The two 911 RSR will be run by factory squads in the hotly contested GTLM class. The new Porsche 911 GT3 R celebrates its race debut. In the GTD category, four customer squads will each field one of the latest generation GT3 racers.
The Porsche GT Team sends its two 911 RSR to contest this year’s 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring sporting a legendary design: The sports cars from Weissach will fly the colours of the successful Brumos team at the two longest races of the season. The squad from Jacksonville (USA) was active in the North American motor racing scene for over five decades. Claiming four overall victories at the Daytona endurance classic makes Brumos one of the most successful teams in the history of the race.
The 24-hour race on the Daytona International Speedway is contested on a 5.73-kilometre-long combination of the tri-oval and a tight and twisty infield section. The storied event in Florida has been held every year since 1966. The endurance classic marks the start of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season and counts towards the North American Endurance Cup (NAEC).
For the start of the 2019 motor racing year in North America, regular drivers Patrick Pilet (France) and Nick Tandy (Great Britain) share the No. 911 car, and like last year will be supported by Frédéric Makowiecki (France). In 2018, the trio won the long-distance races at Sebring and Road Atlanta. Earl Bamber (New Zealand), Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium) and Mathieu Jaminet from France share the cockpit of the No. 912 sister car campaigned by the Porsche GT Team. Works driver Patrick Long (USA) takes the wheel of the 911 GT3 R with the starting number 73 with his compatriots Nicholas Boulle and Patrick Lindsey as well as Porsche Young Professional Matt Campbell (Australia). In the identical No. 9 car sit Porsche development driver Lars Kern (Germany), Young Professional Dennis Olsen (Norway) and the two Canadians Scott Hargrove and Zacharie Robichon. The No. 99 Porsche 911 GT3 R is manned by works driver Sven Müller (Germany) and Klaus Bachler (Austria) as well as the Germans Steffen Görig, Alfred Renauer and Jürgen Häring. Sharing driving duties in the No. 540 vehicle are works driver Dirk Werner (Germany), Young Professional Matteo Cairoli (Italy), Marco Seefried (Germany) and Timothy Pappas from America.
In the long history of the 24 Hours of Daytona spanning more than 50 years, no other manufacturer has enjoyed as much success as Porsche. 18 overall victories, four more as engine partner, and a record-setting 77 class wins remain unrivalled. Five outright victories in the years 1973, 1975, 1977, 1979 and 1991 and a class win in 1972 make US racing legend Hurley Haywood the most successful Porsche driver at Daytona.
For its third race season, the Porsche 911 RSR has undergone further optimisation primarily in the setup. Depending on the size of the restrictor, the engine, which is positioned in front of the rear axle, puts out around 375 kW (510 hp). The large rear diffuser combined with a top-mounted rear wing provides aerodynamic efficiency and significant downforce. The 911 GT3 R was newly developed for the 2019 season. Improvements in the areas of aerodynamics and kinematics were systematically implemented from the insights garnered from the many race outings of its predecessor. The six-cylinder engine in the rear of the GT3 customer racer produces over 368 kW (500 hp).
The race gets underway on Saturday, 26 January, at 20:40 hrs (CET). The race can be watched live outside the USA and Canada at www.imsa.com.
Fritz Enzinger (Head of Motorsport): “The season in North America always takes off with this great classic at Daytona. The race is a highlight that we definitely want to win this year with our superbly-engineered 911 RSR. Porsche is the most successful manufacturer at the 24-hour race in Florida. We sincerely hope that we can continue this success streak. The tests were promising. The entire team is well on track.”
Pascal Zurlinden (Director GT Factory Motorsport): “We have some unfinished business in Daytona from last year. We won all the other major races except the 24-hour classic in Florida. This has to change in 2019. Our sights are firmly set on winning. Our car has been perfected and tested, the team and the drivers are the very best. So we’ve taken all steps for a successful performance. We’re also looking forward to seeing our customer teams compete with the new 911 GT3 R for the first time.”
Patrick Pilet (Porsche 911 RSR #911): “It’s important that we bring home the best possible result at the start of the season. Obviously we would like to win. Daytona is the most important 24-hour race in North America. That motivates the team and all the drivers even more. With our Porsche 911 RSR and the experienced squad, we have every chance to fight for victory.”
Laurens Vanthoor (Porsche 911 RSR #912): “At last it’s starting again! I can hardly wait for the IMSA series to take off. We’re well prepared for the tough competition with our Porsche 911 RSR. My dream is to win the world’s top four 24-hour races. I did it at Le Mans, at the Nürburgring and in Spa-Francorchamps. Only Daytona is missing on my list of victories. I’d very much like to tick it off.”
More quotes in the press release (download).
The IMSA SportsCar Championship is a sports car race series that has been contested in the USA and Canada since 2014. The series originated from the merger of the American Le Mans Series and the Grand-Am Series. Sports prototypes and sports cars start in four different classes: GTLM (GT Le Mans), GTD (GT Daytona), Dpi (Daytona Prototype international) and LMP2 (Le Mans Prototype 2). The Porsche 911 RSR runs in the GTLM class, and the Porsche 911 GT3 R contests the GTD class.
