RSRs Debut at Sebring

Porsches ready to fight it out this weekend

Porsche race teams will try for their fifth straight GT class win and Porsche's 11th straight class win at Sebring this weekend at the 52nd Annual Mobil 12 Hours of Sebring, Saturday, March 20.

At the close of entries deadline, 46 cars have entered the event, including 21 in the GT class, with 15 of those cars being Porsches. The strongest Porsche teams from North America will battle Le Mans contenders from Europe and a selection of Ferraris, TVRs, and Morgans in the GT class in what should be the closest racing of the weekend.

Two of the top teams are from nearby Florida regions, including the three-time defending ALMS GT champions, Tavaras, Florida-based Alex Job Racing and the Stuart, Florida, team of BAM! Racing.

Alex Job Racing has been preparing Porsches for Sebring since the 1980s, and will debut two new Porsche 911 GT3 RSRs - both driven by Porsche factory drivers. One car will be piloted by Germans Jorg Bergmeister and Timo Bernhard, along with last year's ALMS co-champion Sascha Maassen, while the other is entered for 2003 Porsche Cup winner Marc Lieb, Frenchman Romain Dumas and ALMS co-champion Lucas Luhr.

Another team was to debut its own Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, but a crash during testing at Sebring last week totaled their new race car, and the team was forced to enter last year's Le Mans Porsche 911 GT3 RS, which finished second in the GT class at the French classic.

More than 200 Porsche 911 GT3 R/RS/RSR racecars have been sold so far worldwide, with almost half of those cars having raced in the U.S.

Based on the new Porsche 911 GT3 RS for sale in Europe, the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR features improvements to its predecessor in all key areas. The vehicle is available in an ACO (Automobile Club de l`Ouest) version for competing in Le Mans and in the American Le Mans Series as well as in a FIA specification.

The 911 GT3 RSR features a modified front, which improves down force at the front axle. Its 3.6-litre, six-cylinder boxer engine delivers 445 hp at 8,250 revs. maximum torque is now 405 Nm at 7,200 rpm, with top revs reached at 8,500 (for the FIA specification with two 30.8 mm air restrictors). New pistons and rods as well as a new valve gear result in a moderate power increase.

A six speed sequential gearbox with ignition cut ensures quick gearshifts at full throttle and offers reliable protection of the gearbox from gearshifting mistakes.

The suspension, with McPherson struts in the front and the Porsche multi-link axle at the rear, features new kinematics thanks to new wheel-uprights and modified mounting points. Further improved turning in and reduced tire wear are the most obvious results of these modifications. The double springs adjustable to four settings, the adjustable shock absorbers and anti-roll bars as well as unibal joints ensure a precise set-up to suit each circuit.

The brake system features four-piston aluminum calipers on all wheels with discs measuring 380 mm diameter in the front and 355 mm at the rear.

Weighing 1,100 kgs (FIA specification) or 1,115 kgs (ACO spec) the 911 GT3 RSR sits at the minimum weight limit. Porsche offers various kits for different competition purposes.

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