Porsche Supercup Explained

Pixels:200px
Category:One-make production GT3 stock car racing by Porsche
Inaugural:1993
Drivers:24
Teams:13
Constructors:Porsche
Tyres:Michelin
Engines:Porsche
Country/Region:International
Champion Driver: Bastian Buus
Champion Team: BWT Lechner Racing
Current Season: Porsche Supercup
Website:porsche.com/international

The Porsche Supercup (officially known as Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, known as Porsche Michelin Supercup prior to 2007)[1] is an international one-make production stock car racing series supporting the FIA Formula One World Championship organized by Porsche Motorsport GmbH.

Porsche Supercup drivers compete in identical Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars. On average, 24 race cars take part in each race. Most circuits visited by the series are European, although circuits in Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, the United States and Mexico have been included in the calendar as well.

History

Since 1993 the Porsche Michelin Supercup has run as support to the FIA Formula One World Championship. The number of races has grown from the original nine to total 13 in 2006, although decreasing to 11 in 2017 and eight in 2020. Prior to 1993, the series was known as the Porsche Carrera Cup.

Regulations

Two sets of slick tyres may be used per car each weekend. The number of wet tyres is unlimited. The tyres are identical for all competitors and are not permitted to be pre-warmed or chemically treated.

In-race pit stops are not mandatory and no refueling is allowed during the race, but pit stops are allowed when necessary (e.g., in case of tyre puncture, body damage, changes in weather conditions, etc.).

Racing flags

These are the racing flags that usually used in every Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup race weekends:

FlagNamesMeaning
SC Board(Safety Car)Shown in conjunction with a yellow flag to indicate that the Safety Car is on track. Full course yellow flag applies. Drivers must hold position and slow down.
VSC Board(Virtual Safety Car)Shown in conjunction with a yellow flag to indicate that the virtual safety car is in use. During this time, the drivers are given maximum sector times that they must stay below. Full course double yellow flag applies.[2]
GreenNormal racing conditions apply. This is usually shown following a yellow flag to indicate that the hazard has been passed. A green flag is shown at all stations for the lap following the end of a full-course yellow (or safety car). A green flag is also shown at the start of every race sessions (free practice, qualifying and race).
YellowIndicates a hazard on or near the track (waved yellows indicate a hazard on the track, frozen yellows indicate a hazard near the track). Double waved yellows inform drivers that they must slow down as marshals are working on or near to the track and drivers should be prepared to stop.
Yellow and red stripedSlippery track, due to oil, water or loose debris. Can be seen 'rocked' from side-to-side (not waved) to indicate a small animal on track.
BlueA blue flag indicates that the driver in front must let faster cars behind him pass because he is being lapped. If flag is missed 3 times the driver could be penalised.
WhiteIndicates that there is a slow car ahead. Often waved at the end of the pit lane when a car is about to leave the pits.
Black and orange circleCar is damaged or has a mechanical problem, must return to the pit lane immediately. Will be accompanied by driver's number
Half black half whiteWarns a driver for poor sportsmanship or dangerous behaviour. Can be followed by a Black flag upon further infringement. Accompanied by the driver's number.
BlackDriver is disqualified. Will be accompanied by the driver's number. This can be issued after a Half Black Half White flag.
RedA red flag immediately halts a race or session when conditions become too dangerous to continue.
Chequered flagEnd of the practice, qualifying or racing session.

Racing cars

Chassis

Porsche Supercup cars adhere to a rear-engined rear-wheel-drive design. A roll cage serves as a carbon-fibre space frame chassis and is covered by a multiple-gauge sheet metal body. They have a closed cockpit, fenders, a rear wing, and an aerodynamic splitter. Each team may purchase cars and engines from other teams.

The car has a front MacPherson strut suspension, and a rear Multi-link suspension. Brake discs must be made of steel and may not exceed 380mm diameter. The only aerodynamic components on the vehicles are the front splitter, rear wing, solid polycarbonate glass window in the windows only, and side skirts. The use of rear diffusers, vortex generators, canards, wheel well vents, hood vents, and undertrays are prohibited.

Porsche Supercup cars are required to have at least 1 working windshield wiper installed on the car for all tracks as a part of the road racing rules package.

Evolution of Porsche Supercup cars

911 Cup (Type 964)

For the inaugural 1993 Porsche Supercup season the 964 Cup (used in Carrera Cup from 1992) based on the 964 Carrera RS (itself based on the earlier 1990 964 Carrera Cup) was the vehicle of choice. Compared to the road car the Cup race car features a similarly stripped-out interior and retains the catalytic converter, 18 inch magnesium wheels and ABS but was lowered by 20mm, featured a full roll cage and no passenger seat.

911 Cup 3.8 (Type 993)

Based on the 993 Carrera 2 and used in the Porsche Supercup for seasons 1994–1997. Updated in 1995 with aero parts from the new Carrera RS, followed by a five-horsepower increase to 315PS at 6,200 rpm in 1996. 216 units were produced in total.

