Written on August 31st, 2010 at 10:22am by Pepper Girl 

Porsche Motorsport Newsletter: 2010 Volume 9

Maybe you’re not able to, or put more simply, you don’t want to read each little news blurb about Porsche Motorsports. If that’s the case, there is no better way to stay up to date than by reviewing the monthly Porsche Motorsport Newsletter here on PorschePurist.

There’s always a lot going on and this month is no different. Filled with interesting facts and figures about past and upcoming races, along with changes to team and crew, the Porsche Motorsport Newsletter is an easy way to keep on top of this year’s racing activities within the Porsche community.

American Le Mans Series: Overall win for RS Spyder, GT lead extended

Muscle Milk wins in Porsche RS Spyder at Mosport
At round eight in Mosport/Canada, Klaus Graf and Porsche works pilot Romain Dumas drove the Porsche RS Spyder of Muscle Milk Team Cytosport to the second overall victory this season, after missing out on first place by just one second a week earlier in Elkhart Lake. Success for Porsche in the well-supported GT class, too: Works drivers Joerg Bergmeister and Patrick Long secured their fourth win on the race track near Toronto in the 911 GT3 RSR of Flying Lizard Motorsports and travel to the final in Road Atlanta, Georgia (2 Oct.) with a comfortable points’ buffer. With the latest win, Porsche regained the lead of the GT manufacturers’ classification.

Le Mans Series: Lieb and Lietz net victory number three

Porsche 911 GT3 RSR of Team Felbermayr
With a 9.9-second advantage after 1,000 kilometres of racing, Porsche factory pilots Marc Lieb and Richard Lietz won the fourth of five Le Mans Series rounds on the Hungaroring (22 August). Over the entire distance, the Felbermayr-Proton drivers in a Porsche 911 GT3 RSR were locked in a clinch with Ferraris. After six hours they brought home their third win of the season from four starts. Lieb and Lietz travel to the season final in Silverstone (12 September) as points’ leaders. The Porsche success was made perfect by works driver Patrick Pilet and Raymond Narac yielding third in the 911 GT3 RSR fielded by IMSA Performance Matmut.

British GT Championship: Trackspeed Porsche victorious in Silverstone

At the eighth of 15 races of the British GT Championship in Silverstone (15 August), David Ashburn pushed home to victory from tenth on the grid in Trackspeed Racing’s Porsche 911 GT3 RSR in a 25-strong field. 2.4 seconds separated Ashburn from the second-placed Ferrari after nearly 300 kilometres of intense racing. Richard Westbrook put in an impressive drive in Trackspeed’s second Porsche by setting the fastest race lap. Towards the end, however, Westbrook had to take the sting out of his pace which shuffled him from second down to fourth.

Porsche Mobil1 Supercup: Nick Tandy keeps title race open


Britain’s Sean Edwards of Team Abu Dhabi by tolimit won round nine in Spa-Francorchamps from pole eleven seconds ahead of Jaap van Lagen. In the title fight, his compatriot Nick Tandy pushed through the field from 16th on the grid to finish sixth. Tandy, who has already won the BBS Rookie Classification, still has a small chance to snatch the title from points’ leader René Rast at the final in Monza (12 September). Rast finished third at Spa.

Carrera Cup Deutschland: Nick Tandy hunts favourites in Zandvoort

At the Dutch Circuit Park Zandvoort, Nick Tandy scored an emphatic win at round six (22 August) with a 14.2-second advantage. With his third win of the season, the 25-year-old Konrad Motorsport pilot moved back into second overall and shrunk the gap to points’ leader Nicolas Armindo, who after his string of three victories only finished tenth. Second place for guest starter Jaap van Lagen made the double win for Konrad Motorsport complete. Uwe Alzen claimed third and now ranks third in the points, level with Tandy leading up to the race in Brands Hatch (5 September).

Carrera Cup Great Britain: Two wins for Michael Caine in top duel

At races 13 and 14 in Silverstone (22 August), points’ leader and nine-time winner this season, Tim Harvey, had no antidote to his toughest rival Michael Caine, who brought home victory from both races ahead of Harvey in the Motorbase Performance team 911 GT3 Cup. Thanks to his third and fourth win, Caine reduced the gap to Harvey with six races left on the calendar.

