Porsche announces cockpit line-up for the 24 Hours of Le Mans and 8 Hours of Portimão
Mouser Backs Formula E Team at Rome E-Prix Doubleheader
Enterprise Rent-A-Car and National Car Rental Mexico drive with LIQUI MOLY in Mexico
Mouser Partners with DRAGON / PENSKE AUTOSPORT Formula E Racing for 7th Year
Porsche targets third win this year for the 911 RSR at the WEC season finale
LIQUI MOLY joins Unitronic for the TCR Championship Run in 2021
Porsche tackles season finale with emotions and goals high
LIQUI MOLY supports New German Performance at TC America 2020 championship
24 Hours of Le Mans: When the drivers ask the Porsche 911 RSR to dance
Tension rises in the duel for the Supercup title
-
Porsche’s global sim-racing championship heads into season’s second half
This Saturday (15 August), the United Kingdom hosts the Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup for the third time this season. Famed for its mix of hidden crests, large differences in altitude and diverse corner combinations, the virtual version of the Brands Hatch racetrack, which loops over almost four kilometres through the forested countryside, poses a real challenge for drivers – especially in combination with the digital double of the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. With round six of the global esports championship run on iRacing’s simulation platform, the thrilling fight for driver’s crown enters the decisive phase. Almost a fortnight ago, Sebastian Job from the Red Bull Racing Esports squad defended his overall lead in the fiercely-contested championship on the Road Atlanta circuit. With five races left on the calendar, the Briton has 290 points to his credit. Just 18 points behind, Joshua Rogers (Virtual Racing School / Coanda Simsport) sits hot on the bumper of the championship leader: the reigning champion scored his first win of the season on the American rollercoaster racetrack. Another hot aspirant for the title is MSI eSports driver Alejandro Sánchez. The Spaniard ranks third with 263 points. On the digital version of the Brands Hatch circuit, sim racers contest a 15-minute sprint race followed by a 30-minute main race. Fans can watch the event live on Porsche’s channels Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/porsche) and YouTube (https://youtu.be/mMIcJC1B7XE). Both races are also streamed on the two video platforms via iRacing. Further information on the Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup can be found on the Porsche Motorsport Hub, Porsche Newsroom and the Twitter account @PorscheRaces. The programme (15 August, all times CEST) 3:45 - 4:03 pm – Free practice 4:03 - 4:15 pm – Qualifying 4:17 - 4:32 pm – Sprint race 4:34 - 4:44 pm – Warm-up 4:45 - 5:15 pm – Main race Upcoming races 29.08.2020 – Belgium: Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps 05.09.2020 – Germany: Nürburgring-Nordschleife 26.09.2020 – France: Circuit de la Sarthe 10.10.2020 – Italy: Autodromo Nazionale Monza
-
Supercup debut for Hollywood star Michael Fassbender
A prominent guest driver joins the grid for round six of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup this weekend: The German-Irish Hollywood star Michael Fassbender tackles the international one-make cup run as support to the Spanish Grand Prix at the wheel of a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. “The level of competition in the Supercup is extremely high, so my goals are modest,” says Fassbender (“Inglourious Basterds”, “12 Years a Slave”, “X-Men”), who drives a Porsche 911 RSR in the European Le Mans Series (ELMS). “I’m most looking forward to driving a different racing version of the Porsche 911 and gaining more experience.” Fassbender went through a Porsche-run professional training programme for motor racing. He first completed a short training course with the 485-hp Porsche 911 GT3 Cup as part of the Porsche Driving Experience. After advancing to the Porsche Racing Experience and competing in Porsche Sports Cup races, the Heidelberg-born actor started into his debut season in the ELMS in 2020 with the Proton Competition customer squad. Last weekend, Fassbender finished the four-hour race at Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium) fourth in the GTE-class with the Porsche 911 RSR. He shared the cockpit of the 510-hp racer with Porsche works driver Richard Lietz (Austria) and Felipe Fernández Laser (Germany). “I know Michael Fassbender from the movie ‘X-Men’. It’s really cool to compete on the racetrack against such a famous actor. And it’s great to have him as a guest in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup,” says Dylan Pereira (BWT Lechner Racing), the current championship leader. At rounds four and five in Silverstone, the Luxembourger lost some of his earlier gains over Larry ten Voorde (The Netherlands/Team GP Elite) and Porsche Junior Ayhancan Güven (Turkey/Martinet by Alméras). “The Circuit de Catalunya suits me better than the Grand Prix circuit in England. I reckon I’ll be back in winning form in Barcelona,” predicts Pereira. Round six of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup takes off on Sunday (16 August) at 12.30 pm local (CEST). Fans can enjoy the race via live stream on F1TV.formula1.com. Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, round 6, Barcelona (Spain)* Friday, 14 August: 5:55 – 6:40 pm - Free Practice Saturday, 15 August: 1:45 – 2:15 pm - Qualifying Sunday, 16 August: 12:30 pm - Race (14 laps) * all times CEST Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, standings after 5 of 8 laps 1. Dylan Pereira (L/BWT Lechner Racing), 97 points 2. Larry ten Voorde (NL/Team GP Elite), 93 points 3. Ayhancan Güven (TR/Martinet by Alméras), 80 points 4. Jaxon Evans (NZ/BWT Lechner Racing), 62 points 5. Florian Latorre (F/CLRT), 54 points 6. Marvin Klein (F/Martinet by Alméras), 52 points
-
Preview : Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, Round 3, Formula 1 race in Budapest/Hungary
Three rounds within three weeks – the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup races now come thick and fast. After the two events at Austria’s Red Bull Ring, the 25 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup will compete as part of the Hungarian Grand Prix this coming weekend (17 to 19 July). “Overtaking on the Hungaroring is difficult – for us and also the Formula-1-drivers. For this reason, a decent grid position is critical,” says series leader Dylan Pereira (L/BWT Lechner Racing). “Still, for us drivers, the Grand Prix circuit in Hungary is more challenging than the Red Bull Ring. I think there’ll be a balance of power reshuffle in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup,” adds Porsche Junior Ayhancan Güven (TR/Martinet by Alméras). Round three of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup takes off on Sunday (19 July) at 12.30 p.m. local time. Fans can enjoy the race via a live stream on F1.com.
-
Porsche Korea Opens 'Porsche Approved Centre Yangjae'
Porsche Korea (Holger Gerrmann, CEO of Porsche Korea Ltd.) announced the opening of the “Porsche Approved Centre Yangjae” at the Seoul Auto Gallery in Yangjae-dong, Seoul. It is operated by Autostadt Ltd. (CEO Lee Kwang-ho), an authorized Porsche dealer of Porsche Korea. “Porsche Approved Pre-Owned Car Centre Yangjae” is the second Porsche approved pre-owned centre after the showroom in Bundang. It is located in a used-car complex in the proximity of main roads of Gangnam, Seoul and Northern Gyeonggi, to increase accessibility for customers. The “Porsche Approved Centre Yangjae” is located on the 2F of Gold Hall at the Seoul Auto Gallery, where 13 vehicles are displayed. The centre includes a Porsche Tequipment corner, where the customer has the opportunity to upgrade its interior and exterior of the vehicle. And it has a customer lounge and consultation rooms. Porsche approved pre-owned car business is Porsche’s own business that manages and sells approved pre-owned vehicles based on reliability, professionalism and guarantees best quality. Professional technicians and consultants manage all the process with Porsche’s own global standard; thoroughly inspects 111 items including interior/exterior status, mileage and vehicle repair/accident history to manage the process from the purchase, renewal of the car, which increases its quality and value, to appropriate purchase pricing. Besides, lease takeover and financial services programs are being operated for customers’ smooth purchase and selling of vehicles alongside new car re-purchase programs for existing customers. The Porsche “Trade in program” is a special service by providing additional benefits to the Porsche customers when they sell previous cars and buy new cars. With this service, customers can sell their cars by having the sales price calculated and having them inspected and evaluated by experts in the approved centre and purchase a new car at one place. Eligible vehicles are Porsche’s official imported vehicles up to a maximum of 9 years from the date of delivery and mileage up to 200,000 km. Meanwhile, Porsche’s approved pre-owned car business has been achieving continuous growth with their expertise and excellence. The number of sold units of approved pre-owned vehicles in 2019 was 320 units, up by 28% compared to the same period of previous year, and grown about 5.7 times since the first Porsche Approved Centre was established in 2012.
