he Porsche 911 has again shown its supremacy as the world’s most successful GT race car – this time both as a traditionally-powered racer and a hybrid entry.
At the second race of the Nürburgring Long Distance Championship, the new Porsche 911 GT3 R celebrated its second overall straight win. The innovative 911 GT3 R Hybrid, which features two electric motors supplementing the combustion engine in the rear, finished third. Seven Porsche 911 were amongst the top ten finishers.
In a repeat of the season-opening race, the yellow-green Porsche 911 GT3 R fielded by Manthey Racing ran without any technical problems from start to finish. The result for the driver trio Timo Bernhard (Germany), Romain Dumas (France) and Marcel Tiemann (Monaco) was their second win of the season.
Factory drivers Joerg Bergmeister and Wolf Henzler (both Germany) drove an entirely trouble free race in the new Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid. The hybrid vehicle impressed with outstanding efficiency and one less pit stop than most competitors.
“The hybrid system clearly helped us to save fuel. Moreover, it’s a great feeling to have those extra 120 kW from the electric motors when you accelerate out of the corners,” Bergmeister reported.
Mamerow Racing’s Porsche 911 GT3 R with drivers Chris Mamerow and Sascha Bert (both Germany) also put in an excellent drive until they were sidelined by an accident while running second.
Also, the standard street-specification Porsche 911 GT3 RS was taken through another test for the 24 hour race in May.
“We made some changes to the set-up during the practice and race in preparation for the 24 hour race,” explains former DTM pilot Roland Asch (Germany). “When you’re in the middle of the race action, you almost forget you’re sitting in a road-going car. I’m very much looking forward to contesting the 24 hour race.”
Round three of the Nürburgring Long Distance Championship takes off on 24 April at midday with a duration of four hours.
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[Source: PCNA]