At the 1,000 kilometre race at the international Le Mans cup in Zhuhai China, the Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid has impressed every one with its performance and efficiency. The innovative sports car from Weissach, piloted by Porsche works drivers Joerg Bergmeister (Germany) and Patrick Long (USA), was by far the fastest GT vehicle in the field at its eagerly awaited premiere in Asia.
On the 4.319 kilometre Zhuhai International Circuit, the 911 GT3 R Hybrid, which started in the special GTH class, was not only the fastest but also the most economical GT vehicle. Thanks to its Flywheel based KERS systems, it made one less pit stop and completed three more laps than the next GT opponent.
“The first race in China with the 911 GT3 R Hybrid was a complete success,” says Hartmut Kristen, Porsche Head of Motorsport. “The car contested the entire race without the slightest technical problem. The excellent pit stops by our factory squad from Weissach and an absolutely perfect performance from the drivers also contributed to this success.
"The development work on the hybrid system that we conducted since the last race in Road Atlanta has paid off. Today, we showed impressively just what potential the hybrid technology has. This result is a great motivation for continuing our work on the project. This was definitely not the last race for the 911 GT3 R Hybrid.”
“Our car ran perfectly from the first to the last lap,” said Joerg Bergmeister. “That was another super test of the hybrid system under race conditions – and the most successful conclusion I could think of.” Patrick Long, his teammate with whom he won the GT title of the American Le Mans Series for the second time straight this season, said: “The performance of the Porsche factory mechanics was world class. We had the most efficient and at the same time fastest GT car. Now, that’s what I call Porsche Intelligent Performance.”