PorscheRace notes:

  • Porsche Cars Great Britain again supports two young drivers in 2011 with each receiving £50,000 as part of the “Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain Scholarship Programme.” More information: www.porsche.com/uk
  • Works pilot Wolf Henzler and Brian Sellers win the Michelin Green X Challenge environmental award at the ALMS race in Elkhart Lake (22 August) with the 911 GT3 RSR run by Falken Tire.
  • In Elkhart Lake, Jeroen Bleekemolen and Tim Pappas snatch victory number four in the GTC class in the 911 GT3 Cup.
  • Niclas Kentenich and Sebastian Asch finish races eleven and twelve of the ADAC GT Master on the Nürburgring (28/29 August) in their a-workx Porsche in second and third.
  • After twelve races, Robin Rudholm leads the Carrera Cup Scandinavia by 33 points over Fredrik Larsson. Four rounds are still on the calendar, with a maximum of 120 points still up for grabs. At races 11 and 12 in Karlskoga (13/14 August) both top drivers yielded victory.
  • GT3 Cup Challenge Brasil, Interlagos (28/29 August): Ex-Formula 1 pilot Ricardo Rosset extends his lead in the 997 class with win number three of the season at race nine. Ricardo Baptista wins race ten. André Posses remains unbeaten with his fifth victory from five races in the 996 class.
  • Second for Tim Bergmeister/Frank Schmickler in the Porsche 911 GT3 R at the tenth of 14 races in the ADAC GT Masters on the EuroSpeedway Lausitz (15 August).
  • Matt Kingsley remains unbeaten with the 911 GT3 Cup of the Action Tyres and More team after three races of the GT3 Cup Challenge in Morgan Park, Queensland, (14/15 August). With this, the reigning champion and clear points’ leader now has a string of nine straight victories to his credit.

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Written on August 12th, 2010 at 1:36pm by 993C4S 

Porsche Motorsport Newsletter: 2010 Volume 7

Maybe you’re not able to, or put more simply, you don’t want to read each little news blurb about Porsche Motorsports. If that’s the case, there is no better way to stay up to date than by reviewing the monthly Porsche Motorsport Newsletter here on PorschePurist.

There’s always a lot going on and this month is no different. Filled with interesting facts and figures about past and upcoming races, along with changes to team and crew, the Porsche Motorsport Newsletter is an easy way to keep on top of this year’s racing activities within the Porsche community.

Spa 24 Hours: Overall win and success in the GT3 class for Porsche

Porsche's Wolf Henzler Jörg Bergmeister Martin Ragginger Romain Dumas
The reliability of the Porsche 911 and the perfect work from teams and drivers were rewarded with a double victory in the overall classification and the GT3 class win at the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps (BEL, 31 July/1 August). Works drivers Joerg Bergmeister, Romain Dumas, Wolf Henzler as well as former Porsche Junior Martin Ragginger pocketed the overall win in the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR fielded by BMS Scuderia Italia.


Only 76 seconds later, the 911 GT3 RSR of the IMSA Performance Matmut squad piloted by Richard Lietz, Patrick Long, Patrick Pilet and team owner Raymond Narac was the second car to cross the finish line. In the GT3 class, Dr. Jürgen Häring, Taki Konstantinou, Gilles Vannelet and Arnaud Peyroles took the lead after 20 hours in a 911 GT3 R run by Mühlner Motorsport and held the top position to the flag.

Spa 24 Hours: Romain Dumas writes motorsport history

The 32-year-old Porsche works driver Romain Dumas from France achieved a rare feat, claiming overall wins from both the 24 hour race at Spa-Francorchamps and in Le Mans in 2010. The last pilot to write his name in the history books winning both classics in one year was the Italian-born American, Luigi Chinetti in 1949.

American Le Mans Series: Porsche remains on title course


With a dash through the field from eighth on the grid to fourth at the flag, Porsche factory pilots Joerg Bergmeister and Patrick Long defended their GT2 class lead. The pair missed out on a podium spot by just four-tenths of a second with their 911 GT3 RSR fielded by Flying Lizard Motorsports at round six of the ALMS on the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (7 August). The RS Spyder entered by Muscle Milk Team Cytosport could not compete due to an accident while testing, effectively putting a halt to the spectacular success streak of ten podium results in a row.

