Porsche Motorsports Weekly Event Notes: Wednesday, October 3, 2018
This Week.
• Porsche Passion. Rennsport Reunion VI Sets Record Attendance.
• Today’s 935. World Premiere of New Porsche 935 Comes at Rennsport Reunion.
Porsche Profile.
Event Story Lines.
Porsche Passion. Rennsport Reunion VI Sets Record Attendance.
Porsche passion fueled a record turnout of fans at Rennsport Reunion VI, the latest iteration of the world's largest Porsche festival. The family reunion of historic race cars, legendary drivers, engineers as well as Porsche owners and enthusiasts packed WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca (WRLS) near Monterey, California, for four days, September 27-30. Race champions and contenders from 70 years of Porsche motorsports roared around the track while around 2,000 vehicles from past and present were on display.
WRLS officials announced attendance of 81,550. It was the highest attendance at Laguna Seca in five years and easily broke the Rennsport Reunion V record of more than 60,000 at the previous event in 2015. Beyond the numbers, there was fascination for seven decades of stunning Porsche models – from the blistering-fast 919 Hybrid Evo to Porsche tractors from the marque’s earliest days.
Rennsport Reunion VI is the culmination of this year's global celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the first Porsche sports car. The original 356 "No. 1" Roadster was on display at Rennsport and joined its offspring on the track, piloted by none other than Dr. Wolfgang Porsche, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Porsche AG and son of Ferdinand "Ferry" Porsche, who built the first Porsche sports car.
Approximately 50 legendary drivers, 500 historic and customer cars, including 350 cars in competition, and the full Porsche Factory Team were in attendance, giving all Porsche enthusiasts a thrill for their senses. In addition, 1,600 Porsche cars were on display in the Porsche Club of America corral.
Rennsport started in 2001 as a way to honor the Porsche motorsports legacy. More than 125,000 people attended the first five installments of the largest gathering of Porsche cars and fans in the world. The theme of Rennsport Reunion VI was "Marque of Champions."
The festival also featured four days of autograph sessions, on-stage interviews, concerts, and various meet-and-greets around the Porsche Park in the Paddock with champion drivers, including Hurley Haywood, Derek Bell, and Jacky Ickx, and Factory drivers, including 919 Hybrid Evo driver Timo Bernhard as well as a special tribute to Porsche legend Al Holbert who was remembered on the 30th Anniversary of his passing.
More information can be found at http://www.porscherennsportreunion.com/
Klaus Zellmer, President and CEO of Porsche Cars North America.
"Every Porsche car has a soul, and Rennsport has its own soul thanks to the emotional response of enthusiasts who come from around the world. We are deeply grateful to the champion drivers and brilliant engineers behind more than 30,000 Porsche motorsports victories so far – who help us develop on the track what we bring to the street. Celebrating this heritage together with the extended Porsche family of fans made Rennsport Reunion VI the biggest and best yet, and the most thrilling."
Today’s 935. World Premiere of New Porsche 935 Comes at Rennsport Reunion.
Porsche unveiled the new 935 at Rennsport Reunion VI on Thursday, September 27. Only 77 of the 700 hp racer, which features a body reminiscent of the legendary Porsche 935/78 – a car most remember as “Moby Dick” – will be produced for worldwide sale. The race car – which is based on the 911 GT2 RS high-performance sports car – has been developed solely for clubsport events and private training on the track with no road car application.
Like its historic predecessor, most of the body of the new 935 has been replaced or supplemented for on-track performance. This generation utilizes the latest carbon-fiber composite parts (CFRP). With its streamlined extended rear, the 935 reaches a length of 15.98-feet (4.87 meters). The width of the exclusive clubsport racer measures 6.66-feet (2.03 meters).
The spectacular aerodynamics is a completely new development and pays tribute to the Le Mans race car that fans dubbed “Moby Dick” due to its elongated shape, massive fairings and white base color. The distinctive wheel arch air vents on the front fairings, which also feature on the GT3 Porsche 911 GT3 R customer vehicle, increase downforce at the front axle. Measuring 75.16-inches (1,909 millimeters) in width by 15.75-inches (400 millimeters) in depth, the rear wing lends aerodynamic balance.
