One of the most important racing events of the year in Germany is the 24-hour race of Nürburgring, which will take place this weekend (25/26 June). Porsche will enter the endurance race with eight factory cars, most prominent of which is the updated version of the 911 GT3 R Hybrid that led the event for eight hours last year in its first outing.
For this year, the organizers have changed the rules, restricting the flat six’s output to 448 hp which is directed to the rear wheels. But the hybrid system that features two electric motors driving the front wheels adds another 200 hp.
The general configuration of the 2011 “Version 2.0” hybrid 911 remains unaltered, with a flywheel motor spinning up to 40,000 rpm and storing kinetic energy, which would otherwise be wasted into heat, during braking.
Porsche’s R&D department in Weissach worked on optimizing the hybrid components, increasing each electric motor’s output from 65 to 75 kilowatts. Apart from offering the driver the option of adding the equivalent of 200 hp for a few seconds at a time, this also resulted in reducing overall weight by 20%, enabling the 2011 car to be competitive while at the same time offering considerably lower fuel consumption.
At the helm of the 911 GT3 R Hybrid will be factory race drivers Jörg Bergmeister (Germany), Richard Lietz (Austria), Patrick Long (USA) and Marco Holzer (Germany), who were all involved in the car’s development.
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