Nürburgring Long Distance Championship: 911 GT3 R sets distance record


Lance David Arnold and Christian Menzel won round seven of the championship (31 July) in a 911 GT3 R of Manthey Racing ahead of two other 911 GT3 R racers fielded by the Nürburgring-based team. Arnold and Menzel set a new distance record at the six hour race on the world’s toughest race track completing 1,023.498 kilometres with their “Haribo 911”. Thirteen Porsche 911 GT3 racers finishing in the top 15 overall underline the famed reliability of the racing 911. After the race, the two Porsche 911 GT3 R front-runners underwent intensive technical scrutineering, involving the control of fuel tank volumes and the engine performance on a test bed. The result of the organisers’ official inspection: not one irregularity.

Porsche Mobil1 Supercup: Nick Tandy guns ahead after Budapest win


Pole position, fastest race lap and victory: Britain’s Nick Tandy experienced the perfect weekend at round eight of the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup on the Hungaroring near Budapest (1 August). Tandy scored a commanding win while almost a third of the grid looked on from the sidelines after accidents in the first two corners. With victory number two heading into the last two races of the season in Spa and Monza, Tandy sits just ten points shy of series’ leader René Rast, who finished the race in third behind Tandy’s compatriot Sean Edwards.

Carrera Cup Deutschland: Hat-trick for Armindo, bad luck for pursuers


Whilst Frenchman Nicolas Armindo drove to his third straight victory in a 911 GT3 Cup of Hermes Attempto Racing at round five on the Nürburgring (8 August), his toughest rival Nick Tandy (GBR) only managed 16th after contact with another car causing tyre damage. Sean Edwards from Great Britain yielded second ahead of Germany’s Uwe Alzen. With his result, Alzen knocked Tandy off second place in the drivers’ standings.

Porsche Race notes:

  • Michael Schein wins the Platinum Class in the Patrón GT3 Challenge on the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (7 August). Points’ leader Ross Smith finishes ninth after a spin. Henrique Cisneros wins the Gold Cup Class.
  • Michael Caine dominates in the Motorbase Performance Porsche 911 GT3 Cup at race eleven of the Carrera Cup Great Britain in Snetterton (8 August). Tim Harvey answers on the same day with his tenth win of the season from 12 races in the Red Line Racing Porsche.
  • With his victories at races six and seven of the Carrera Cup Japan in Sugo (24/25 July), pursuer Hideto Yasuoka now sits just two points off leader Yasuhiro Shimizu.
  • At the wheel of the Porsche 911 GT3 RS, points’ leaders Olaf Dobberkau/Alexandra König win the Wartburg Rally, the third round of the German Rally Series (31 July/1 August).

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Porsche Motorsports Newsletter: 2010 Volume 6

Written on August 7th, 2010 at 8:45pm by Pepper Girl 

LIZARD PORSCHE DRIVERS MAINTAIN GT POINTS LEAD

It was a little like pushing the rock up hill for the #45 Flying Lizard Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, but Patrick Long (USA) and Joerg Bergmeister (Germany) ground out a fourth-place finish in the GT class in American Le Mans Series event at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course this afternoon. Long and Bergmeister’s car also won the Michelin Green X Challenge for GT cars.

Bergmeister and Long, who were leading the driver points going into the event, held on to their lead with the ten points they earned for fourth, but it was a hard day at the office.

“Our car was quick, and we could catch our competition in the corners, but we didn’t have the power to go buy anyone on the straights,” said Bergmeister, who drove the last stint and almost overtook the Corvettes and BMWs in front of him several times.

“It was about track position today, and starting eighth, we had to move up one position at a time, relying on our strategy and mistake-free driving to get to the top. Today, we moved from eighth to fourth, but two lucky BMW stops just before yellows, and some bad traffic didn’t help us. This championship will be like this at every event – it will come down to end,” said Long.

Long and Bergmeister have 103 points to lead the class, followed by the Melo/Bruni Ferrai (95 points) and the Auberlen/Milner BMW (92 points). In the manufacturers championship, BMW and Ferrari are tied with 105 points, and Porsche has 103 points.

Other Porsche GT finishers included the Patrick Pilet (France)/Seth Neiman (USA) Flying Lizard Motorsports entry, which came in seventh, and the Bryan Sellers (USA)/Wolf Henzler (Germany) Team Falken Tire Porsche, which finished eighth.

In the GT Challenge class, Jeroen Bleekemolen (Netherlands) and Tim Pappas (USA) recovered from an early-race shunt to score the victory in their Black Swan Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car and take the class points lead, despite the fact they missed the first race. Second was the James Sofronas/Bret Curtis GMG Porsche.

