Vintage 911s Battle at Goodwood: Track Time Tuesday Presented by Nitto NT01 Tire

Many vintage race car drivers take it easy with their priceless machines. But that is not the case with these sideways Porsche 911 racers!

Sure, modern motorsports racing is cool and all. But for our money, we’ll take vintage racing any day. After all, long before things like traction control and amazing tire technology came along, race car drivers relied on pure skill and fearless tactics to succeed. These were truly men among men, risking life, limb, and precious sheetmetal in the name of glory. Today, vintage racers are typically much more cautious with their priceless cars. But that certainly wasn’t the case with this heated battle between a pair of Porsche 911s.

These two dueling Porsche 911 racers, piloted by Ambrogio Perfetti and Mark Bates, went toe-to-toe during the recent 76th annual Members’ Meeting at Goodwood. Competing for the first annual Ronnie Hoare Trophy, these two amazing cars were joined by some of the finest vintage racing machinery on the planet. The race also served as the kick-off for Goodwood’s 2018 racing season. Both of which might help explain this rather heated exchange!

This amazing clip from the race shows Perfetti working extra hard to overtake Bates for fourth place. His aggressive driving results in a loose rear around two consecutive corners before he nearly gets around Bates on a long straight. But Bates clearly feels the heat, using the entire road and executing what is essentially a beautiful drift. Sadly, he went in a little too hot and gives up his spot as a result.

Both drivers continue to duke it out in a traction-less drift fest that’s immensely entertaining. Oftentimes coming perilously close to each other in some ultra-heated, side-by-side action. Until Bates overcooks it just a little too much and eats some grass, effectively reminding him to let off a little. Still, it’s great to see some of these old Porsche 911 racers going at it like the old days!

This Rennlist Content is Presented by the Nitto NT01 Tire

The NT01 is a D.O.T.-compliant competition radial designed with the weekend road racer in mind. The compound was developed to provide the best balance of traction, consistency, heat cycle performance and longevity. The NT01 delivers fast and consistent lap times for both the professional road-racer and the track-day enthusiast.Learn more here.

Brett Foote

Brett Foote has been covering the automotive industry for over five years and is a longtime contributor to Internet Brands’ Auto Group sites, including Chevrolet Forum, Rennlist, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts, among other popular sites.
He has been an automotive enthusiast since the day he came into this world and rode home from the hospital in a first-gen Mustang, and he's been wrenching on them nearly as long.

In addition to his expertise writing about cars, trucks, motorcycles, and every other type of automobile, Brett had spent several years running parts for local auto dealerships.

You can follow along with his builds and various automotive shenanigans on Instagram: @bfoote.