 2015 – 2016)
Round: 11 – 12 of 15
Next Round: Sonoma Raceway, Sonoma California, September 14 – 16, 2018