-
Mouser Sponsors Formula E All-Electric Racing for 5th Year
Mouser Electronics is proud to announce its sponsorship of the GEOX DRAGON Formula E Team throughout the 2018–19 racing season. Mouser is backing the team this year in collaboration with TTI, Inc. and valued suppliers Molex and AVX. This marks the fifth-straight year that Mouser and Molex have sponsored Formula E racing. The Mouser-sponsored team takes to the 2.093 km Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez track at the Mexico City E-prix on February 16. formulae-2019-car-pr-web_v2.jpg“Formula E cars require the latest sustainable and — most importantly — high-performance components to gain a competitive edge,” said Todd McAtee, Vice President, Americas Business Development for Mouser Electronics. “By teaming up with TTI, Molex and AVX to sponsor Formula E, Mouser shows its commitment to keeping engineers up to date with innovative technologies.” Team drivers for Season 5 include three-time World Touring Car Driver’s Champion and multiple FIA Formula E podium finisher José María “Pechito” López, along with Formula 2 race winner and former DRAGON Test and Reserve driver, Maximilian Günther. The team is also in discussions to bring on former Formula 1 pilot and reigning IMSA Champion, Felipe Nasr. “TTI is proud to again partner with Mouser to support this exciting sport and what it means to sustainable automotive technologies of the future,” said Mike Morton, TTI Chief Operating Officer. “We are all looking forward to this season of Formula E. The Gen2 car is a huge step forward in electric racing technology, and it will be exciting to see how it evolves the already popular sport,” said Fred Bell, Vice President of Global Distribution for Molex. “As proud supporters since the inception of Formula E, Mouser and Molex wish the GEOX DRAGON team a very safe and successful season on the road.” formula-e-2018-sponsors-pr-web.jpg“At AVX, we are thrilled to be partner with Mouser, Molex, and TTI to support this incredible racing technology,” said Eric Pratt, AVX’s Senior Vice President of Marketing. To further support the GEOX DRAGON drivers, fans are encouraged vote for their favorite driver in FANBOOST, which allows fans to play an active role in influencing the outcome of the race. FANBOOST gives fans the opportunity to vote for their favorite driver and award them an extra boost of power during the race. The five drivers with the most FANBOOST votes are awarded a significant burst of power, which they can deploy in a 5-second window during the second half of the race. FANBOOST voting for the Mexico City E-Prix opens February 11 and is available all the way up to 15 minutes into the race. Next the series heads to Hong Kong on March 10, followed by Sanya, China, on March 23. To learn how to register for FANBOOST and to see the full 2019 Formula E schedule, visit www.mouser.com/formula-e
-
Porsche runs Cayman GT4 Clubsport as course car
Fans are in for a real treat at the ADAC Rallye Deutschland contested from 16-19 August: A very special course car, the Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport, will run ahead of the starter field. For Porsche, the entry of a concept study for the FIA R-GT category based on the near-production GT circuit race car is a critical test under real conditions. Whether this turns into a rally project for customers with a similar vehicle in the medium term will be decided at a later stage. Driving the vehicle is Porsche works driver Romain Dumas (France), who is considered one of the best all-rounders in the motor racing scene. For the last twelve years, the Le Mans winner has contested rallies around the world with his own team. Dumas has also won the legendary Pikes Peak hill-climb four times and holds the course record there. The factory drivers Richard Lietz (Austria) and Timo Bernhard (Germany) are also seasoned rally drivers and were involved in the test programme with the Cayman GT4 Clubsport concept rally car. The Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport, which has been campaigned at clubsport level worldwide since the 2016 season, is powered by a 283 kW (385 hp) 3.8-litre flat-six engine. The mid-mounted engine drives the rear wheels. The vehicle features a Porsche dual clutch transmission (PDK) with shift paddles on the steering wheel. For rallying, full underbody protection has been fitted. An energy-absorbing foam element, as used in WRC cars, has been mounted in the doors. “We’re looking forward to seeing how the rally world responds to our FIA R-GT concept study,” says Dr. Frank-Steffen Walliser, Vice President Motorsport and GT Cars. “I would like to invite every interested driver and team principal to visit the service park and take a close look at our rally concept car. Based on the feedback and the interest from potential customers, we will then decide by the end of the year whether we’ll develop in the mid-term a competition car for near-standard rallying based on a future Porsche model.”
