Cookie Consent by Free Privacy Policy website The development of the new Porsche 911 RSR
october 11, 2017 - Porsche

The development of the new Porsche 911 RSR

At the ten-hour Petit Le Mans race contested on the tradition-steeped Road Atlanta racetrack last Saturday, the new #911rsr scored the first two champi- onships. There, Patrick Pilet (France) and Dirk Werner (Germany) won the prestig- ious North American Endurance Cup with the 510 hp GT racer from Weissach. The long-distance classics that count towards this performance and reliability competition in international GT #racing are Petit Le Mans, Daytona, Sebring and Watkins Glen. The #porsche GT Team also won the team classification at the series’ four premier races, where teams and drivers had to underline their consistency and reliability over a total of 52 hours. The first highlight of the new 911 RSR’s maiden season came on 22 July, scoring its first victory at the Lime Rock round of the IMSA SportsCar Cham- pionship.

“Winning the North American Endurance Cup has shown that we were always at the front at the right time at the major endurance races and, above all, we’ve also under- lined the reliability of our new #911rsr over the season. For a maiden season with a completely new car, this was a good performance,” said Dr Frank-Steffen Walliser, Vice President Motorsport and GT Cars. For Marco Ujhasi, Director GT Factory Mo- torsports, the first race victory for the new #911rsr was “a particularly emotional moment. We’ve all worked towards this day with total commitment and absolute pas- sion.”

Completely new development

The #911rsr, which the #porsche GT Team also campaigned in this year’s Sports Car World Endurance Championship WEC, is a completely new development. The key new feature is the positioning of the engine in front of the rear axle. Thanks to this, the weight distribution improved and at the same time more space was freed up to fit a larger diffuser at the rear which generates significantly more downforce.

The development of the new #911rsr began in early 2015. Initially, a small team with representatives from individual divisions was engaged in analysing the “lessons- learnt” potential of the predecessor model as well as studying the sporting and tech- nical regulations. From their findings, a new vehicle concept was then tailored to the requirements of modern long-distance #racing. And race drivers were included in the development process earlier than ever before. “The drivers have to feel comfortable in the car,” said Marco Ujhasi. “Only a driver who still feels fresh at the end of a gruel- ling stint will be able to give the top performance that is needed to be successful in such a tough competitive environment.”

50-hour endurance run on a bumpy track

All of the GT works pilots were given the chance to drive the first kilometres in the new #911rsr at the rollout in March 2016 on Porsche’s #test track in the Research and Development Centre at Weissach. Extensive tests were then undertaken on racetracks that were selected for a specific development task: suspension setup, tyre and brake development as well as aerodynamic validation. The highlight of the #test phase was a 50-hour long run in Sebring. “As far as I know, no other manufacturer has dared to do this,” says Marco Ujhasi. The #test on this extremely bumpy racetrack in Florida, known for the immense challenges it throws at man and machine, ran without any major issues. “Precisely because of the enormous stresses, it was the right direction. This was confirmed at the first two races of the season; the long- distance classics of Daytona and Sebring, where our new car impressed immediately with a strong performance.”

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