www.porscheroadandrace.com The story of two Felbermayr 911 GT3 RSRs Published: 1st December 2017 By: Glen Smale Online version: https://www.porscheroadandrace.com/the-story-of-two-felbermayr-911-gt3-rsrs/ Donington Park Circuit, 11 April 2017: Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (chassis #WP0ZZZ99Z9S799918) is off-loaded It was a clear day in April, typical of those late winter/early spring days when the weather was trying to impress by showing signs of warmth, but not really succeeding. My assignment that day at Donington Park, was to attend the delivery, off-loading and testing of two well-used, and successful GT race cars. The subjects of my attention that day were the 2007 model Porsche 911 RSR (997.1) and the 2009 model Porsche 911 RSR (997.2), both cars sponsored by the Felbermayr company in period, and familiar to many. www.porscheroadandrace.com Donington Park Circuit, 11 April 2017: Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (chassis #WP0ZZZ99Z7S799937) waits in the pit lane Technical brief (chassis #799937) The Type 997 GT3 RSR was originally introduced in GTE spec in 2007, replacing the 3.6- litre 996 GT3 RSR. The 3.8-litre engine of the new 2007 model GT3 RSR was based on the power unit fitted to the roadgoing GT3 RS, but was specially modified for motorsport use, and confusingly, the GT3 RSR ran in the GT2 class in period. The new 997 GT3 RSR was aerodynamically more efficient than its predecessor, and as a result, wider wheels were required to handle the greater performance potential. A much improved 6-speed sequential gearbox was installed. www.porscheroadandrace.com Technical brief (chassis #799918) Le Mans 24 Hours, 12 June 2010: The #88 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (chassis #WP0ZZZ99Z9S799918) driven by Horst Felbermayr Jr. & Sr. and Miroslav Konopka on the starting grid before the race One distinguishing feature of the new 2009 model GT3 RSR was the redesigned front with large air outlets or louvers, on the front hood. The redesigned air ducting of the radiators was necessary due to the new design of supply and discharge air for the installation of an optional air-conditioning unit. The vents in the hood were for the air-conditioning radiator outlet. This was the first time that Porsche had run air-conditioning in a race car. The rear of the cabin behind the driver was blanked and sealed off with a transparent panel, which effectively reduced the cabin size, allowing a smaller, more efficient air-con system. They also put an insulating coating on the shell in the engine bay and gearbox area to reduce heat transfer. The cabin air temperature probe is located right next to the driver’s head, mounted on the safety cage. www.porscheroadandrace.com Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (chassis #WP0ZZZ99Z9S799918) showing scrutineering stickers on its roll cage. The transparent dividing panel behind the front and rear of the cabin can be seen here The capacity of the familiar six-cylinder boxer engine was increased from 3.8- to 4.0-litres, but after another reduction in the size of the air restrictors for the 2009 season, the engine now delivered around 450bhp (331kW) at 7800rpm. In the cockpit, a new multi-function display located above the dashboard indicated the optimum moment to change gears. Another new feature was the programmable multi-function, on-board supply system control device, giving teams the choice of many individual functions. The position of the rear wing and the shape of the wing mountings also underwent optimisation and were adapted to the www.porscheroadandrace.com new rear fairing with additional air outlet louvers. The rear lid was also redesigned for optimised air ducting. Donington delivery Donington Park Circuit, 11 April 2017: #77 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (chassis #WP0ZZZ99Z7S7999370 in the pit garage www.porscheroadandrace.com Donington Park Circuit, 11 April 2017: #77 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (chassis #WP0ZZZ99Z7S7999370 being put through its paces At first glance, the two cars look very similar, but there are indeed important differences which are more easily discernible when the two cars are viewed together. The earlier car, WP0ZZZ99Z7S799937, is a 2007 model 911 RSR (Type 997.1), and was run in Felbermayr colours throughout that season, with an additional race in 2008 and one in 2010. The later car, WP0ZZZ99Z9S799918, is a 2009 model 911 RSR (Type 997.2), and was also run in Felbermayr colours throughout the 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013 ELMS seasons, with its last major race being the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2014. Its career then comprises four full seasons which included the Le Mans 24 Hours each year, plus the 2014 entry, making it a five-time Le Mans entry – quite an astonishing record of