Friday 28th July 2006

Porsche completes motorsport centre

For building and testing racecars

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It's taken a year, but Porsche's new motorsport centre at Weissach is finished, and it's double the size of the old one.

Porsche reckons it's created "a crucial prerequisite in ensuring the continued competitiveness of its vehicles in racing", which augurs well for its continuing investment in  motorsport.

Porsche Motorsports is made up of four buildings, connected via a light and transparent arched-roof construction. The facilities include workshops, race vehicle production, logistics centre and a terminal for trucks. A three-story office block for the administration and development departments as well as a car-park complete the new motorsport complex, in which a staff of 210 will work.

The motorsport complex comprises a useable floor space of 10,550 sq.m, double the size of the former racing department. Already in the design of the access road the new centre gives a clear indication of its purpose: corners have cambered kerbs like those on race tracks, as well as stacks of tyres and brand advertising to lend a motorsport atmosphere.

The workshop facilities house separate areas for the servicing of Cup and customer race cars, for the successful RS Spyder sportscar prototype, the 911 GT3 RSR as well as for development projects. The composite workshop, the pre-assembly area, the hydraulics room and other special facilities are directly connected. The first floor is home to the engine and transmission departments which have their own area for standard measurements and testing.

In the manufacturing area, specialists build limited numbers of racing sportscars and prototypes. Around 20,000 different parts are stored in the logistics site. Here the dovetailing of standard and motorsport production is clearly reflected. Spare parts, for example, for the new road-going 911 GT3 and the 911 GT3 RS vehicles are supplied from Weissach. At the terminal up to seven articulated lorries can dock at the same time where they are then loaded and equipped with parts for delivery to the race tracks.

Head of motorsport, Hartmut Kristen: “The further increase in productivity, the highest possible flexibility and the optimisation of all processes determined the design and layout of the new buildings. In the last years the makes cups have grown enormously – in 2006 the series are contested in 18 countries on four continents. We manufacture up to 250 race cars per year here for the Cups as well as Gran Turismo and prototype racing. Now we enjoy an excellent situation and can continue to grow.”

[scotty_917]

Hopefully this will lead to a 'works' LMP1 outright win at Le Mans....about time too....all those Cayennes and the Panamera development have been taking up too much 'proper' motorsport cash!

[carreraplanes]

Agreed. With this level of infrastructure and investment a return to the upper echelon of sportscar racing must be getting closer.

[andy zarse]

They've been trading on their Le Mans reputation for the last ten years, since the GT won it in 98. And they did nothing of note for the ten years before that when Dinger won in the Rothmans 962 in 87. The other winners in between weren't works cars, the one in 96/97 was a TWR Jag! And do not mention Dauer in 94! ...cheat! ahem...

It is time that the current management added something for their generation to the great Porsche heritage. Or they will go down in history as money men who put the Cayenne before their own integrity.