The power increase of the rear-mounted, 4-litre flat six engine was achieved through optimisation of the intake system. The gearing of the sequential six-speed dog-type gearbox was adapted to the increased power. In order to improve traction, the 911 GT3 R has featured a sophisticated ex-works traction control system since the 2010 model year.

If you’re confused about the hierarchy of Porsche’s customer racing vehicles, the 911 GT3 R represents the ‘mid-range’ model. The 911 GT3 Cup, as used in the many Porsche Carrera Cup series around the world is the ‘entry level model. Then ranking above the 911 GT3 R is the 911 GT3 RSR, built for GT2 racing, which competes in series like the American Le Mans Series, the Le Mans Series and at the Le Mans 24 hour race.

The new Porsche 911 GT3 R will be delivered to teams from November 2011 and will cost 304,500 Euro plus the value added tax of respective countries. The Porsche 911 GT3 R from the 2010 and 2011 model years can be upgraded to the 2012-spec and an upgrade kit is available from Porsche Motorsport for 43,100 Euro.

With the 918 Spyder plug-in hybrid concept receiving universal praise for its stunning looks and impressive claimed figures and the 911 GT3 R Hybrid (using two electric motors powered by a flywheel) race car already a respected competitor, Porsche already has a record of trying and succeeding in new hybrid power fields.  Their next step is to go down the route of electric powered cars, starting with their Boxster.

Porsche tell us they will begin testing in early 2011 three electric Boxtsters to “provide an important preliminary insight to new electric drive components and battery systems for all-electric vehicle drive. This field test is intended to also provide further findings on the infrastructure required for electro-mobility, user behaviour and the demands made of future products.”

Michael Macht, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Porsche AG, sees this contribution made by Porsche as absolutely essential. “We will definitely be offering an electric sports car in future. But such a concept only makes sense if it offers performance and a cruising range comparable to that of a sports car today.”

Would you buy an electric Porsche?

In front of 220,000 fans, the #1 Manthey Porsche stormed from 7^th on the grid up to 1^st on the opening lap, a position it held for the first few hours before crashing early in the night.

Porsche's 911 GT3 R Hybrid came tantalisingly close to an incredible debut win

Porsche’s charge continued though, with the GT3 R Hybrid incredibly taking the lead up until the 22^nd hour before heartache when the car featuring a 160hp flywheel based boost button broke down to the agony of the Stuttgart marque.

This promoted the #25 BMW into the top spot ahead of the impressive #43 Ferrari F430 GTC (Farnbacher, Simonsen, Lehman and Seefried) and #97 Audi R8 LMS (Rostek, Ludwig, Bronzel and Winkelhock).  Audi’s #2 car ran at the sharp end before also succumbing to mechanical failure, with their all-star DTM #99 car also retiring early on.

SkiddMark passes our congratulations on to the BMW team, its drivers in the #25 car Uwe Alzen (DE), Jörg Müller (DE), Augusto Farfus (BR) and Pedro Lamy (PT) plus everyone else who managed to finish the race.

Final top 10 (# / Car / Laps completed):

1     25     BMW M3 GT2     154

2     43     Ferrari F 430 GTC     153

3     97     Audi R8 LMS     152

4     76     BMW Z4 GT3     152

5     102     Audi R8 LMS     152

6     20     Porsche GT3 Cup S     150

7     26     BMW M3 GT2     150

8     18     Porsche GT3 Cup S     150

9     69     BMW Z4 GT3     149

10     35     Porsche 997 GT3 Cup     147

Hülkenberg was highly impressed by the Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid

The test was not a random collaboration and instead came about due to the flywheel generator inside the cockpit of the GT3 R Hybrid being both design and manufactured by Williams – a hybrid system likely to be a strong source of revenue for Williams in the future.

The bright liveried 911 GT3 R Hybrid features two 82hp electric motors based at the front axle in conjunction with the standard rear engine 480hp four-litre flat-six.  Porsche engaged Williams’ knowledge and engineering to fit a flywheel generator instead of the traditional batteries system used in hybrid road cars, chiefly because the flywheel generator is able to store and deliver higher amounts of energy more quickly.  It is this technology that Williams tried to implement in their 2009 F1 challenger but ultimately failed to do so, so it’s good to see their technology finally being applied on track.

Click to view highlights from Hülkenberg's Nordschleife test

The main role of the flywheel is to combine the engine and electric motors to achieve less fuel consumption without compromising performance, obviously an important weapon to have in your arsenal in endurance racing.  Drivers can engage the flywheel like F1 drivers did their KERS by pushing a boost button on their steering wheel that sends energy from the charged flywheel to the front axle to provide an extra 164hp for 6-8 seconds.  Having tested this system, Hülkenberg had this to say:

Great car, fascinating technology and an incomparable track.  This circuit is unique – you can’t compare it to any other track in the world. This is certainly not the last time I’ll drive here.  Surprisingly, in the slow corners, the 911 is not far off a Formula 1 car. The mechanical grip is impressive.

