The collected works of ScottyB

Perhaps one of my favourite GT events is not far from getting underway. This weekend, close to 200 cars take to the N’Ring for 24 hours.

As with most years, typically, Porsche has a fine showing for the race.

Stuttgart.
A total of 31 Porsche race cars roll to the start of the 35th running of the 24 hour race on the Nuerburgring on 9th June. With this, Porsche is one of the most popular marques at Germany’s largest motorsport event. And one of the quickest: the Manthey Racing team returns as title defender with a 911 GT3 RSR. Also amongst the favourites for overall victory are the Land Motorsport squad and a pack of competitors running Porsche vehicles.

With a Porsche 911 GT3 RSR in the latest spec (382 kW/520 hp), team principal Olaf Manthey is eager to repeat last year’s victory. Alongside title defender Timo Bernhard, two of his works driver colleagues, Romain Dumas and Marc Lieb, take the wheel of the Weissach-developed and built GT racer. The fourth pilot is Marcel Tiemann, who belonged to the victorious team last year. “We are well prepared for the race. Our win last year of the Nuerburgring Long Distance Championship gives us extra motivation to claim the victory again. But the competition this year is incredibly tough,” analyses Timo Bernhard, who normally shares driving duties with Romain Dumas at the wheel of a Porsche RS Spyder run by the Penske Motorsports team in the American Le Mans Series. Manthey Racing, with its headquarters in Meuspath a stone’s throw from the ‘Ring, fields a four-car team this year.

Having already claimed three victories in the Nuerburgring Long Distance Championship, the Land Motorsport team, based near the German town of Siegen, has proven the speed and reliability of the Porsche GT3 RSR lap after lap on the Nuerburgring Nordschleife. With Marc Basseng, Marc Hennerici, Dirk Adorf and Frank Stippler four of the top Nordschleife experts man the Porsche cockpit.

Konrad Motorsport has also signed on a strong driver contingent for its Porsche GT3 RSR with pilots Patrick Huisman, Wolfgang Kaufmann and Dennis Rosteck. Paragon AG team entered Pierre Kaffer, Joerg Hardt, Patrick Bernhardt and Klaus Frers for its 911 GT3 RSR.

The Porsche squad to have travelled the farthest is the VIP Petfoods team with drivers Tony Quinn, Klark Quinn, Craig Baird and Kevin Bell who regularly contest the Carrera Cup Australia. With the same line-up last year, the quartet saw the chequered flag in ninth position overall racing a
GT3 RSR. With a new GT3 RSR the team is hopeful for overall victory this year. “Of course you need a bit of luck over such a long distance, but with the new Porsche GT3 RSR we definitely have a winning car,” says team boss Tony Quinn.

Jürgen Alzen Motorsport is going to attack with the “Alam” based on the Porsche Cayman…

Specs:

520 bhp out of 3.9-litres flat-6 engine
Kerb weight 1250 kgs

Tyres: 310/680/18 in front 310/710/18 in rear, Hancook

A bunch of work for the title holder

“This year we are the hunted!”, describes Marcel Tiemann the big difference to the last season. But if you take a closer look at the first races you will see, that the season is not going according to plan for the holder. The new built Porsche 997 GT3 RSR could not finish even one of the two last races. At the first one the cause was an engine breakdown and at the last weekend it was an accident, who stopped the car. But most of Olaf Manthey’s worries should arise from the lap times in comparison to their opponents. They ended up 15 seconds behind the leader of the last Qualifying, an “old” Porsche 996 GT3 RSR steered by Peter and Christian Mamerow. The Team from Meuspath did not worsen since the last year, but the other teams obviously found some seconds during the winter. Tiemann is attesting logically to his rivals, that “they are getting bigger and more professional each year. But that makes it more interesting for us and the fans.”

It is all about drivability and speed

Although it means a bunch of fun for the blooded racer to dash arround the Nordschleife. “It is a great car and it is fun to drive with. Because we builded a completly new car, we have to enhance it constantly – especially the drivability and the speed. The stableness should not be a problem, after all it is a Porsche!”, Tiemann describes the current situation. But he also acknowledges:” We are still not there, where we want to get”. To reach their goal of defending the title, there is a lot to do for Manthey Racing. But Marcel Tiemann does not want to reconsider the ambitious aim:”The title is the target!”, he adds self-confidently. Anyhow the season start has shown it: the competitors are not sleeping.

The 35th edition of the Nuerburgring 24 hour race gets underway on 9 June 2007 at 3pm with the flag dropping on 10 June 2007 at 3pm.

Links: Team Database