Heart-racing excitement

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Whether you race Porsches or watch Porsches racing … excitement is the outcome.

Porsche’s stronger, faster new 911 GT3 Cup car will set hearts racing even faster as the world’s top-selling racing car heads to the tracks in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup races as the Formula One support race, in addition to the national Porsche Carrera Cups in Germany, France, Asia, Benelux and the US. In 1990, Porsche debuted the very first 911 Cup car based on the 964. Five generations hence, 4,251 cars have been produced – one of the world’s most popular race cars, and for good reason. The 911 GT3 Cup car is based on the roadgoing 911. ‘The 911 made history as the baseline model for the Carrera Cups and the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup,’ says Michael Dreiser, Director Sales Porsche Motorsport. ‘No other racing car has found as many satisfied customers since 1990 as the 911.

‘The new 911 GT3 Cup starts a new chapter. Our goal is to pass the 5,000 mark in production over the coming years. Like its ancestral lineage, this model will also assist a whole new generation of talented racing drivers on their path to professional motorsport and shape the face of our customer sport commitment around the world.’

Groundwork for the latest model was started in 2018 with the goals of improving performance while achieving a more aggressive design, better handling, and greater durability – all with less outlay in time, maintenance, and sustainability. These things and more have been achieved in the 911 GT3 Cup car with a new wider turbo-spec body, combining a more muscular appearance with optimised aerodynamics. Its lightweight body houses a superior wheel-tyre combination with 12” rims on the front and 13” on the rear, typical for GT racing’s revolutionary effect on handling.

The front wheels are now controlled by double wishbones and Uniball bearings, ensuring more precise turn-in as with the 911 RSR, Porsche’s current top racing model. Fully electromechanical power steering has been introduced for the first time, eliminating the need for a hydraulic pump and lines. Porsche’s engineers have designed the body in 30 percent steel and 70 percent aluminium after increases in mandatory safety equipment added weight. With this change in composition, the car remains within the same weight range as the previous model. Doors, engine hood and rear wing are all constructed of carbon fibre–reinforced plastic.

A spectacular rear wing generates even more aerodynamic downforce, adjustable in 11 stages and ensuring exceptional stability around fast corners. This innovation also amplifies the 911 GT3 Cup car’s purposeful look while emphasising its wider, bolder stance.

To give this newcomer its deserved authority, the engine of this new 911 GT3 Cup car produces around 375kW – 25kW more than its predecessor. This should translate to a cut of around one second per lap with an engine remaining true to the marque – a four-litre water-cooled flat six with an 8,750rpm redline. Like its immediate predecessor, the engine only needs a maintenance check after 100 hours of track time. Also noteworthy is its ability to race using synthetic fuels to lower CO2 emissions. A 72kg six-speed dog-type gearbox transmits power via a single-mass flywheel and a three-plate sintered metal racing clutch. Gear changes are made via a paddle shift on the steering wheel, with a ‘minor inspection’ of the gearbox needed after 60 hours of racing – corresponding to roughly two years in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. Inside the cockpit, a revamp of the centrally positioned 10.3-inch colour monitor prioritises key data and information for the driver while racing. Displayed alongside the engine revs are water and oil temperatures, the gear currently engaged, and error messages or information on important baseline settings (such as ‘Wet’ when racing in rain). The display and the computer monitors are aligned, providing the race engineers in the pits with the same information as the driver. This synchrony helps with post-session analysis. ‘With its improved performance and optimised cockpit, the new 911 GT3 is the best Cup car that Porsche has ever built,’ says Michael Dreiser, Director Sales Porsche Motorsport. •

SUPERCUP CALENDAR 2021

Eight races make up the provisional calendar of the 2021 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. In its 29th season, the international one-make cup contested with the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars will again run exclusively in support of the FIA Formula One World Championship. The season gets underway on Friday 23 May on the spectacular street circuit of Monte Carlo. New on the calendar is the Grand Prix course at the Circuit Zandvoort, which has been comprehensively modernised and redesigned. The Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup will be contested there in September as part of the Dutch F1 event. The 911 GT3 Cup drivers will also tackle races in Le Castellet (France) for the first time, as well as Spielberg (Austria), Silverstone (England), Budapest (Hungary), and Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium), with Monza (Italy) hosting the finale. For the first time, a brand-new Cup car will go beyond its debut in the international Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup (run as support to Formula 1). At the same time, this most recent incarnation of the world’s bestselling racing vehicle will be entered by customer teams in national Carrera Cups in Germany, France, Asia and Benelux, as well as in North America for the first time.

Look out for the new 911 GT3 Cup car in Australia, when it makes its debut in the Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup in 2022. •