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Written on July 27th, 2010 at 9:28pm by 993C4S 

Porsche Motorsport Newsletter: 2010 Volume 6

Maybe you’re not able to, or put more simply, you don’t want to read each little news blurb about Porsche Motorsports. If that’s the case, there is no better way to stay up to date than by reviewing the monthly Porsche Motorsport Newsletter here on PorschePurist.

There’s always a lot going on and this month is no different. Filled with interesting facts and figures about past and upcoming races, along with changes to team and crew, the Porsche Motorsport Newsletter is an easy way to keep on top of this year’s racing activities within the Porsche community.

Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid to race in the USA and China

Following the impressive performance at the Nürburgring 24 hour race where the Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid led the overall classification for more than eight hours, the Hybrid-911 will now compete in the USA and Asia. Porsche has received an invitation to contest the season final of the American Le Mans Series at the 1,000 mile ‘Petit Le Mans’ race on 2 October. For November 7, Porsche plans to contest the season final of the new Le Mans Intercontinental Cup in Zhuhai, China. The Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid will not be eligible for points, as hybrid technology is not yet included in the GT regulations.

Spa 24 Hours: Works drivers reinforce customer teams

With seven factory drivers, Porsche supports various customer teams at the prestigious 24 hour race in Spa (BEL, 31.7/1.8). Joerg Bergmeister, Romain Dumas, Wolf Henzler and the former Porsche Junior Martin Ragginger pilot a 911 GT3 RSR for BMS Scuderia Italia. Works drivers Richard Lietz, Patrick Long and Patrick Pilet take up the race with Raymond Narac in the 911 GT3 RSR fielded by IMSA Performance Matmut. Marc Lieb shares the cockpit of a Prospeed Competition 911 GT3 RSR with Porsche Junior Marco Holzer as well as Marc Goossens and Richard Westbrook.

ALMS: Double victory entering second half of season

Claiming a double win at the fifth round, Porsche guns into the second half of the American Le Mans Series season. In Lime Rock (24 July), Porsche factory pilots Joerg Bergmeister and Patrick Long snatched back the GT class points’ lead with their third victory of the season in the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR run by Flying Lizard Motorsports. In the Porsche RS Spyder fielded by Muscle Milk Team Cytosport, Klaus Graf and Greg Pickett secured their best result of the season with first overall. At round four in Salt Lake City (10 July), Bergmeister and Long saw the flag as fifth in the GT class after two punctures. Klaus Graf and Greg Picket in the RS Spyder finished third overall.

Le Mans Series: Lietz and Lieb defend points’ lead after troubled start

Richard Lietz and Marc Lieb pocketed third at round three of the Le Mans Series in Portugal’s Portimao (17 July) in a Felbermayr-Proton Porsche 911 GT3 RSR to defend their GT2 class points’ lead. Repairs early on cost the duo more than a lap – at the finish line just one second separated them from the second-placed Ferrari.

Marcel Tiemann: Race driver surprises doctors with rapid recovery


Race driver Marcel Tiemann is recovering quicker than expected. In the Bad Aibling Clinic in Bavaria, the 36-year-old was up and about long ago and is now working hard on his recovery. On 23 May in Imola, Tiemann was hit by a competitor and crashed with his Audi. From the accident he sustained serious head injuries. Driving for the Manthey team, Marcel Tiemann won the Nürburgring 24 hour race four times in a Porsche.

Pikes Peak: Jeff Zwart sets new record time at famous ‘Race to the Clouds’


America’s Jeff Zwart won the class for two-wheel drive, production-based race cars at the 88th Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in Colorado (27 June) at the wheel of a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. Shattering the old record by 38 seconds, Zwart was clearly the fastest production car pilot, bringing home sixth overall behind specially-designed race cars. The surface of the almost 20 kilometre route up to the 4.301 metre summit of Pikes Peak consists of half asphalt and half gravel.

International GT Open: Double win for Porsche customer teams


Porsche customer teams celebrated two wins at the ninth and tenth round of the International GT Open (10/11 July) in Magny-Cours, France. Raymond Narac and Patrick Pilet won Saturday’s race in the 911 GT3 RSR of IMSA Performance Matmut. On Sunday, Richard Lietz and Gianluca Roda secured first with Autorlando Sport’s 911 GT3 RSR.

