The development of the new 2011 Porsche 911 GT3 Grand-Am Rolex Cup car, available for the first time since 2009, has been a unique collaboration between Porsche engineers at the factory in Germany and the technical experts at Porsche Motorsport North America.
The objective was to create a competitive new car that provides longevity, versatility and a degree of flexibility for the customers planning to compete in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16. This car has some significant improvements compared to its predecessor, the 2009 Grand-Am Rolex Cup car, such as fully adjustable suspension to optimize handling and tire wear. The brake system was upgraded and includes an endurance brake cooling package for long-distance races. Furthermore, the exhaust system received a substantial weight reduction.
For the first time since inception of the Rolex Cup car in 2007, the actual conversion of these Cup cars to Grand-Am Rolex Series specifications was done by PMNA's technicians in Santa Ana, Calif.
The following teams have purchased the six cars that were shipped to California for the Rolex Series conversion: TRG, TRG/Steven Bertheau, TRG/Black Swan Racing, Brumos Racing, Magnus Racing, and Muehlner Motorsport. They took delivery of their vehicles approximately one week before this week's Grand-Am open test at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Wednesday and Thursday.
"During this entire year Porsche has made an extra effort to come up with a top-of-the-line version of a Rolex Cup car at a competitive price," said Jens Walther, president of PMNA. “We thoroughly listened to the requests and concerns expressed by our teams in order to help them get back into the Grand-Am Rolex Series with a terrific new product. Despite some of the challenges that had to be overcome during the development phase, we were able to produce a fascinating racecar.”
The Porsche 911 is the most accomplished racecar in the history of the Rolex 24, with 38 combined class and overall victories. Porsche has scored 22 overall wins at the endurance classic since its inception in 1962. Since the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup has been the Porsche standard bearer in GT (2005), it is the most successful GT car, leading the Grand-Am competitors in championships, victories, pole positions and podium finishes.
source: racer
