American Le Mans Series

Porsche RS Spyder to Miss Petit Le Mans

Porsche today announced a rescheduling of the testing program for its RS Spyder race car. Originally slated to run in the Oct. 1 American Le Mans Series (ALMS) Petit Le Mans race at Road Atlanta, the new prototype entry will undergo extensive North American testing before a decision is made if it will make its test race debut in the 2005 ALMS season-ending event at Northern California’s Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Raceway on Oct. 16.

“Any completely new race car requires a considerable amount of testing to acquire performance and durability,” commented Hartmut Kristen, director of motorsport for Porsche AG. “By now, our RS Spyder has the speed, but not the stamina to finish a 1,000-mile race like Petit Le Mans. We hope, with the additional planned testing by Penske Motorsports, it will be ready to make its test race debut at the four-hour Laguna Seca contest.”

Commissioned by Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (PCNA) and Porsche Motorsport North America for racing customers who compete in the LMP2 (Le Mans Prototype 2) class of the ALMS, the Porsche RS Spyder features a completely new Porsche engine, transmission, and chassis, all incorporating the latest in Porsche automotive technology and created to conform to new 2006 rules and regulations of international sanctioning body Automobil Club de l’Ouest.

Penske Motorsports, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Penske Racing, Inc., will field the new Porsche prototype in the entire 2006 ALMS season.

” We at Porsche Cars North America certainly support the decision of Porsche AG to maximize the car’s testing program,” said Peter Schwarzenbauer, PCNA president and CEO. “At the same time, we are excited to deliver the first Porsche RS Spyder to Penske Motorsports, our development partner.”