Porsche Mobil1 Supercup: Important guests in Hockenheim – Armindo wins


High ranking guests underlined the importance of the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup for Porsche AG at the seventh round which was held as support to the German Grand Prix on the Hockenheimring (25 July). Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Dr. Wolfgang Porsche, presented the winner’s trophy to the French guest driver Nicolas Armindo, Michael Macht, as Chairman of the Board of Management and Wolfgang Dürheimer as Member of the Board for Research and Development handed Jan Seyffarth and Christian Engelhart the trophies for second and third. Porsche Board Member for Sales and Marketing Bernhard Maier as well as Head of Motorsport Hartmut Kristen also didn’t want to miss a visit to the flagship of Porsche brand trophy race series.

Patrón GT3 Challenge by Yokohama: Smith brothers dominate in Utah


Points’ leader Ross Smith won the Platinum class at races 7 and 8 in the Miller Motorsports Park at Salt Lake City in the US state of Utah (9/10 July). His older brother Kendall made the weekend perfect with two victories in the Gold class. Both compete at the wheel of 911 GT3 Cup racers fielded by Maxwell Paper Racing.

Carrera Cup Great Britain: Tim Harvey writes history


Notching up his eighth and ninth victory this season in Croft (19/20 June), Tim Harvey is the new record winner of the Carrera Cup Great Britain. The 2008 champion has secured 33 overall wins. At the halfway mark after ten races, Harvey (Red Line Racing) holds a healthy points’ lead in the drivers’ classification.

Race notes:

  • With a win and fifth place in Mugello (25 July), Gianluca Roda defends his points’ lead in the Italian GT Championship with the Porsche 911 GT3 R fielded by Autorlando Sport. Works driver Richard Lietz shares driving duties with Roda.
  • Two wins in Rockingham (18 July) put Trackspeed pilot David Ashburn into the lead of the British GT Championship.
  • James Koundouris wins the first two rounds of the Australia GT on Phillip Island (11 July) in a Supabarn Porsche 911 GT3 Cup S.
  • Porsche remains unbeaten in the VLN Nürburgring Long Distance Championship: Lance David Arnold and Christian Menzel claim victory at the sixth round (17 July) in Manthey Racing’s Porsche 911 GT3 R.
  • Carrera Cup Deutschland: Frenchman Nicolas Armindo snatched the points’ lead from Britain’s Nick Tandy with his second win of the season at round four on the Norisring (4 July).
  • Carrera Cup Scandinavia: Fredrik Larsson wins both home races in Falkenberg (SWE, 9/10 July) and heads the championship over Robin Rudholm.
  • In Imola at the Carrera Cup Italia, Alessandro Balzan and Stefano Comandini win races 7 and 8 respectively. Vito Postiglione retains the points’ lead.

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Written on July 24th, 2010 at 9:55pm by Pepper Girl 

Porsche Claims Overall and GT Victory at Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock

Klaus Graf (Germany) and Greg Pickett (USA), driving the Muscle Milk Porsche RS Spyder, outlasted the favored David Brabham/Simon Pagenuad Honda Performance Development prototype to score Porsche’s first customer team overall win for the RS Spyder in North America.

Muscle Milk Porsche racing in the rain in the ALMS Lime Rock

The car, which debuted a year ago at Mid-Ohio after Pickett purchased it from Dyson Racing, has now finished on the podium all ten times it has entered a race, with a class win at Sebring (LMP2) and now an overall victory at Lime Rock. Graf now trails Brabham/Pagenaud by only seven points in the championship chase with four races remaining (Pickett did not participate in one race, putting him behind in the points).

In GT, Patrick Long (USA) and Joerg Bergmeister (Germany) bounced back from a disappointing fifth place two weeks ago in Salt Lake City to score their third win of the season in the Flying Lizard Porsche 911 GT3 RSR. The victory also vaulted the pair back into the top spot in the driver standings by 14 points, and puts Porsche ahead of BMW in the manufacturers championship by one point.

Greg Pickett started in the Porsche RS Spyder, and drove for the first 45 minutes, avoiding the three accidents which brought out three early yellow flags, and ran fast enough to stay in contact with the leaders. Both the Dyson Mazda and the Intersport Lola were sidelined with mechanical problems, so Graf found himself in second place with fresh tires with two hours to go, and a Honda in front of him that seemed content to not change tires.

When David Brabham got into the Honda with fresh tires and an hour to go, he pushed Graf to the limited, cutting a 13-second lead down to a half-a-second with four minutes to go, when Graf was forced to the inside of the track at the same time Brabham was trying to pass on the inside, and the cars touched. Graf received a stop-and-go penalty for blocking, while Brabham suffered a flat tire. They both came into the pits, but Graf got back on the track before Brabham, clinching the victory.

