Porsche GT3 R Hybrid set for Nürburgring 24

Porsches and the Nürburgring 24-Hour go hand in hand. But hybrid Porsche 911 GT3's are relatively new to the endurance racing classic, debuting in the epic event last year – where one lead the race for eight hours. The GT3 R Hybrid, with its two electric motors adding 200bhp to the flat six GT3 448bhp grunt, have been testing here in long endurance races in the VLN Championship, and netted a win in May. So, hopes are high for the eight Porsche factory drivers and a strong contingent of Porsche customer teams contesting the race. The hybrid's low fuel consumption helps reduce the number of fuel and pit stops, putting it in contention for a good result. But Porsche say: "for this year’s Nürburgring 24 hour race, the 911 GT3 R Hybrid has been substantially reined in by the organisers. After the latest re-classification, the combustion engine now produces only 448 hp. Calculated over one lap, the 2011 edition of the car now delivers a lower system output than last year’s vehicle with a combustion engine." Sharing the cockpit of the 911 GT3 R Hybrid at the Nürburgring are factory race drivers Jörg Bergmeister (Germany), Richard Lietz (Austria), Patrick Long (USA) and Marco Holzer (Germany), who were all deeply involved in the vehicle development. At first glance, the new GT3 R Hybrid is clearly distinguishable from the 2010 model. Thanks to the optimisation of the hybrid system’s high voltage components, the large louvres in front of the rear wheelarches were no longer necessary. This reduces aerodynamic drag and also lowers fuel consumption. All in all, the weight of the vehicle has decreased from 1,350 to 1,300 kilogrammes. The cockpit of the 911 GT3 R Hybrid has also been completely revised. Most of the displays and controls have moved to the steering wheel. Drivers can operate the rest of the functions via backlit buttons now situated on the centre console. Priority was placed on the ergonomics and the clear layout for drivers; always a priority but particularly significant when racing in darkness. Away from the hybrid, the Nürburgring 24-Hour specialist local team, Manthey Racing, fields two examples of the Porsche 911 – a GT3 R and a GT3 RSR – each sporting a prominent yellow-green design. Manning both vehicles is the winning Porsche factory driver quartet, Timo Bernhard (Germany), Romain Dumas (France), Marc Lieb (Germany) and Manthey driver Lucas Luhr (Switzerland). And another Porsche factory driver, Wolf Henzler (Germany), is competing for the Falken Motorsport team in a 911 GT3 R (see video below). His teammates are Martin Ragginger (Austria), Peter Dumbreck (GB) and Sebastian Asch (Germany). Also hoping for a top result is the Haribo Manthey Racing line-up of Richard Westbrook (GB), Christian Menzel (Germany), Mike Stursberg (Germany) and Hans Guido Riegel (Germany). And with its all-German crew of Georg Weiss, Oliver Kainz, Michael Jacobs and Jochen Krumbach, the Wochenspiegel Team Manthey has proven Nordschleife specialists at the wheel of its 911 GT3 RSR. Follow the Nürburgring 24 Hours race on Porsche Origin