-
Focus on GT sport: Porsche aims to contest Le Mans with four works cars
Porsche has paid tribute to the worldwide achievements of teams and drivers during the 2017 season at its “Night of Champions” motorsport gala in Weissach. On this occasion, the huge expansion of its worldwide GT programme was announced. Largest ever GT factory mission at Le Mans Porsche plans to campaign four factory vehicles at the 86th running of the Le Mans 24 Hours. The two Porsche GT Teams from the FIA WEC and the IMSA Weather-tech Championship each field two ca. 510 hp GT racers from Weissach. The cockpit of the #91 car is shared by Gianmaria Bruni, Richard Lietz and Frédéric Makowiecki. The number 92 vehicle is manned by Kévin Estre, Michael Christensen and Laurens Vanthoor. Patrick Pilet, Nick Tandy and Earl Bamber are expected to drive the num-ber 93 car, with the #94 Porsche 911 RSR earmarked for Timo Bernhard, Romain Dumas and Sven Müller. With Bamber, Bernhard, Dumas and Tandy, a total of four outright Le Mans winners will compete as part of the Porsche works squad. Porsche again fights for the world championship in 2018 In the 2018/2019 season, Porsche again sends its factory Porsche GT Team to con-test the GTE-Pro class of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). In the #91 Porsche 911 RSR, Gianmaria Bruni and Richard Lietz fight for the world cham-pionship, with Michael Christensen and Kévin Estre manning the #92 vehicle. In the GTE-Am class, a number of customer teams have applied for a starting spot with the 2017-spec 911 RSR. In total, Porsche has sold seven 911 RSR to customers for the WEC, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the European Le Mans Series. Strong commitment in the USA One of the most successful driver pairings in the IMSA Weathertech Championship join forces again in 2018: Like in their 2015 championship winning year, Nick Tandy and Patrick Pilet share the cockpit of the 911 RSR with the starting number 911. In the #912 sister car, the two-time Le Mans overall winner Earl Bamber and the Inter-continental GT Challenge and Blancpain Series champion, Laurens Vanthoor, form a world-class driver duo. 911 GT3 R customer sport racer receives an upgrade The successful 911 GT3 R customer racing model undergoes an upgrade for the 2018 GT3 season. The parts kit, which can be used to update all 2016 and 2017 models, includes amongst other things a new front lid for the optimisation of thermal management and side flicks to improve the aerobalance. Firm commitment to worldwide GT3 sport At each round of the Intercontinental GT Challenge, Porsche lends its support to at least one local team in their 911 GT3 R pro-class campaign. The works driver trio Dirk Werner, Romain Dumas and Frédéric Makowiecki will contest all races and fight for the drivers’ championship. In the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup, the three also share the cockpit of a 911 GT3 R. This will be fielded at all races by Manthey Racing. In many other international and national GT series such as the European Le Mans Series, the Pirelli World Challenge, the Japanese Super GT series and the Nürburgring Long Distance Championship, Porsche supports customer teams with engineers and drivers. World champion Timo Bernhard contests the ADAC GT Masters The reigning FIA WEC world champion and Le Mans winner makes his comeback into GT racing in the 2018 season. Joining forces with Kévin Estre, the owner of the racing team will contest the ADAC GT Masters with his own Team 75 Bernhard. Nine Porsche 911 GT3 R tackle the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring Nine Porsche 911 GT3 R are expected to line up at the Nürburgring to contest the ADAC 24-hour race. Five vehicles will be fielded by customer teams in the pro class, with four in the amateur class. Manthey Racing campaigns two vehicles manned by factory drivers: Sharing driving duties in the #911 Porsche 911 GT3 R are Earl Bam-ber, Laurens Vanthoor, Kévin Estre and Patrick Pilet. Taking up the race in the #912 car are Romain Dumas, Richard Lietz, Frédéric Makowiecki and Nick Tandy. A total of 13 Porsche works drivers and four Young Professionals will tackle the Eifel mara-thon on 12/13 May. Porsche further expands its youth development programme In the 2018 season, a total of four top young pilots will compete around the world as Porsche Young Professionals. After their successes in Porsche’s one-make cup se-ries, Dennis Olsen and Matt Campbell have taken the next career step. Matteo Cairoli and Mathieu Jaminet also gave convincing performances in their first season as young professionals in GT racing and will continue to receive support in 2018. The proven support scheme will be supplemented for the first time by Porsche Se-lected Drivers in the coming year. Porsche also provides these pilots with training, which includes fitness tests. So far, Christina Nielsen from Denmark is the first driver to be chosen. The winner of the German E-Kart Championship (DEKM), held for the first time in 2018, can also benefit from a number of training programmes, which evolved in the Porsche youth development scheme. Porsche Motorsport will partner the innovative and particularly cost-effective DEKM from the very first race. The karts, capable of reaching 130 km/h, will be fielded centrally to ensure a level playing field and to prevent runaway costs. 