Porsche - Returning to LeMans in 2014
04-03-2013, 05:04 AM
#31
Drifting
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Munich
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Yes Bill I understand what you are saying. It is true about the hemispheres, but the right one is waking up now so I guess our whispering is over!
Piech was only playing with Audi until he had Porsche in his grasp. Audi/VW was never the end game for Piech. You watch, Porsche will be his go to racing brand here on in, now Porsche have played engine technology catch up. You can start to see the production platform and technology plan forming now...watch Audi get relegated to alternate Motor racing. Shame WRC isnt really as popular as it was as they could have a go there...
If mummy Lousie could only see her big boy now!
Piech was only playing with Audi until he had Porsche in his grasp. Audi/VW was never the end game for Piech. You watch, Porsche will be his go to racing brand here on in, now Porsche have played engine technology catch up. You can start to see the production platform and technology plan forming now...watch Audi get relegated to alternate Motor racing. Shame WRC isnt really as popular as it was as they could have a go there...
If mummy Lousie could only see her big boy now!
Ferdinand Piëch is the most publicly known member of the two families which actually control the voting shares of Porsche AG. Not for nothing is he described as Little Napoleon. Abrasive and obnoxious in many ways (unlike his excessively charming brother and nephews) he drove the Porsche racing program for several years, culminating in the 917 before throwing his toys out of the pram and decamping to Audi. His continued career at Audi and VW has not hindered his having an ongoing say in the strategic management of PAG, indeed it were ever thus.
Piëch has repeatedly said VW cannot afford to be involved in F1 as it would cream off the best 400-600 engineers without adequate payback. He has dismissed any suggestion that VW supply engines to client teams.
VW has shouldered the major share of a great deal of the costs of new 'Porsche' developments in the last couple of decades, this is particularly apparent when you look at the production engineering side of life.
This relationship does cut both ways, once when I was demonstrating to the Project Director at quattro GmbH what a POS their keramic brakes were and how much better the ones supplied by Movit are, I agreed to return at a later date to continue the discussion. A couple of days later, on a unrelated matter I was at Weissach and a Porsche development engineer continued the conversation I had had with Stefan R at quattro earlier in the week.
It remains to be seen how far Winterkorn is able to pursue polices that Ferd P is not happy with.
F1 is arguably less interesting to those who can afford expensive cars than it was a few years ago. There are fewer premium brands choosing to be involved than previously. Victories at Le Mans last all year.
I am not alone in finding F1 weekends excruciating and entirely CHAV oriented whilst Le Mans is an enduringly enjoyable occasion. This has not escaped the Supervisory boards at PAG and VAG.
R+C
04-03-2013, 05:48 AM
#32
Rennlist Member
Hey Robin. Good to see you here. You found my little "rant". We were having a break from "trash the 991 GT3". The board has been quiet of late. Looks like everyone got exhausted. Maybe it was the realisation there will unlikely be any more manual GT cars that got everyone quiet. End of an era....
04-03-2013, 01:27 PM
#33
Three Wheelin'
Hhmmm... back to LeMans/2014.
04-08-2013, 01:27 PM
#35
Pro
I lament the small footprint and light(ish) weight of the original concept up until the 996 - its no bigger than a modern mini, such gorgeous lines, the door that makes the sound of a bank vault door when closed and the miracle of packaging layers of decades of improvements often on top of each other!
ok now I feel better.
And yah, I'd still love a 964 RS.
04-08-2013, 05:09 PM
#36
Rennlist Member
fun thread... however evil water cooling is, and however beautiful the original shape... I need to correct one technical item here. The 996 engine was 100 lbs lighter than the aircooled predecessors. This is impressive on it's own. Furthermore the 996 was also as light or lighter than it's smaller predecessors.
ok now I feel better.
And yah, I'd still love a 964 RS.
ok now I feel better.
And yah, I'd still love a 964 RS.
04-08-2013, 09:28 PM
#38
Rennlist Member
04-10-2013, 08:08 AM
#39
Hhmmm... back to LeMans/2014.
Speed TV posted a rummor that Mark Webber will be driving for Porsche @ LeMans next year.
Things may be heating up in sports car racing.
Speed TV posted a rummor that Mark Webber will be driving for Porsche @ LeMans next year.
Things may be heating up in sports car racing.
11-10-2013, 03:34 AM
#40
Three Wheelin'
11-10-2013, 01:58 PM
#42
Burning Brakes
Re Lamborghini, a very competent friend recently left his well-established Porsche racing team to join Lamborghini.
They are seriously track-testing their cars here and ramping up their racing efforts and presence in the U.S. Plans call for a dedicated series of races for Lambo owners similar to what Porsche has done with the Cup cars and Ferrari has done with their Challenge series.
Makes a lot of sense for VW also, competing for a rapidly growing Sportscar Megabuck market with Aston Martin, Ferrari, McLaren, Veyron and Pagani.
They are seriously track-testing their cars here and ramping up their racing efforts and presence in the U.S. Plans call for a dedicated series of races for Lambo owners similar to what Porsche has done with the Cup cars and Ferrari has done with their Challenge series.
Makes a lot of sense for VW also, competing for a rapidly growing Sportscar Megabuck market with Aston Martin, Ferrari, McLaren, Veyron and Pagani.
