I first came to this race in 1971, so this would be my 50th year at the Daytona 24 hours. It is an interesting exercise to look back at what has changed over the years. The circuit The track has changed quite a bit since I first attended. Back in 1971 it was 3.81 miles in length and the track had NO chicane, now it is 3.56 miles long with a chicane on the backstretch. The … [Read more...]
Whittington’s #009 0004 rises from the ashes
The phone rang, it was my old friend Carlos de Quesada. “I’ve just bought a 935 to restore,” he told me. “Great,” I replied, “which one?” “#009 0004,” announced Carlos. Chassis #009 0004? I had been researching and writing about 935s for twenty years, often in close touch with the factory archivist, but I had never heard this number before. “Where did you find it?” I asked. … [Read more...]
Ferrari 333 SP
I first caught sight of the Ferrari 333 SP at Kyalami in Johannesburg, South Africa, in December 1998. It was hot, as Johannesburg is at that time of the year, but the track action was even hotter with no less than four Ferrari 333 SPs in action. It was the final round of the ’98 International Sports Racing Series (ISRS), and the media briefing room was packed, as the local … [Read more...]
Kremer’s Uber 935 – the ultra-rare K4
In the mid-1970s, Porsche developed the 911 for racing, and in the process, it created the all-conquering 935. In 1978, Norbert Singer was responsible for building the ultimate factory 935, the Moby Dick 935/78, and although this race car had a very short active racing life, it has gone down in history as one of the most iconic 935s of all time. Despite winning only one race, … [Read more...]
Daytona 24 Hour Race 2020
This year was the 58th Running of the Daytona 24. It started in 1962 at just three hours in length, expanded to 2000 km, then 24 hours in 1966. The 1972 race was shortened to six hours, and the 1974 race was cancelled due to the fuel crisis in the Middle East. Since 1975, it has continued as a 24-hour event, under the auspices of IMSA sanction (although for a time it was under … [Read more...]
Pulling the Rabbit out of the hat – 1980 IMSA Portland
By the time the Dick Barbour Racing team arrived in Portland for the Rose Cup IMSA race in August of 1980, we were in good spirits. The week before at the Sears Point IMSA event, the team had finished 1-2 with two 935s driven by John Fitzpatrick and Bobby Rahal. The Portland race was of the 100-mile sprint variety, just as it had been the prior week at Sears Point in … [Read more...]
2019 Petit Le Mans – Did IMSA leave the best for last?
IMSA of course has several Marquee events, including the Daytona 24-hour, Sebring 12-hour, Watkins Glen 6-hour, and the Petit Le Mans. The Petit Le Mans is a hold-over from the ALMS series of Don Panoz in years gone by, and in the years since the merger (Grand-Am series and ALMS), is the last race on the schedule at the end of the season. It is always run over a 10-hour … [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...]
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...]
2019 Porsche 911 RSR with 4.2-litre engine
What better way to introduce a new race car model, than to do so as the 2018/2019 Super Season World Champions? This weekend, at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, Porsche launched the 2019 Porsche 911 RSR with 4.2-litre engine, the largest engine to power a 911 ever. With this car, Porsche will defend the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) title in 2019/2020, it will contest … [Read more...]
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