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Porsche 911 RSR

Test Drives

Porsche 911 RSR
FIA World Endurance Championship, Sports Car World Endurance Championship WEC, Tests at the Nürburgring/Germany - GT, Test Drives
Porsche Team Manthey tests for WEC premiere on home turf

In preparation for the first outing of the Sports Car World Endurance Championship WEC on the Nürburgring, several teams conducted tests on the storied race track in Germany’s Eifel region. One of these squads was the Porsche Team Manthey which is based in Meuspath just a stone’s throw from the Nürburgring. With the Porsche works drivers Michael Christensen (Denmark) and Richard Lietz (Austria), the outfit made the most of the opportunity on Monday and Tuesday to setup the Porsche 911 RSR for their home race on 30 August. The German team tested the cars with the starting numbers 91 and 92 that are campaigned in the GTE-Pro class of the WEC.

For the 470 hp 911 RSR, which is based on the seventh generation of the iconic 911 sports car and characterised by lightweight design and sophisticated aerodynamics, the testing began on Monday in typical Eifel weather conditions with rain and sunshine. Although Tuesday stayed overcast, the challenging Grand Prix circuit remained dry. The team was able to complete its comprehensive testing as scheduled.

Also taking part in the Nürburgring tests were the Porsche customer squads Dempsey Proton Racing with drivers Patrick Dempsey (USA) and Marco Seefried (Austria) as well as Abu Dhabi Proton Racing with the former Porsche Junior Klaus Bachler (Austria), Christian Ried (Germany) and Khaled Al Qubaisi (Abu Dhabi). Both teams field the Porsche 911 RSR in the GTE-Am class of the WEC.

Comments after the tests
Olaf Manthey, team principal Porsche Team Manthey: “We already conducted some tests one day last week at the Nürburgring and we were able to work on all the points on our list. So the fact that the weather didn’t quite cooperate for us yesterday was not so dramatic. We made the most of the changeable weather conditions, for instance, by checking to see how long we could stay out on the track on slicks in the rain and how long our wet tyres could hold out on a dry track. Moreover, we tested different setups and components. The conditions on Tuesday were better. We tried to pack in as much as possible and this too went very well. It was important that we could test with both cars. All in all it was a very good and productive test session on our home track. Now we’re looking forward to the premiere of the WEC in the Eifel.”
Michael Christensen (911 RSR #92): “It wasn’t easy on Monday due to the changeable weather. But we’re here on the Nürburgring and you have to expect everything when it comes to the weather. But I think we made the most out of it. On Tuesday we trialled a lot of things that we hope will improve our performance. I like the circuit. I won my first Supercup race here in 2013 as a Porsche Junior. We’re definitely well prepared for the race.”
Richard Lietz (911 RSR #91): “These tests were important. It’s not so often that you can go testing so extensively on the very track that you’ll be racing on afterwards. We were a bit unlucky with the weather on Monday, but we made a lot of progress on Tuesday. The team did a great job. We were able to sort out various things and now we’re looking forward to our home race. We want to do well there, of course.”



All reports on the previous season can be found in our archive.