Porsche GT3R overcomes rain and fog at the Nurburgring

[VIA PORSCHE] Stuttgart. Right place, right time – for Porsche works driver Joerg Bergmeister (Germany), the timing at the first qualifying session of the 24 hour race was perfect. At the wheel of the Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid, he opted for slicks at the right moment before heavier rain set in again. With a lap time of 9:26.421 minutes on the 25.378 kilometre combination of the Grand Prix circuit and the Nordschleife, Bergmeister planted Porsche Team Manthey’s orange and white liveried 911, with its 480 hp combustion engine supplemented by two 60 kilowatt electric motors, on second place. The German teams up with works driver Richard Lietz (Austria), Porsche junior Marco Holzer (Germany), and the former Porsche junior driver Martin Ragginger (Austria).

Because of thick fog, the first qualifying session was halted at 22.20 hours after three of the scheduled four hours. Tomorrow, the second and final two-hour qualifying session takes place at 12.45 hours, before the 38th edition of the Eifel classic takes off on Saturday at 15.00 hours. The Porsche teams were well prepared. Under cold and changeable weather conditions, they completed the first qualifying without any problems and safely covered the minimum amount of laps as required by the regulations.

Third position went to Team Mamerow Racing. Former Porsche junior Chris Mamerow (Germany) achieved the third quickest time of the field in the 911 GT3 R. Mamerow competes alongside Porsche works driver Wolf Henzler and his German compatriot Joerg Hardt.

For the title defenders from Manthey Racing, Porsche works driver Marc Lieb (Germany) claimed the quickest time with sixth. After winning three times in succession, the driver quartet returns this year to compete under team boss Olaf Manthey. Sharing driving duties are works drivers Timo Bernhard (Germany) and Romain Dumas (France) as well as experienced Manthey pilot Marcel Tiemann (Monaco).

The 911 GT3 R run by Haribo Team Manthey secured 16th position in qualifying. At the wheel of the 911 sporting the Haribo gold bear design is a racing pro line-up consisting of Lance David Arnold (Germany), Christian Menzel (Germany), Richard Westbrook (Great Britain) and Alexander Margaritis (Germany).

Porsche to Completely Switch to HyBrid Power for 2012 Model Year

Stuttgart -In a surprise move designed to allow Porsche to better compete with Tesla, Fisker and the Chevy Volt, the Chairman of Volkswagen AG, Mr. Ferdinand Piech, has announced that Porsche will be switching to Hybrid Power as the standard for their 2012 model line-up. The system will be known as Hybrid Porsche Control Rennsport Central Integration (HyPoCRaCI)

In his press release Mr. Piech states "In order to better suit the evolving needs of Porsche Owners, and to provide benefit to the Environment, Porsche feels that the move to HyPoCraCI is an important first step is making up for all of the oil that our cars have spilled at race tracks around the world." When questioned about the impact that Porsche's New System will have on the environment Mr Piech responded, "...Sure we know that most Porsche owners never take their cars out the garage, so we know that the impact will be minimal, but just think how emissions will be reduced at the Starbucks drive through line." he added, "I see a future where barristas accross america breath fresh clean air."

Happy April Fools Day

Porsche Intelligent Performance - 911 GT3 R Hybrid

(via Edmunds) The GT3 R Hybrid will be used as what the Porsche engineers describe as a "racing laboratory" to gather knowledge about hybrid drive under the pressure of a racing environment. At the same time it will also advance the German carmaker's plans to introduce hybrid technology to selected road cars in its lineup. Indeed, a gasoline-electric hybrid was recently spied testing at the Porsche R&D facility at Weissach, near the company's headquarters in Stuttgart, apparently part of a program dubbed "Porsche Intelligent Performance."

In a departure from conventional battery-based electric systems used for hybrid drive by makers of both street cars and even racing cars, the Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid features a flywheel system. It gathers kinetic energy under braking to power two electric motors that are mounted in a single assembly connected to the front wheels. After each charge, the motors provide 6-8-second bursts of power.

The flywheel will spin as fast as 40,000 rpm. In the 911 GT3 R Hybrid, it's mounted where the passenger seat ordinarily would be and connected to the electric assembly in the front by a high-voltage cable. Two electronic management modules oversee the complete hybrid system, and the electric motors are engaged by pressing a button mounted on the steering wheel.

The electric motors provide a burst of 120 kilowatts (161 horsepower) to the front wheels, supplementing the 911 GT3 R Hybrid's 480-hp 4.0-liter flat-6 that powers the rear wheels. The benefit, according to Porsche, is quicker acceleration out of corners and during overtaking, and there are apparently unspecified fuel savings as well.

No official performance claims for the Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid have been made prior to its unveiling in Geneva, but Porsche has confirmed the new car will appear at the Nürburgring 24 Hours on May 15. Meanwhile, Porsche's new purpose-built racing car with hybrid technology is expected to be prepared for the 2012 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, when the race's regulations will favor hybrid racing cars.