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The Porsche team tackles the Ennstal Classic
Historic motorsport up close
Stuttgart
. History and tradition also signify passion and commitment at Porsche. And in this regard, Porsche walks the talk. No less than twelve vehicles tackle the Ennstal Classic for the Porsche squad from 16 to 18 July. There, the Chairman of the Supervisory Board Dr Wolfgang Porsche and the double World Rally Champion Walter Röhrl face each other eye-to-eye and bring world-class reinforcement to the mountainous Styria region.
Taking on the challenge is actor and race car driver Patrick Dempsey. The American recently notched up the greatest achievement of his racing career scoring second place in the GTE-Am class at the Le Mans 24 Hours with his Dempsey Proton Racing squad. The seat next to him is reserved for Bernhard Maier, Member of the Board for Sales and Marketing at Porsche AG. Also joining the action is Richard Lietz, who signed on as a Porsche works driver in 2007 and has to date claimed three Le Mans class wins. Lietz teams up with co-driver Angelique Kerber for the three-day event. For many years, Germany’s current number one tennis player has been ranked in the world’s top ten and is a brand ambassador for Porsche. After competing successfully last year, Lutz Meschke, Board Member for Finance and IT at Porsche AG, is looking forward to returning to compete against over 200 participating teams.
The Porsche grid lineup is not only unique in terms of the drivers: the vehicles that will tackle this important car racing event are extraordinary classics that represented the benchmark of development and technology in their day. Several rarities are amongst the vehicles from the Porsche Museum. Dr Wolfgang Porsche takes the wheel of a 356 B Carrera 2 Cabriolet of which only 34 were built. The 550 Spyder that Patrick Dempsey and Bernhard Maier will navigate through the Alpine region secured a class victory at the Carrera Panamericana in the year 1954. Up until it tackles the Ennstal Classic, the vehicle is an integral part of the exhibition of the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen. Walter Röhrl contests the Racecar Trophy at the wheel of the “Grandmother”. In the past, the 718 W-RS Spyder competed in the Targa Florio four times, raced at the 1000 km on the Nürburgring three times and crossed the finish line at Le Mans twice.
This year marks the second time that Porsche AG is the main sponsor of the Ennstal Classic. In addition to the Porsche Museum, Porsche Driver’s Selection and Porsche Classic will also be present. In the Porsche Event truck, a range of clothing, lifestyle articles and model cars are available from the Porsche Driver’s Selection and the Museum shop. Porsche Classic – responsible for the care of all vehicles with production dates generally more than ten years old – will be on hand to share information about repairs and restoration of Porsche classic cars. Porsche Classic is also presenting the new radio navigation system for classic vehicles and a selection of the more than 52,000 items from its comprehensive range of genuine parts.
Porsche Drive, a very special brand experience, is present at the Ennstal Classic for the first time and offers fans the chance to become a driver of the iconic 911 sports car themselves. A special offer has been put together specifically for this event, comprising a 30-minute drive experience including individual instruction, a route suggestion and a souvenir photo. Rentals are available during the accreditation days on 14 and 15 July at the Porsche Drive Stand in the Motorpark. Porsche Drive will accompany certain legs of the rally with a mobile rental station until 18 July. Pre-reservations can be made via email: ennstal@porsche-drive.de or by telephone: +49-(0)711-911-27911.
GO
6/30/2015
Further information and pictures for journalists and media representatives can be found on the Porsche press database at http://presse.porsche.de/.