The new Porsche 911 GT3 R, which will be delivered to racing teams all over the world beginning from December had a successful world premiere at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. From the very beginning of the ninth race of the VLN endurance racing championship season, Porsche works drivers Nick Tandy and Frédéric Makowiecki were performing in the top group and finished the 4 hour race in the Eifel in third place overall.
„It was particularly important and informative to participate in this race“, said Makowiecki. “We had a good overall balance and it was great fun to drive at this fantastic circuit. There are for sure some points which we still can improve but that it totally normal when you develop a new race car.” His team mate and Le Mans winner Nock Tandy, too, was delighted about the new 911 GT3 R: “Our car has already reached a high level in its development. Even though the result at our test participation here did not have priority, I am of course more than happy with the result on the podium. I had great fun in the car.”
Compared to its successful predecessor, the new customer race car designed for the participation in GT3 race series all over the world has a better efficiency regarding aerodynamics, a better handling and another improvement in terms of safety. For the test of the more than 500 HP strong race car at the Nürburgring, the reliable engine unit from the predecessor model was used. The new engine generation with fuel direct injection was tested in parallel in the USA as well as on the test bench in Weissach.
“The first test was really promising”, says Porsche Motorsport Director Dr. Frank-Steffen Walliser. “Pure performance was not the priority today. Our main target is to provide our customers a reliable car that works under all conditions. The Nürburgring Nordschleife is the perfectly location to put suspension, body and all systems to an endurance test. And you get the best result if you do so under racing conditions.”
