Nurburgring 24H: Porsche 911 GT3 RS race report

The Nuerburgring 30 hour race

Stuttgart. People describe the Porsche 911 GT3 RS in many different ways. Some say it's a 'street-legal race car', others say it's a 'Porsche for purists'. Ex-DTM pilot Roland Asch quite simply says it's the 'best sports car in the world'. But, above all, the GT3 RS is this: An uncompromising sports car fully suited to racing. To prove it, the vehicle was put to the test at one of the world's toughest automobile races - the Nuerburgring 24 Hours. And if that wasn't torture enough, the white-and-red liveried racer was driven to and from the race track. The result: After virtually 30 hours at full throttle, the production vehicle with the "S-GO 2400" number plate was still top fit.

Germany's most gruelling race, however, left its scars on the car's body: The driver's door and the left door sill are dented after a rough punt courtesy of a rival, and the front indicator light is smashed. The front and fenders are adorned with traces of black rubber. But all is hale and hearty under the body of the #11 GT3 RS. The engine runs like new, and not one unfriendly noise comes from its manual six-speed gearbox. "As planned, we replaced the front brakes during the race," explains driver Roland Asch (Germany). "But other than that, the mechanics concentrated on refuelling, tyre changes and cleaning the windows during the pit stops. The car ran like clockwork."

Asch received support at the Nuerburgring 24 hour race from three experienced pilots: Race driver and TV commentator Patrick Simon (Germany) as well as journalists Chris Harris (Great Britain) and Horst von Saurma (Germany) turned consistently fast and perfect laps. And the production engine also performed brilliantly and with exemplary efficiency at race speed: the pilots could complete up to eleven laps before having to refuel - considerably more than most of their direct competition.

From 42nd grid position, the 911 GT3 RS battled its way up the order hour after hour to finally cross the finish line a sensational thirteenth. One of the first to congratulate the squad was Wolfgang Duerheimer, Member of the Board for Research and Development at Porsche AG: "The driver quartet of the standard 911 GT3 RS showed impressively what such a car - that customers can buy at any Porsche dealership - is capable of."

The new Porsche 911 GT3 RS is powered by a 450 hp, 3.8-litre, six-cylinder boxer engine. The high-revving unit reaches a specific output of over 118 hp per litre. Developed in the motorsport department at Weissach, the 911 GT3 RS is fitted with a particularly short transmission ratio for racing purposes as a standard feature. The dynamic engine mounts featured as standard contribute to improved driving dynamics. Depending on the driving situation, the mounts change in their stiffness and damping effect, improving the connection between the engine and body when driving under racing conditions. The aerodynamics is consequently designed for downforce - another important feature for track racing. The basic Euro price is 122,400 Euro without value-added tax and country specific fittings. Including value-added tax and country specific fittings, the 911 GT3 RS costs 145,871 Euro.

-source: porsche