Start with a large one… This overused cliché is heard at tracks around the world for good reason. Racing is expensive. In fact, if you’ve ever tracked your Porsche at a local PCA event, you know that even this short amount of time on the circuit can be costly (tires, brakes, etc.). Now imagine that at a professional level. It’s an exponential equation (crew, fuel, food, transportation, cars, tires, etc.). What if there was a way to make it cheaper, more affordable even (relatively speaking of course)?
Now there is
Taking a page from their VW brethren’s “Sign and Drive” sales promotion, North American drivers can participate in Porsche’s “Arrive & Drive” race package. Geared toward drivers who want to race in the Porsche Carrera World Cup this June (billed as the most spectacular sprint race ever with 200 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars participating) but don’t want to ship their cars and crews overseas.
While today’s press release didn’t include pricing, we gave a quick call over to Porsche Motorsport North America and spoke with Vera Frank (she sells Porsche’s race cars in North America) about the opportunity. The additional information she sent over provided much more detail.
There are two packages available
The first, at a cost of EUR, 7,940 or $11,248 provides technical and organizational support for drivers that do bring over their own car, including:
- Accommodation in team tent
- Entry fee per car
- Nordschleife suspension kit and fitting
- Organizational support (formalities, etc.)
- Technical support by race engineers and mechanics
Porsche Arrive & Drive
The second package is the full Arrive & Drive treatment and this features both race car rental and technical/organizational support. Details included:
- Accommodation in team tent
- Car rental (911 GT3 Cup)
- Entry fee
- Hospitality tickets (2) for driver
- Hotel room (1 double) for driver
- Insurance race car
- Nordschleife suspension kit and fitting
- Organizational support (formalities, etc.)
- Running costs (i.e. fuel)
- Technical support by race engineers and mechanics
- Three sets of new slick tires
- Wear and tear parts (i.e. brake disks and pads)
Cost for this package is dependent on type of car.
- For 3.6 liter cars (or MY ’07-’09 it’s EUR 25,000 or $35,416.
- For 3.8 liter Porsches (or MY ’10-’11) it’s EUR 28,000 or $39,666.
While this pricing might seem expensive to the uninitiated, keep in mind it could cost upwards to $25,000 just to ship your own Porsche from the US to Germany. Once you add in tires, crew, parts, insurance, part, etc., you’re probably way over Porsche’s price tag. So, if you’re thinking of participating in this event this is actually a way to do it more cost effectively.
Act Fast!
According to Porsche Motorsport North America CEO Jens Walther, “time is of the essence.” Potential competitors should contact PMNA by March 31 in order to make the best arrangements. Entrants who do participate will be teamed with an existing Porsche Carrera Cup team, a list of which will become available in the near future.
Of course, you can’t forget the small print. Just because you have the $$$ doesn’t mean you’re automatically in. You must provide “considerable proof of your track experience” plus you’ll need a “permission slip” of sorts from the series your involved in (i.e IMSA, ALMS, etc.). Most importantly, you must provide proof of Nordschleife experience within the last five years. Without such experience you will be required to take a two day training program given by none other than Porsche factory driver Sascha Maassen. The additional fee for this service is a nominal EUR 590 or $835. A very cheap price to pay for training that may very well keep you alive on this most famous of famous race tracks.
Related Porsche Posts
Patrick Long Racing for TruSpeed Motorcars in Pirelli World Challenge
Porsche Motorsport Newsletter: 2011 Volume 1
[Source: PMNA]