24 Hours of Le Mans
My opinion - Pressure on Porsche to perform in GT2
© Porsche Motorsport // Porsche’s 2008 GT2 challenger
Porsche has launched its latest modified 911 GT3 RSR contender as reported on PLM earlier in the week but it comes amidst an added pressure to perform in the major GT championships during 2008. Porsche has won 8 of the last 9 at Le Mans in GT2 including last years event but it failed to take any championships in the American Le Mans Series, Le Mans Series or the FIA GT Championship last season as Ferrari scooped a fantastic ‘treble’.
This was a big blow to the German giants and the early signs in 2008 are not particularly bright as Tafel Racing became the latest big name team to make the switch to their arch rivals from Maranello and it was not without criticism from Tafel technical director, Tony Dowe. He is reported to have said “After two years of dealing with Porsche we felt that there was not enough effort being put into RSR development” he continued, “The support, both technically and logistically from Ferrari and Michelotto has been unbelievable. It’s what a customer should get. I think the number of teams that have changed to Ferrari are witness to how well they are looking after their teams.” These are damning comments from a well respected member of the ALMS paddock and someone who has had a relationship with Porsche for many years.
Looking ahead to the Championships this year; (ALMS) You would have to say that Risi Competizione and Tafel Racing will be major contenders in the Ferrari F430 but of course you can never discount the Flying Lizard Porsche squad. (LMS) Porsche still has a good number of contenders but again they must beat current Champions, Virgo Motorsport. Could this be their best hope of championship glory in 2008? (FIA GT) As it currently stands on the FIA GT entry list there is just one Porsche entry that will go up against a whole host of prancing horses so it is hard to see the championship leaving Italy? Of course these entry lists are all subject to change but it is easy to see why Porsche are playing catch up for the first time in decades in the GT2 categories across the world.
We hope that the development of the RSR GT3 over the winter will leave us with ‘mouth watering’ battles on both sides of the pond particularly as we will also have the likes of Aston Martin, BMW and others adding to the GT2 flavour this summer.
Porsche does have a prestigious Le Mans 24 Hours crown to defend and they proudly boast that they did indeed win the ‘big one’ last year. It is clear however, that the beautiful Porsche, so synonymous with Le Mans victories for many many years will have to pull out all the stops in 2008 to remain at the top of the pile at La Sarthe in what is arguably the fiercest category of racing in Sportscar and GT circles.
(quotes from Tony Dowe from www.sportscarpros.com interview)
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Would it surprise anyone if they knew that Ferrari tests F430’s against modified Porsche Caymans as well as again GT3 RSRs? There are independently modified Porsche Caymans running around beating both the F430 as well as the GT3 RSRs, but unfortunately Porsche seems to be the last one willing to admit this because it must protect the 911. Look for more independent teams running Caymans across a variety of races this year as well as a new Cayman Cup series in France that will compliment last year’s series in Italy - oh wait that’s the home of Ferrari isn’t it? Coincidence? More than one US ALMS team has asked Porsche to allow them to race the Cayman either in ALMS or Grand Am and Porsche has responded that if they do, Porsche will pull their support for the 911 from any team doing so. It’s not about winning races anymore, it is about making money, which in some ways it has to be, if you don’t make money you can’t afford to go racing, well unless you are GM I suppose.
The current vibe in the Porsche camp is that too much attention is on profit and not enough on racing at the moment, an example being the proposed rule changes between LMP1 and LMP2 to which Porsche replied that if the rules don’t remain consistent Porsche will just pull out altogether. No one wants to see that, but I’d like to believe that somewhere in the engineering corps at Porsche someone could find a way to overcome those changes (that’s what they did in the old days) and still win LMP2 and challenge the LMP1 teams overall.
The sad fact is that the best mid engine platform on the planet isn’t even allowed to compete. Perhaps another year of losing in GT2 with the 911 will start to change some minds at Porsche… I have to feel for the Porsche engineers, here they have a physically handicapped platform that each year they have to get more and more out of, but each year the gains are less and less as they are running up against a wall with how far the 911 can go in its current form. They could break through that wall by shifting the physics to a mid engine platform and then all you have to dial in is the reliability portion, something Ferrari has been able to do over the last couple of years.
I remember when Porsche used to race exclusively mid-engine cars… what happened???