It’s great to see F1 drivers getting behind the wheel of sports cars and reminds us of the days of 60s and 70s.  Wouldn’t it be fantastic to see Fernando Alonso racing a 599 GTO vs. Lewis Hamilton in a SLS AMG GT3 alongside their F1 campaigns?

You can see video footage of Hülkenberg’s test by clicking here.

The Scirocco GT24-CNG coupé comprises a 2.0L TSI engine, kicking out 330PS and possesses a headline catching 80% reduction in CO2 emissions over a conventional petrol engine.  Last year Peter Terting navigated his Scirocco GT24-CNG to the top step of the podium in the alternative powertrains category and will no doubt be hoping for the same again this year.

Volkswagen will even have their engineers as part of the drivers, showing how much faith they have in their engineering to get behind the wheel for what will no doubt be a tough and punishing day of racing.  Dr Ulrich Hackenberg, Member of the Management Board for Technical Development and Prof Dr Stefan Gies, Head of Chassis Development will be found in car #3, with Vanina Ickx in car #2 bringing a famous racing surname to the party.

Having already posted a class record on the Nordschleife in the preparation races, confidence will no doubt be high within the Volkswagen camp for another successful weekend at the Green Hell.

Audi with its diesel Le Mans project has shown the marketing power a non-petrol powered campaign can have, so expect to see more in the press if Volkswagen’s gas powered or Porsche’s electric motors do the business on May 15-16^th.

The starting point in developing the GT3 R was the latest 3.8-litre Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, which will compete in the 2010 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup supporting selected Formula One races. However, the GT3 R – which weighs just 1,200 kg (2,646 lb) – has a larger 4.0-litre six-cylinder ‘boxer’ engine delivering 480 bhp and other technical developments designed to improve the performance of the car further still.

An anti-lock braking system, traction control and an electronic throttle with ‘blip’ function on gearbox down-changes make it much easier for drivers to get used to the GT3 R race car than the prior Cup S model, with the consequence that the new car is also an easier step up for the ambitious amateur racing driver rather than purely experienced professionals. The main focus with this new car was to deliver even better driveability and easier handling.

Flared wheel arches front and rear emphasise the purposeful, wide track of the GT3 R, and like all second generation versions of the 911, the new 911 GT3 R also comes with striking LED rear light clusters. For optimal aerodynamic performance, the underbody of the car is completely covered and features a rear diffuser and, compared to the prior Cup S model, the range of adjustment on the rear wing has been increased.

The highly-developed suspension can also be adjusted extensively; at the front are height-adjustable MacPherson struts with variable SACHS two-way shock absorbers and double coil springs (main and auxiliary). At the rear, the GT3 R features a rigidly mounted sub-frame with a height-adjustable multi-arm axle together with adjustable SACHS two-way shock absorbers and double coil springs.

“Since we announced our intention to launch the 911 GT3 R, demand has been huge,” said Uwe Brettel, Head of Motorsport Sales. “The number of GT3 R vehicles we had planned for 2010 is almost sold out.”

As the newest Porsche race car, the 911 GT3 R has an incredible provenance. In 2009, the ultimate racing Porsche 911 – the GT3 RSR – won the GT2 Drivers’ title in the FIA GT Championship, the GT2 title in the American Le Mans Series and also in the Le Mans Series of endurance races, and also triumphed in the gruelling 24 Hours of Nurburgring race.

Like the 911 GT3 Cup and 911 GT3 RSR, the Porsche 911 GT3 R is designed and built by the Porsche Motorsport Department at the company’s Weissach Development Centre. First deliveries to customer teams around the world begin in the spring, and the base price of the Porsche 911 GT3 R will be around £245,000 (279,000 Euros plus taxes).

The main focus in developing this new GT3 R model was in offering even better drivability and providing a chassis that handled with even greater stability – making it more appropriate for the ambitious amateur racing driver to exploit.

The starting point in developing the 911 GT3 R, weighing just 1,200 kg, was the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup presented back in September, but thanks to an increase in engine size by 0.2 litres the GT3 R offers 30 bhp more than the Cup model. Powered by a 4 litre six-cylinder boxer engine, maximum power of 480 bhp (353 kW) is transmitted to the rear axle by a sequential six-speed gearbox

An anti-lock brake system (ABS), traction control and an e-gas with “throttle-blip” function make it much easier to get used to this new GT3 racing car than its predecessor. The flared wheel arches at both the front and rear of the car bear clear testimony to a wider track, and like all Gen2 versions of the 911, the new 911 GT3 R also comes with striking LED rear light clusters (although thankfully minus the front day-time running lights).

The 911 GT3 R will be making its world debut on 14 January 2010 at the Birmingham Motor Show and will be ready for delivery from Spring 2010. Base price is 279,000 euros plus VAT and taxes, making it around 30,000 euros more than its predecessor.