achievements. www.porscheroadandrace.com Donington Park Circuit, 11 April 2017: Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (chassis #WP0ZZZ99Z9S799918) prepares to leave the pits for another shake down lap When the cars were delivered to Donington earlier this year, it offered an opportunity to get up close and personal with two race cars that were quite familiar to me as I had photographed them both frequently as from 2007 and 2009 respectively. The two owners were understandably thrilled to take delivery of the cars, beaming as they did, from ear to ear. The schedule that day was to prep them for the track, and to take them out and give them a bit of a shake down and for the owners to get to know the cars. This offered me an additional opportunity to photograph them on track. At this stage though, early in the morning, neither car was numbered which made things slightly tricky when trying to identify them on track. The easiest way to tell them apart I found, was that the earlier car had white mirrors while the later car had black mirrors on stalks. www.porscheroadandrace.com Racing history Chassis #799937 First a bit of history. The earlier of the two cars, chassis #799937, made its debut in the first round of the 2007 European Le Mans Series (ELMS), the 1000km of Monza on 15 April that year. Driven by Xavier Pompidou/Marc Lieb, the #77 car finished 21st overall and eighth in class. The second round of the ELMS, the 1000km of Valencia on 6 May, saw the same pairing notch up the car’s first class win, finishing 18th overall. Donington Park Circuit, 11 April 2017: Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (chassis #WP0ZZZ99Z7S799937) steering wheel and dashboard June of course was the month for the Le Mans 24 Hour, and for this race the trio of drivers included Horst Felbermayr Sr. & Jr. and Philip Collin. “We were all gentlemen drivers,” www.porscheroadandrace.com Horst Felbermayr Jr. revealed to the author. But why Porsches I asked, “The history is in our family, because my father has loved Porsches ever since he was a young man. He raced Porsche in the 1970s in Austria, but then he gave up racing and only started again when I was 25 years of age,” he added. Le Mans 24 Hours, 16 June 2007: The #71 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (chassis #WP0ZZZ99Z7S799937) driven by Horst Felbermayr Sr. & Jr. and Philip Collin exits the Esses and heads for Tertre Rouge Felbermayr, the Austrian-based heavy-duty transport company owned and run by the father and son team of Horst Felbermayr senior and junior, would sponsor the car for the whole season. Wearing the familiar two-tone blue livery, the Austrian company’s colours, the #71 Porsche 911 RSR looked purposeful as it took to the starting grid for the 75th running of this www.porscheroadandrace.com legendary French endurance race on 16/17 June 2007. In fact, the Felbermayr father and son team would compete together four times in the Le Mans 24 Hours: 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011. Le Mans 24 Hours, 16 June 2007: The #71 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (chassis #WP0ZZZ99Z7S799937) driven by Horst Felbermayr Sr. & Jr. and Philip Collin in the pits during the early part of the race Running the team at Le Mans in 2007 was Peter Seikel, an experienced racing driver and team manager. Having established his team Seikel Motorsport in 1968, Peter Seikel ran race teams in the German national series, moving to international events with Audi, BMW, Ford and Toyota, before settling with Porsche cars as from 1994. This was the first time that Seikel had run a Porsche team, but a fruitful relationship with the Stuttgart manufacturer developed that ran until his final Le Mans in 2007, a race that signalled Peter Seikel’s www.porscheroadandrace.com retirement and the closure of the team. Unfortunately for the team and the drivers of the #71 Porsche, the car was forced to retire after just 68 laps, marking a disappointing end to a memorable Le Mans presence for Seikel Motorsport. Le Mans 24 Hours, 16 June 2007: It is the moment of truth for the #71 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (chassis #WP0ZZZ99Z7S799937) driven by Horst Felbermayr Sr. & Jr. and Philip Collin, as the car is examined in the pit garage. The car did not emerge again Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (chassis #799937) competed in all the remaining ELMS races in 2007, scoring two further class victories (Spa in August, and Interlagos in November) with a second-place finish at the Nürburgring in July. Apart from the Le Mans 24 Hours, the Xavier Pompidou/Marc Lieb pairing drove in all the ELMS races apart from the final Interlagos race, where they were joined by the German driver, Marc Basseng. This admirable record of achievements saw chassis #799937 finishing the 2007 season as runner-up in the ELMS www.porscheroadandrace.com that year.