Porsche 911 GT3 R Racer Is Already a Big Success

Impressive Debut

It wasn't all that long ago that Porsche was pulling the covers off its latest race car - the 911 GT3 R for the 992 generation - but that particular machine has already completed its very first race, and it passed that particular test with flying colors. In fact, the new 911 GT3 R achieved third place at round seven of the Nürburgring Endurance Series, and it did so without suffering a single problem along the way.

Photos: Porsche

Not Yet Homologated

The new racer tackled round seven of the series in the SP-X class, which is reserved for vehicles that have not yet been homologated for motorsport. Frédéric Makowiecki turned the fastest lap on the 24.458-kilometer combination of the Nordschleife and the short version of the Grand Prix circuit in 7:58.942 minutes.

Photos: Porsche

Official Debut

The French works driver shared the Porsche with his fellow countryman Julien Andlauer. Tests are already planned for the last two NLS races of the year, on these occasions with racing tires from Falken and Pirelli rather than the Michelins that it ran in Germany. The new 911 GT3 R will make its official racing debut in the hands of customer teams at the 24 Hours of Daytona in mid-January. 

Photos: Porsche

Satisfying Result

"All in all, we experienced a very successful race premiere with our new Porsche. I'm proud of everyone who has worked on this project," said Project Manager Sebastian Golz. "Yesterday's test laps on the Nordschleife and today's race show that the basis of the vehicle is correct. Thanks to the great preparation and cooperation with the ADAC, we performed well and managed to get a positive picture with loads of data. After a very consistent performance, we finished in third place and secured a podium spot, even though new racing cars like our 911 GT3 R must wait 30 seconds longer per pit stop at test races."

Photos: Porsche

Big Shoes to Fill

"The new 911 GT3 R has big shoes to fill," said Michael Dreiser, Sales Director at Porsche Motorsport. "Its forerunner has won almost everything there is to win in the GT3 scene in four seasons since 2019. Its stand-out successes include overall victories at the 24-hour races at the Nürburgring and Spa-Francorchamps as well as at the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring. The new model will face a broad range of tasks in the hands of the Porsche customer racing teams."

Photos: Porsche

Follow Up

The new 911 GT3 R is the second racer based on the 992-gen model, following up the 911 GT3 Cup. Virtually its entire body is made from carbon fiber or some other sort of lightweight material, while it runs a mildly modified version of the road-going car's flat-six powerplant, albeit with more displacement, more power, and a sequential transmission backing it up.

Photos: Porsche

Bright Future

Ultimately, the Porsche team couldn't have hoped for a much better debut for its latest customer racing car, save for a win, of course. But there's much more work to be done here, and we don't doubt for a second that the 911 GT3 R is going to win its fair share of races, as is customary for any Porsche racing vehicle.

Photos: Porsche

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