OT: Thanks a lot Dr. Wiedeking
07-13-2009, 08:42 PM
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OT: Thanks a lot Dr. Wiedeking
If you are lucky to have seen the RS Sypder race in anger, you've likely seen the last racing prototype that Porsche will ever enter.
Michael Cotton writes for Panorama. This month's column is about Porsche's failed attempt to take over VW, which will end up with Porsche being one of 10 brands in the VW group. Porsche will obviously (owning 51% of VW stock) be about as independent as it's possible to be in such an arrangement, but there will be no more Porsche prototypes.
I was holding out the foolish notion (in addition to the fact that I couldn't afford to go) that I wouldn't go to La Sarthe to see le 24 Heures until Porsche
entered a prototype in the category that would go for overall win. While there were rumours of a coming Porsche coupe built to the ACO's 2011 rules and perhaps entered by Roger Penske,I'll quote a paragrach from Mr. Cotton's latest "European Windows" column:
"Motorsport? I have it on good authority that Porsche will not repeat the RS Spyder program, even when new LeMans Prototype regulations come into effect in 2011. "Porsche's future is firumly in the GT category, with the 911," a Weissach engineer assures me. "It is very profitable, you know, and Porsche does not have the money now to start a new prototype program." Indeed not, Audi is already working on a new prototype for the 2011 season, and, of course, Porsche will not go there again. When the Grand-Am stopgap program with Roger Penske comes to an end, Porsche will again rely on the rear-engined 911 for its presence in competitions."
Porsche will be lucky to win, let alone dominate, GT racing as long as companies like Ferrari are willing to fund mid-engine GT racers. The 911 is pushing the envelope of what can be done with a rear-engined race car given the current ACO rules for GT2. Perhaps Porsche could enter the coming FIA-GT "GT1" category, but I have no idea what the specifications for that class will be, and the competition there will be brutal. Ok, so maybe there's a new "GT1" car coming from Porsche, and it will be as close as Porsche can get to being a prototype, but I wanted to see the factory turn its hand at an LMP1 at least one more time. I just cannot get excited about rooting for Audi prototypes at LeMans even if they are our cousins, I actually enjoy rooting against them.
I quite enjoyed this year's race, watching a reliable (and gorgeous, compared to the frog from Ingolstadt) Peugeot trounce an unreliable Audi, while trying to lose the race due to pit snafus....
And does ANYONE think the US will get a round of the FIA-GT as long as Ratel is in charge ? ONLY if the manufacturers entered demand it, ala FOTA teams in F1.
I was lucky enough to see the zenith of the GT1 category at Sebring in 97 and Homestead in 98. There may be another GT1 category coming, but it won't
be able to touch a CLK-GTR, 911 GT1, McLaren F1 GTR, Panoz batmobile, and Lotus Elise GT all on the same track.
David's editorial note, THANKS A F***ING BUNCH, DR. Wiedeking, you have single-handedly killed Porsche's motorsport legacy. Oh how that Buttster Panamera gets my blood boiling ! (NOT)
Michael Cotton writes for Panorama. This month's column is about Porsche's failed attempt to take over VW, which will end up with Porsche being one of 10 brands in the VW group. Porsche will obviously (owning 51% of VW stock) be about as independent as it's possible to be in such an arrangement, but there will be no more Porsche prototypes.
I was holding out the foolish notion (in addition to the fact that I couldn't afford to go) that I wouldn't go to La Sarthe to see le 24 Heures until Porsche
entered a prototype in the category that would go for overall win. While there were rumours of a coming Porsche coupe built to the ACO's 2011 rules and perhaps entered by Roger Penske,I'll quote a paragrach from Mr. Cotton's latest "European Windows" column:
"Motorsport? I have it on good authority that Porsche will not repeat the RS Spyder program, even when new LeMans Prototype regulations come into effect in 2011. "Porsche's future is firumly in the GT category, with the 911," a Weissach engineer assures me. "It is very profitable, you know, and Porsche does not have the money now to start a new prototype program." Indeed not, Audi is already working on a new prototype for the 2011 season, and, of course, Porsche will not go there again. When the Grand-Am stopgap program with Roger Penske comes to an end, Porsche will again rely on the rear-engined 911 for its presence in competitions."
Porsche will be lucky to win, let alone dominate, GT racing as long as companies like Ferrari are willing to fund mid-engine GT racers. The 911 is pushing the envelope of what can be done with a rear-engined race car given the current ACO rules for GT2. Perhaps Porsche could enter the coming FIA-GT "GT1" category, but I have no idea what the specifications for that class will be, and the competition there will be brutal. Ok, so maybe there's a new "GT1" car coming from Porsche, and it will be as close as Porsche can get to being a prototype, but I wanted to see the factory turn its hand at an LMP1 at least one more time. I just cannot get excited about rooting for Audi prototypes at LeMans even if they are our cousins, I actually enjoy rooting against them.
I quite enjoyed this year's race, watching a reliable (and gorgeous, compared to the frog from Ingolstadt) Peugeot trounce an unreliable Audi, while trying to lose the race due to pit snafus....
And does ANYONE think the US will get a round of the FIA-GT as long as Ratel is in charge ? ONLY if the manufacturers entered demand it, ala FOTA teams in F1.
I was lucky enough to see the zenith of the GT1 category at Sebring in 97 and Homestead in 98. There may be another GT1 category coming, but it won't
be able to touch a CLK-GTR, 911 GT1, McLaren F1 GTR, Panoz batmobile, and Lotus Elise GT all on the same track.
David's editorial note, THANKS A F***ING BUNCH, DR. Wiedeking, you have single-handedly killed Porsche's motorsport legacy. Oh how that Buttster Panamera gets my blood boiling ! (NOT)