Greg Pickett did a great job keeping in touch with the leaders for the first 45 minutes, and I knew I would have to push for my entire two-hour stint to beat Pagenaud and Brabham. It was hot and traffic was bad, but the Muscle Milk crew came through with great green-flag pit stops. The team engineers from Porsche and Michelin were key to our win, and we are proud to be the first U.S. customer team to score an overall win for the Porsche RS Spyder – a great race car. We didn’t take tires near the end at Salt Lake City, and we decided to give ourselves better grip here late,” said Graf.

On the stop-and-go penalty at the end, Graf said he had nowhere to go.

I was forced to the edge of the track– I did not even know Brabham was there. I didn’t mean to block him, but I understand the officials have to call what they see. I did not know he had a flat tire until afterwards, and my stop-and-go beat his flat tire change out of the pits,” said Graf.

ALMS GT Class

Patrick Long put the Lizard Porsche on the pole during a driving rain storm at the track on Friday, but pointed out that all the teams only had one dry warm-up session this morning to prepare the car for a dry race track for the two-hour, 45-minute event. Long, who finished the race at Laguna Seca in a similar fashion, edging out the BMW, thought this race topped that excitement.

Flying Lizard Porsche 911 GT3 RSR racing in the rain at Lime Rock

I thought nothing could top our dramatic win at Laguna Seca in May, but I am the first to admit I am wrong. We had to push 100 percent to the last lap to beat the BMWs, and Pierre Kaffer was not far behind in the Ferrari. While the Melo/Bruni Ferrari is our closest rival, relaxing when they dropped out early would have been a mistake, as we could have ended up fourth or fifth. Our pit stop strategy put us in the lead, and it was up to Joerg and me to bring the car home. Our Michelin tires worked well in both the wet for qualifying yesterday and in the dry for today’s race.

Joerg Bergmeister, who has won the GT class five years in a row at Lime Rock – a series record, admitted that this was not his favorite track, but pointed out he has learned what it takes to win here.

When someone asked me what it has taken for me to win five races in a row here at Lime Rock, I thought a bit, and realized it comes down to one work: patience. The track is so short and there are four classes of cars running together, so you have to pick your spots both to pass and to has move over for faster cars. The BMWs were more powerful in a straight line, but the straights here are very short, and we seemed to have better traction. With our extra pit stop on the early yellow, we had a bit more fuel at the end, and the stop did not cost us track position. Patrick did a great job holding off Auberlen at the end,” said Bergmeister.

ALMS GTC Class

In the GTC class for matched Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars, the departure from the series of the points-leading Gonzales/Leitzinger car has left the championship wide open. It was the TRG entry piloted by Andy Lally and Henri Richard that took the victory, edging the Jeroen Bleekemolen/Tim Pappas Black Swan Porsche, which Bleekemolen had put on the pole. Lally and Richard now lead the GTC points.

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Written on July 24th, 2010 at 4:36pm by Pepper Girl 

Muscle Milk Porsche RS Spyder Wins Michelin Green X Challenge at Lime Rock

The Porsche RS Spyder of Muscle Milk Team CytoSport turned the double play in the American Le Mans Series Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park taking the overall race win and the MICHELIN® GREEN X® Challenge here at the fifth stop of the 2010 ALMS season.

With temperatures in the mid 90’s and humidity to match, the hot and steamy track pushed cars and drivers to perform in extreme conditions.

In the process of winning the two hour 45 minute event at the historic 1.53-mile circuit, the independent Benicia, Calif. based team and drivers Greg Pickett and Klaus Graf became the first to claim a second MICHELIN® GREEN X® Challenge victory in 2010.

The MICHELIN® GREEN X® Challenge victory was the fourth of the 2010 season for Porsche which earlier this week confirmed plans to enter its exciting new Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid at the final race of the 2010 season.

We are very pleased to win the Michelin Green X Challenge at Lime Rock, especially since we have now won it twice in GT for the 911 GT3 RSR and twice in LMP for the Porsche RS Spyder. Our goal is performance with efficiency, and today, the Muscle Milk Porsche did both,” said Paul Ritchie, president of Porsche Motorsport North America, Inc.

