Porsche and Long-Distance Racing – a Glimpse Into a Fascinating World
The World Sportscar Championship (WSC) and 24 Hours of Le Mans race
Atlanta. A unique and successful history links Porsche with Le Mans. 2014 will see Porsche making a return to the top category 24 Hours of Le Mans race with two LMP1 prototypes – 16 years after its last overall victory in 1998 with the Porsche 911 GT1. For Porsche, the coming year will mark the start of a long-term commitment to the World Endurance Championship (WEC). Beside the 24-hour endurance race, Porsche will also participate in seven 6-hour races with the LMP1 prototype.
The new set of rules that apply to the WEC for 2014 require works teams to use the latest hybrid drive technology. The aim of the new rules for the upcoming season is a significant reduction in fuel consumption among the racing cars taking part. The new Porsche LMP1 therefore needs to boast optimum fuel efficiency while delivering maximum performance. With this in mind, the race engineers are actually facing the same challenge as their colleagues who work on development of series production vehicles. Racecars and road-going production vehicles are being developed at the Porsche Development Center in Weissach, with both sets of engineers regularly comparing notes.
The extensive press kit entitled “Meet the heroes of Le Mans” links Porsche’s successful history in the world’s most challenging long-distance races, with all aspects of the technology transfer, provides all the facts surrounding the Le Mans racetrack (which has seen over 100 Porsche victories in a variety of racing classes). It also describes all the successful Porsche racing cars that have competed in the Le Mans race. The press kit provides information about the drivers and engineers involved as well. More than 200 historic photos, historic film recordings and the original race posters complete this fascinating and informative package.
To follow the preparations of the LMP1 team ahead of its appearance at the WEC and the 24 Hours of Le Mans race, visit www.porsche.com/mission2014. A host of exciting images, films, background information and even a multimedia journey through Porsche’s motorsports history await visitors on the homepage.
Note: The “Meet the heroes of Le Mans” information material is available to accredited journalists from the Porsche press database online at https://presse.porsche.de. Registration is required.
About Porsche Cars North America
Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (PCNA), based in Atlanta, Ga. is the exclusive U.S. importer of Porsche sports cars, the Cayenne SUV and Panamera sports sedan. Established in 1984, it is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Porsche AG, which is headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, and employs approximately 220 people who provide parts, service, marketing and training for 189 dealers. They, in turn, work to provide Porsche customers with a best-in-class experience that is in keeping with the brand’s 63-year history and leadership in the advancement of vehicle performance, safety and efficiency.
At the core of this success is Porsche’s proud racing heritage that boasts some 30,000 motorsport wins to date.
For Porsche apps: http://www.porsche.com/usa/entertainment/apps/
Note: Photos and video footage are available to accredited journalists on the Porsche Press Database at http://press.porsche.com/
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