I met the author, Serge Vanbockryck, a good number of years back at the Le Mans 24 Hours, and since then I have known him to be the quiet, hardworking PR manager for the Chev Corvette GT team in Europe. As a fellow-Porsche author, we had often shared with each other some of the interesting processes of researching and writing books on matters relating to the Stuttgart … [Read more...]
Nissan GTP & Group C Race Cars 1984-1993
Yes, I know, this is not a book about Porsches, but it does cover one of the 962’s greatest rivals in IMSA and the Group C championships. Over the next few months, we will be bringing you a series of book reviews about some of Porsche’s biggest competitors in these two international racing championships, as these other marques slowly but surely challenged the mighty 962 for … [Read more...]
John Fitzpatrick Group C Porsches – The Definitive History
There seem to be a number of books entering the market right now on Porsche’s motor racing history. This is not a bad thing, because there is so much to explore about these fantastic and iconic race cars. The challenge, though, is to find an angle that hasn’t been covered yet. Author Mark Cole, together with ex-racer and team manager John Fitzpatrick, have done just that. In … [Read more...]
Porsche 956/962 engines – Group C vs IMSA
In the early 1980’s there was a divergence in the rules for sports car racing world-wide. IMSA (International Motor Sports Association) in the USA proceeded with the GTP concept. The GTP (Grand Touring Prototype) was a prototype car using street car based engines. By 1982, the FIA was moving to a fuel based formula for sports cars. Porsche knew the 935 was no longer competitive … [Read more...]
Porsche – The Golden Years
It is always a pleasure when a top-quality book lands on my desk, so when Porsche – The Golden Years arrived at the Porsche Road & Race offices, I was especially pleased. We had the pleasure of reviewing Ferrari – The Golden Years on our sister website, Virtual Motorpix, back in 20 October 2017 and so we expected nothing but the best from this top author. We weren’t … [Read more...]
Porsche 956/962 remembered
The decline of Group 6 and the growth of Group C saw the emergence of what is today widely regarded as the most entertaining and successful era in modern motorsport. Group C ran from 1982 to 1992, a decade that saw some of the most innovative and exciting engineering solutions to race car development imaginable. In this feature, Porsche 956/962 remembered, we look at some of … [Read more...]
Why was 1983 a good year in Group C?
The 1983 Group C World Endurance Championship was arguably one of the most exciting and competitive racing seasons in years. So, why was 1983 a good year in Group C? Well, this was the first year in which Porsche released the new 956 race car to its approved customer teams, and this resulted in increased competition, and packed grids. All good stuff for both the spectator and … [Read more...]
Le Mans: The Official History 1980–89
This edition, spanning 1980-1989, covers one of the most exciting post war periods in motorsport. The 1960s and 1970s were of course both decades that were every bit as exciting, but the 1980s perhaps represents the final decade of these three in which innovation ruled. Of course, this is my personal opinion, and it will no doubt be different for every reader. Le Mans: The … [Read more...]
