There will be few who would argue that the decade of the 1960s was one of the most innovative and exciting periods in modern motor racing. It was a time that was both brutal and evocative at the same time, as the top sports car manufacturers wheeled out their finest designs and most powerful creations with regular monotony. In fact, you could argue that we were spoilt for … [Read more...]
Brian Redman – Daring Drivers, Deadly Tracks
Brian Redman is about as down-to-earth as they come, which for a top-flite racing driver, is not an attribute common to all who ply their trade in this field. I have had the pleasure of interviewing Brian on twelve occasions in the last decade, and he has never been anything other than willing, cooperative and a true gentleman. In one of our early conversations, Brian … [Read more...]
961 – Porsche’s forgotten jewel
The Porsche 961 was a special racing car. Based on the roadgoing technical showcase, the Porsche 959, the Type 961 showed that it had the stamina to go the distance in endurance racing on both sides of the Atlantic. Sadly though, its competition life was restricted to just twelve months, and as such, it is often regarded as Porsche’s forgotten jewel. Even though the Type 961 … [Read more...]
Powered by Porsche – The Alternative Race Cars
With a company like Porsche developing powerful and efficient race engines, it was inevitable that other body and chassis builders would plant a Porsche engine into one of their own creations. With so many builders doing this, it was therefore inevitable too, that an author would sooner or later pick up on this and produce a book about this side of Porsche’s history. With … [Read more...]
Mike de ‘Udy and the Carrera Six
The Carrera Six, as Porsche officially called the 906, was a radically different car from its predecessor, the 904 GTS. The 904 was a sleek glass fibre bodied racer penned by Butzi Porsche, and it took over as Porsche’s competition model following such illustrious forebears as the RS 718 and RS 61 which brought the Stuttgart manufacturer so many victories in the early sixties. … [Read more...]
Winning the World Endurance Championship 1981
The Flying Tigers strike again! Being the best on the planet in something, even for just a short while, has got to be a great feeling. The sense of accomplishment is high. But whatever it is, it’s not going to be easy. There are a lot of other people you are going to have to beat to get it done, especially if it is the World Endurance Championship. In sports car racing … [Read more...]
Video: Porsche Rennsport Reunion III
The Old Warhorse
This is a story of the incredible career of Porsche 935 009 00030, one of the most amazing race cars ever, or as someone once said, the car of a thousand faces. Also known as the ‘Old Warhorse’, Porsche 935 009 00030 is one of the most storied cars ever to race. It has a long and distinguished history, racing in IMSA and World Championship events from 1979-1987. It has won some … [Read more...]
Rolf Stommelen – a driver for all circumstances
Rolf Stommelen was one of Germany’s leading racing drivers for over a decade and if as the title (above) of his biography implies, he could drive anything anywhere, this was largely true. Although his Formula 1 career with mediocre teams was patchy, in production cars he was reliably top class. But it was with Porsches that Stommelen was at his best, from amateur wins in his … [Read more...]
Early 1980 IMSA GT Championship
By the time that we reached the IMSA Riverside Los Angeles Times Grand Prix in April, the Dick Barbour Racing team’s IMSA GT championship season had been a mixed one. 24 Hour Pepsi Challenge – Daytona (2/3 February) We had started at the Daytona 24 Hours with a new Porsche Kremer K3 935, chassis #000 00009, a Kremer-built K3 from a factory chassis. That car had crashed at … [Read more...]
