Porsche tackles the final round of the 2018 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship 2018 in Braselton, Georgia (11 to 13 October) with its cars sporting the historic factory livery from 1998. Painted with the distinctive blue and red-orange stripes, the two Porsche 911 RSR racers evoke memories of the 911 GT1, which scored overall victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1998. Twenty years ago, an identical model started from pole position in the famous Road Atlanta race. It was at the inaugural running of the event under the name “Petit Le Mans”. Facing Ferrari, BMW, Ford and Chevrolet, the Porsche GT Team now aims to build on those unforgettable successes with the two 510 hp race vehicles from Weissach.
The race
For many drivers, the 4.088-kilometre racetrack in the US state of Georgia ranks high in the popularity stakes. The so-called “esses” (turns 2 through 5) in the first sector pose a huge challenge for drivers. Courage and utmost precision combined with a perfect car setup are essential in this fast passage. At the 20 races (each over ten hours or 1,000 kilometres) contested here so far, Porsche has scored a total of 23 class wins. In 2015, the works team from Weissach beat even the prototypes to clinch overall victory. “Petit Le Mans” is also the final race of the North American Endurance Cup (NAEC). In this competition, which encompasses the races at Daytona, Sebring, Watkins Glen and Road Atlanta, the Porsche GT Team currently ranks second overall.
The Porsche drivers
Each of the two Porsche 911 RSR vehicles will be driven by three pilots at the long-distance race at Road Atlanta. Sharing the cockpit of the No. 911 Porsche are Patrick Pilet (France), Nick Tandy (Great Britain) and Frenchman Frédéric Makowiecki. In March, these three won the Sebring 12-hour race. After securing second at Laguna Seca, Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium) and Earl Bamber (New Zealand) will be joined in the No. 912 cockpit by Porsche Young Professional Mathieu Jaminet (France). The customer sport team Wright Motorsports fields the No. 58 Porsche 911 GT3 R with works driver Patrick Long from the USA, Porsche Selected Driver Christina Nielsen (Denmark) and Robert Renauer from Austria. Sharing driving duties in the No. 73 Porsche 911 GT3 R sports car of Park Place Motorsports is the works driver Wolf Henzler (Germany) and the two Americans Spencer Pumpelly and Timothy Pappas.
The Porsche vehicles
For the second race season, the 911 RSR was optimised primarily in the setup. Depending on the size of the restrictor, the motor, which is positioned in front of the rear axle, puts out around 375 kW (510 hp). The particularly large rear diffuser combined with a top-mounted rear wing provides strong downforce and aerodynamic efficiency. The ca. 368kW (500 hp) 911 GT3 R was designed for worldwide GT3 series. The vehicle is campaigned by customer teams, for whom Porsche has provided an evo-kit in 2018.