What happened? Dr. Z left (has been Aston Martin’s CEO for several years) and others pushed Porsche to make an SUV instead of a 968.
The P675 class didn’t work as a means of allowing two classes to take the overall victory except for Dyson Racing’s Lola AER at Infineon in 2003 with Goodyear tires.
Porsche is sandbagging in LMP2.
they have to race the 911 series car. how would it look if they didn’t race there flagship car? they know the mid engine cayman is better but it’s there lesser priced model. its a political sales and perception issue. and Porsche is aware of it. the 911 inherently has better aero then the 430. and the 1200kg wt class is a better compromise, which Ferrari/Michelotto refuses to accept. they’ll be more competitive this year.
Great article Simon, love the tour podcast, and that’s coming from an American teenager! Porsche really needs to man up and admit their wrong doings, they are only going to lose money this way. The Porsche-Audi group are my favorite manufacturers racing in motorsports today, and it makes no sense to compete with a rear engine car, when your mid engine platform could do such much better. They need to make 911s mid-engined, or face the demise of their gt program.
Time will tell if Porsche will admit that the current platform is in now way competitive, and not care whether or not the hardcore 911 enthusiasts welcome the change. If it’s REALLY about the money, they need to make the smart choice.
If the racing history has taught something it is that the Porsche 911 can win in any kind of race.
1st. overall in 2003 Spa 24 hours
1st. overall in 2003 in Daytona 24 hours
1st. in GT2 in Le Mans in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004,
2005, 2007.
1st. in FIA N/GT - GT2 in 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005.
1st. in Le Mans Series in 2005, 2006.
1st. overall in 2006 and 2007 in Nurburgring 24 hours.
1st. overall in 2006 and 2007 in Dubai 24 hours.
1st. in GT2 ALMS in 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006.
1st. overall in International GT Open 2007.
Just to remember last years wins! Don’t worry, Porsche doensn’t like to be the loser… They’re working to came back on the top.
Porsche fans, specifically 911 fans have had their hayday for over fifty years now with countless wins in every type of category around the world. I guess that does not buy them the respect of the fickle few. I for one like to see that not everything has to change.
Porsche has succesfully been racing cars with the wrong concept for over half a century. They must be doing something right than.
On the other hand, in the Cayman they have a conceptually better car in house. Unfortunally, it is marketed as the less expansive alternative, despite sharing al lot of technology with the 911 (how much money is Porsche making on a 911?).
The solution: build a heavily facelifted Cayman, put in all the RSR tech bits, rebadge it and market it as a model clearly above the 911. Porsche can dominate GT racing again and make even more money…
Good call Dario! I am certainly not saying that Porsche wont be getting back on top but at least the current situation is worth pointing out. Maybe they had it too easy, for too long in GT2? Times have changed but I am sure Porsche know how to get back to winning ways.
If mid engine design was automatically accepted as the only “correct” concept for engine placement, then why would any manufacturers stray from it? You have to remember that there was actually a period between the dominance of the 356 and the 911 where porsche was raced exclusively mid engine design (1964 carrera GTS and spypders). These had a lot of success, however maybe there are certain characteristics that front engine and rear engine cars can have major advantages of when applied to balance. 911’s are wonderfully predicable to handle because of throttle lift oversteer. Predictability means consistancy, consistancy inspires confidence which means speed. Speed is not always about the numbers (who has lower center of gravity, lightest, most powerful, etc,. Sometimes the lap times come from the attitude of the car meaning the way it can be driven differently to fit each different driver’s styles. This is why I’ll take a eccentric and quirky rear balanced 911 thats thrillingly predictable over a cayman that relies soley on weight transfer advantages and better center of gravity.
It’s not cataclysmic. Ferrari has been dumping money into their GT2 programs worldwide and have the results. They’ve caught up to Porsche but that doesn’t mean Porsche lost. It just means the Stuttgart boys have to up the ante again. It’s about damn time somebody gave Porsche a run for their money, who better than Ferrari? Only good things can come of this.
K Man-S and Ramshoek have hit the nail on the head in my opinion. In the Cayman design rests a vast potential that is crying to be explored. Imagine a Cayman with the 911 GT3 RSR motor. A combination most likely impossible to beat. I still have faith in the 911, but what will it take to get Porsche to unleash the Cayman on ALMS?