Many details of the exterior are a salute to winning vehicles from the company’s motor racing history. The aerodynamically capped rims echo those of the 935/78, with the LED rear lights on the rear wing endplates adopted from the 919 Hybrid LMP1 race car. The side mirrors hail from the current Le Mans-winning 911 RSR, with the exposed titanium tailpipes modeled on the Porsche 908 from 1968.
These references are carried through to the cockpit. The knob on the gearshift lever has a laminated wood design and is reminiscent of racers such as the 917, the 909 Bergspyder and the Carrera GT super sports car. The carbon steering wheel and the color display behind it have been taken from the 2019 model year 911 GT3 R. A safety cage combined with a racing bucket seat and a six-point safety harness maximizes safety. A second seat for the passenger is available as a factory option. Air conditioning provides optimal cooling of the interior as it does in the current 911 RSR.
The new 935 is powered by a state-of-the-art 3.8-liter six-cylinder twin-turbo engine, which is largely identical to the high-performance standard unit mounted in the road-legal 911 GT2 RS. Power is transferred to the rear engine via a seven-speed Porsche Doppelkupplung (PDK) with rigid gearbox suspension at the 21.2-inch (310-millimeter)-wide rear axle. Like in the GT road models of the 911, the driver changes gears via conveniently positioned shift paddles on the steering wheel. Typical of the 911, the weight distribution ensures excellent traction and braking performances. Six-piston aluminum mono-block racing calipers on the front axle in combination with internally ventilated and grooved steel brake discs with a 14.96-inch (380-millimeter) diameter provide excellent deceleration values at the front axle. The rear axle is fitted with four-piston calipers and 13.98-inch (355-millimeter) discs.
Like the road-legal 911 GT2 RS, the 3,046.79-pound (1,380-kilogram) 935 is equipped with PSM (Porsche Stability Management) including traction control as well as an anti-lock braking system (ABS). Thanks to a so-called “map switch”, these assistance systems can be adjusted separately or switched off completely, depending on the driving situation.
The new Porsche 935 can be ordered now. Customers will receive their vehicles beginning in June 2019 at exclusive delivery events.
Dr. Frank-Steffen Walliser, Vice President Motorsport and GT Cars.
“This spectacular car is a birthday present from Porsche Motorsport to fans all over the world. Because the car isn’t homologated, engineers and designers didn’t have to follow the usual rules and thus had freedom in the development.”
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)
Model Hashtags.
Porsche 911 RSR. #911RSR
Porsche 911 GT3 R. #911GT3R
Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. #911Cup
Event Hashtag.
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.
IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Event: 21st Petit Le Mans, Road Atlanta
Dateline: Braselton, Georgia
Date: Thursday – Saturday, October 11 - 13, 2018
Track Length: 2.54-miles, 12-turn
Race Duration: 10-Hours
Class: GTLM (Porsche 911 RSR)
GTD (Porsche 911 GT3 R)
Round: GTLM. 11 of 11
GTD. 11 of 11
Next Round: Michelin IMSA SportsCar Encore, Sebring International Raceway, November 9 – 11, 2018
IMSA Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge.
Event: FOX Factory 120, Road Atlanta
Dateline: Braselton, Georgia
Date: Thursday – Friday, October 11 - 12, 2018
Track Length: 2.54-miles, 12-turn
Race Duration: 2-Hours
Class: GS (Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport MR)
Round: GS. 10 of 10
Next Round: Michelin IMSA SportsCar Encore, Sebring International Raceway, November 9 – 11, 2018
IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama.
Event: Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge, Road Atlanta
Dateline: Braselton, Georgia
Date: Thursday – Friday, October 11 - 12, 2018
Track Length: 2.54-miles, 12-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: 15 - 16 of 16
Next Round: Finale
FIA World Endurance Championship.
Event: Six Hours of Fuji, Fuji Speedway
Dateline: Fuji, Japan
Date: Friday – Sunday, October 12 – 14, 2018
Track Length: 2.84-miles, 16-turn
Race Duration: 6-Hours
Class: LMGTE-Pro (Porsche 911 RSR)
LMGTE-Am (Porsche 911 RSR)
Round: 4 of 8
Next Round: Six Hours of Shanghai, Shanghai, China, November 16 - 18, 2018