911 GT3 Cup sets a new record The new 911 GT3 Cup, which celebrated its premiere in the Porsche Mobil 1 Super-cup, the Carrera Cup Deutschland as well as in North America in the 2017 season, will be fielded in the majority of Porsche’s 21 one-make cup series around the world in 2018. Up until spring 2018, a total of 339 units of the 485 hp one-make cup racer will roll off the assembly line at Porsche’s main facility in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen. Never before have so many racing vehicles of one type been manufactured for one season. Hence, the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup remains the world’s top selling race car. 919 Hybrid goes on a worldwide farewell tour The Porsche LMP Team will spend 2018 concentrating on its new mission: its suc-cessful entry into Formula E. The start takes place in season six, beginning at the end of 2019. Until then, the team will design, develop and test a complete powertrain. The first steps were already taken in 2017, with the concrete implementation of the concept taking place next year. The first test drives with the finished Formula E race car from Porsche are scheduled for early 2019. A second field of activity will be the operational implementation of a farewell tour for the three-time Le Mans winning Porsche 919 Hybrid car. Outside the events of the FIA World Endurance Champion-ship (WEC) and thus outside the regulations of usable energy amounts, the innova-tive race car will be campaigned at many individual events throughout the year. A precise programme will be announced early in 2018. At the end of 2018, the era of the ca. 900 hp hybrid prototype will come to a close. The 919 will then make its last trip to the Porsche Museum. Porsche Cup: Christian Ried is the most successful private driver of 2017 This year’s winner of the Porsche Cup, the trophy for the world’s most successful private Porsche driver, goes to Christian Ried (38). The racing driver/owner of the Dempsey Proton Racing squad was awarded the coveted trophy by Dr Wolfgang Porsche, the Chairman of the Supervisory Board at Porsche AG. In addition, Ried takes home a Porsche valued at 120,000 Euro. Thanks to his successes in the FIA WEC and the European Le Mans Series, he earned 8,700 points over the past sea-son at the wheel of the Porsche 911 RSR. Second-placed Robert Renauer, last year’s Porsche Cup recipient, can look forward to prize money totalling 30,000 Euros. For third place, Switzerland’s Daniel Allemann wins 25,000 Euro. The Porsche Cup has been awarded since 1970 and is based on an idea of Ferry Porsche. Works drivers 2018 Earl Bamber (27) New Zealand Jörg Bergmeister (41) Germany Timo Bernhard (36) Germany Gianmaria Bruni (36) Italy Michael Christensen (27) Denmark Romain Dumas (39) France Kévin Estre (29) France Brendon Hartley (28) New Zealand Neel Jani (34) Switzerland Richard Lietz (33) Austria Patrick Long (36) USA André Lotterer (36) Germany Frédéric Makowiecki (37) France Sven Müller (25) Germany Patrick Pilet (36) France Nick Tandy (33) Great Britain Laurens Vanthoor (26) Belgium Dirk Werner (36) Germany Young Professionals Matteo Cairoli (21) Italy Matt Campbell (22) Australia Mathieu Jaminet (23) France Dennis Olsen (21) Norway Juniors Julien Andlauer (18) France Thomas Preining (19) Austria Porsche Selected Driver 2018 Christina Nielsen (25) Denmark Race series overview FIA World Endurance Championship 911 RSR #91 Gianmaria Bruni Richard Lietz 911 RSR #92 Michael Christensen Kévin Estre Le Mans 24 Hours 911 RSR #91 Gianmaria Bruni Richard Lietz Frédéric Makowiecki 911 RSR #92 Michael Christensen Kévin Estre Laurens Vanthoor 911 RSR #93 Earl Bamber Patrick Pilet Nick Tandy 911 RSR #94 Timo Bernhard Romain Dumas Sven Müller IMSA Weathertech Championship 911 RSR #911 Patrick Pilet Nick Tandy Frédéric Makowiecki (only North American Endurance Cup) 911 RSR #912 Earl Bamber Laurens Vanthoor Gianmaria Bruni (only North American Endurance Cup) Intercontinental GT Challenge 911 GT3 R #911 Romain Dumas Frédéric Makowiecki Dirk Werner Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup 911 GT3 R #911 Romain Dumas Frédéric Makowiecki Dirk Werner
-