Developed by the U.S. Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency and SAE International to accelerate the development of new technologies and fuels through competition, the MICHELIN® GREEN X® Challenge recognizes the prototype and GT car that go farthest, fastest and with the smallest environmental footprint at each ALMS event.

Once again, we saw that the same type of efficiency that produces speed in the racecar also helps produce a cleaner more efficient car,” said Silvia Mammone, manager motorsports, Michelin North America.

ABOUT THE MICHELIN® GREEN X® CHALLENGE

The American Le Mans Series is the only series currently recognized as “Green Racing” by the U. S. Department of Energy; Environmental Protection Agency and SAE International.

All five energy sources identified as part of the United States government energy policy (E10 ethanol blended gasoline, E85R gasoline blended ethanol, GTL (natural gas to liquid) biodiesel, E10-electric hybrid power, and Iso-butanol gasoline) have been used in ALMS competition.

The MICHELIN® GREEN X® Challenge trophies are presented to the respective Prototype and GT winners. The bases for the unique MICHELIN® GREEN X® Challenge trophies are made of rubber recycled from MICHELIN® GREEN X® labeled consumer tires.

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Written on June 28th, 2010 at 1:31pm by 993C4S 

Porsche Motorsport Newsletter: 2010 Volume 6

Maybe you’re not able to, or put more simply, you don’t want to read each little news blurb about Porsche Motorsports. If that’s the case, there is no better way to stay up to date than by reviewing the monthly Porsche Motorsport Newsletter here on PorschePurist.

There’s always a lot going on and this month is no different. Filled with interesting facts and figures about past and upcoming races, along with changes to team and crew, the Porsche Motorsport Newsletter is an easy way to keep on top of this year’s racing activities within the Porsche community. Don’t forget to check out Porsche and Jeff Zwart’s record breaking results on the race up Pike’s Peak.

Le Mans 24 Hours: 911 GT3 RSR wins GT2, overall victory for works drivers


Works drivers Marc Lieb, Richard Lietz and Wolf Henzler won the Le Mans 24 Hour GT2 class (12/13 June) in their Felbermayr-Proton 911 GT3 RSR. In front of 240,000 spectators, the trio set a cracking pace and brought the 450 hp Porsche home to victory without any technical mishaps. With seven manufacturers and 18 race cars in the excellently supported GT2 field, no other vehicle spent less time in the pits. Porsche also celebrated the overall victory of Porsche works drivers Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas, who shared the cockpit of an Audi R15 TDI with former Porsche factory pilot Mike Rockenfeller. Timo Bernhard is the first racing driver ever to win the four long-distance classics, thus bringing home a genuine Motorsport Grand Slam: In 2003 he won the Daytona 24 Hours, from 2006 to 2009 he claimed four victories at the Nürburgring 24 hour race, he won the 2008 12 Hours of Sebring and now at Le Mans in an Audi. Bernhard has competed as a Porsche works driver since 2002.

Marcel Tiemann: Making good recovery

Marcel Tiemann’s recovery (36) is making good progress. On 17 June the race driver was moved from the university hospital Grosshardern to the rehabilitation clinic Bad Aibling (Bavaria) where his treatment is continuing according to plan. On 23 May, at the Imola round of the International GT Open, Tiemann’s Audi was shunted from the track by a competitor and crashed into a wall. Tiemann sustained serious craniocerebral injuries, a broken cervical vertebra and broken ribs. Marcel Tiemann scored four of his five overall wins at the Nürburgring 24 hour race in a Porsche 911 fielded by Manthey Racing.

ADAC GT Masters: Mühlner Motorsport takes points’ lead with 100th win


After the fifth round of the ADAC GT Masters on the Hockenheimring (29 May), the Mühlner Motorsport team celebrated their 100th win. Joerg and Tim Bergmeister gunned to the finish in their 911 GT3 R 0.8 seconds ahead of a Lamborghini. The Bergmeister brothers clinched third place at race two (30 May), putting Mühlner Motorsport back in the points’ lead and Tim second in the drivers’ standings.

British GT Championship: Two podium places for Trackspeed Porsche

Richard Westbrook and David Ashburn saw the chequered flag at race five of the British GT Championship in Spa-Francorchamps (5 June) in second at the wheel of their Trackspeed 911 GT3 R, followed closely by their team colleagues Oliver Bryant and Oliver Morley. Westbrook led until handing the car to Ashburn 15 laps before the end of the 150 minute race. Ashburn currently ranks third in the drivers’ classification.

Belcar Long Distance Championship: Goossens and Soulet claim second win

It was in the first lap at round two in Spa-Francorchamps (5 June) that Marc Goossens and Maxime Soulet snatched the lead with their Prospeed Competition 911 GT3 R. After 150 minutes, the pair celebrated their second victory of the season. Over many laps, Ruben Maes and Enzo Ide were running second in the sister Prospeed Porsche, but relinquished their position to an Audi to see the flag in third.

Italian GT Championship: Gianluca Roda remains in the lead


Gianluca Roda is still the man to beat in the GT3 class after races five and six of the Italian GT Championship in Magione (6 June). Roda crossed the finish line at race five in second place with teammate Raffaele Giammaria in the Autorlando Sport 911 GT3 R, but was later announced as winner because the original victor had overtaken under yellow. In the second 48-minute race on Sunday, Roda and Giammaria claimed third overall and again won the GT3 class.

Nürburgring Long Distance Championship: Photo finish win for Porsche

After 27 laps or 660 kilometres, victory was decided on the final metres at race four of the Nürburgring Long Distance Championship (12 June). In torrential rain, Chris Mamerow in his Mamerow Racing 911 GT3 R caught Hans-Joachim Stuck’s Audi shortly before the flag to win by just 0.24 seconds. Mamerow shared the cockpit of the Porsche with Marc Basseng.

Grand-Am: Andy Lally remains in title race after second win of season

Andy Lally's Porsche 911 GT3 Cup at Watkins Glen
In their Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, Andy Lally and Spencer Pumpelly won the GT class of the six hour race in Watkins Glen (5 June). Driving for TRG, the pair received support from former motorbike racer Bob Doyle. After six championship rounds and two wins so far this season, Andy Lally ranks a close third in the drivers’ standings.

Carrera Cup Asia: Double win for Marchy Lee in Zhuhai – Menzel still leads

After four straight wins for reigning champion Christian Menzel, Marchy Lee (Red Bull Racing) from Hong Kong dominated at races five and six in Zhuhai (20 June). Germany’s Menzel still leads the championship ahead of Craig Baird.

Carrera Cup Deutschland: Nicolas Armindo secures flag-to-flag win

With a flag-to-flag victory from pole position at round three of the Carrera Cup Deutschland on the EuroSpeedway Lausitz (6 June), Nicolas Armindo from France (Hermes Attempto Racing) put an end to Nick Tandy’s winning streak. Briton Tandy won the first two rounds of the series, and with second at the EuroSpeedway still leads the drivers’ classification.

Matmut Carrera Cup France: Sylvain Noël wins tyre poker in Le Mans


Porsche France invited drivers from all over Europe to contest round seven of the Carrera Cup France run as support to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Sylvain Noël from France turned heads with his performance with slicks on a damp track when he snatched the lead from Briton Tim Harvey – racing with rain tyres – shortly before the flag. Noël won, his compatriot Kevin Estre also got past Harvey to claim second, leaving the Briton with the third podium spot as the best non-French contender.

Carrera Cup Great Britain: Tim Harvey’s top form continues

Old-hand Tim Harvey seems to be unbeatable at home. The 48-year-old champion of 2008 won the seventh race in Oulton Park near Chester (6 June) in his 911 GT3 Cup run by Red Line Racing, with his arch rival Michael Caine retiring after an accident in the first corner. Again at race eight, Caine found no way past Harvey, who went on to claim his seventh victory this season.

Carrera Cup Japan: Yasuhiro Shimizu inches ahead

With his wins from pole position at races four and five in Fuji (12/13 June), the reigning champion and points’ leader Yasuhiro Shimizu extended his lead slightly to now sit six points ahead of Hideto Yasuoka. His young rival, who receives support from Porsche as a motorsport talent, remains within striking distance after securing two second places. Shimizu has four wins to his credit, Yasuoka one.

Carrera Cup Scandinavia: Robin Rudholm leads after thriller in Gothenburg

At race nine on the city circuit in the harbour of Gothenburg, Fredrik Larsson snatched back the lead from Robin Rudholm after winning the hefty duel over the entire race distance. Rudholm saw the flag in second, 0.3 seconds behind the winner. At race ten (both races 5 June), however, Rudholm returned to top the tables after Larsson pulled out before the start with a broken drive shaft.

Related Porsche Posts
Porsche Motorsport Newsletter: 2010 Volume 5
Pushing Porsches up Pike’s Peak

[Source: PCNA]

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