911 GT3 Cup (Type 996)

Raced in the Porsche Supercup seasons 1998–2001. Basis for the upcoming 996 GT3 road car, featuring a 3.6 litre boxer engine on basis of the GT1 block. For the 1999 season the engine output was increased to 2720NaN0 and 370Nm at 6,250 rpm. The car managed the 0-1000NaN0 sprint in four seconds, with a top speed of 2860NaN0. For the 2001 season the GT3 Cup received modified aerodynamics including an enlarged rear wing and improved cooling.[3] [4]

911 GT3 Cup (Type 996 II)

Raced in the Porsche Supercup seasons 2002–2004. For 2002 the GT3 Cup received several changes based on the 996.2 Carrera and Turbo models, including Turbo-style headlights. The new body significantly improves aerodynamics and cooling. Engine output is increased to 2800NaN0 and 380Nm, further changes include improved transmission cooling, a lightened exhaust system and other light-weighing measures across the car.[5] For the 2004 season the car received further upgrades. Engine output is once again increased slightly, to 2870NaN0 at 7,200 rpm and 390Nm at 6,500 rpm. Gear ratios of fourth, fifth and sixth gears have been shortened. An 89-litre fuel tank improves endurance racing capabilities. In the interior changes are made to enable the use of the HANS device.[6]

911 GT3 Cup (Type 997)

Raced in the Porsche Supercup seasons 2005–2009. The 997-based Cup car features significantly improved aerodynamics and lightweight CFRP parts, including doors, rear body panels, engine deck lid and rear wing. Parts of the suspension are adopted from the GT3 RSR.[7]

911 GT3 Cup 3.8 (Type 997 II)

Raced in the Porsche Supercup seasons 2010–2012. Based on 997.2 GT3 RS, the car features a new 3.8 litre engine, an enlarged rear wing adopted from 911 GT3 Cup S measuring 1.7m (05.6feet), additional Unibal joints on the track control arms and front and rear sword-shaped anti-roll bars with seven position settings each and a steering wheel mounted Info Display with 6 switches. The vehicle was unveiled at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show and deliveries began in the same year. The base MSRP of the European model was €149,850 (before tax).[8] [9]

911 GT3 Cup (Type 991)

Based on the Porsche 911 GT3 type 991, this 911 GT3 Cup was used in the Porsche Supercup for the seasons 2013–2016. The Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Type 991 features the new gearbox paddle-shifters for the first time.

911 GT3 Cup (Type 991 II)

Raced in the Porsche Supercup from the 2017 season until the end of the 2020 season. Based on the latest 911 GT3 road car it features a larger 4.0-litre flat-six boxer engine, improved aerodynamics and an enlarged escape-hatch in the roof and is priced at €189,900 excluding taxes.[10]

911 GT3 Cup (Type 992)

The standard Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (Type 992) raced in the Porsche Supercup starting for the first time in the 2021 season and is expected to race for the next few seasons.[11] Based on the latest 911 GT3 road car, the 911 GT3 Cup Type 992 engines will remain the same as the 911 GT3 Cup (Type 991 II) but the power output will increase slightly from 485to.[12]

Transmission, gearbox and clutches

For the transmission gearboxes, all Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup cars currently utilize a semi-automatic transmission with a 6-speed gearbox (including reverse gear) operated by paddle shifters and supplied by in-house Porsche since the 2013 season. From 1993 to 2012, all Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup cars used sequential manual transmission with a 6-speed gearbox operated by a conventional sequential shifter. The clutch of all Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup cars is a sintered metal-plate clutch operated by foot-pedal and provided by ZF Sachs. The mechanical limited-slip differential is also allowed and constant velocity joint tripod driveshafts are also used. All Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup cars drivetrain is currently rear-engine with rear-wheel-drive layout.

Cockpit and safety components

For the safety equipment, all Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup cars seating utilizes racing bucket driver's seat with 6-point seat belts. The steering wheel of all Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup cars are made exclusively in-house by Porsche Motorsport GmbH. All Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup cars are also equipped with Cosworth Omega Intelligent Colour Display units since 2013 until 2020 season until it was replaced by all-new larger in-house Porsche Motorsport display units from 2021 season onwards. The fire extinguisher of all Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup cars are included in the bottom right-hand side underneath. The interior rear-view mirror is still currently used since 1993 until present.

The cockpit of all Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup cars are fully protected by doors, windshields and roofs (shielded by polycarbonate glass for windscreen, side windows and rear windows including also windshield wipers for rain weather only in the windscreen) because of current coupé-type car.

Specifications

1993

1994–1997

1998–2001

2002–2004

2005–2009

2010–2012

2013–2016

2017–2020

2021–present

Championships

Driver championship

Points are assigned to the first 15 finishers of each race and all races count towards the championship. To receive points, a driver must compete in multiple races per season. Since 2008, there have been two bonus points awarded for the driver who secures pole position in qualifying.

Position 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th Pole
Points 25 20 17 14 12 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 2

In the case of a tie, Porsche Supercup will determine the champion based on the most first-place finishes. If there is still a tie, Porsche Supercup will determine the champion by the most second-place finishes, then the most third-place finishes, etc., until a champion is determined. Porsche Supercup will apply the same system to other ties in the rankings at the close of the season and at any other time during the season.

Team championship

The points of the two best drivers of each team are added up. At the end of the season Porsche rewards the three best placed teams with prize money.

Prize money

In 2006 and 2007, Porsche AG pays around 820,000 euros to drivers and teams. Per race the winner receives 9,000 euros, the runner-up 7,500 euros and the third placed driver 6,500 euros. For a 15th place 1,400 euros are paid. Additionally, the 2006 or 2007 champion receives a Porsche road car. The driver with the fastest laps will be given a premium watch from Porsche Design.

In 2015, Porsche says it pays "more than 730,000 Euros in prize money to drivers and teams. In addition, the overall winner receives a special prize. The winner of the rookie classification receives an additional prize of 30,000 Euros providing he/she reregisters for the following year’s Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup."[14]

Champions

Dutch driver Patrick Huisman is the most successful driver in the championship, having won four straight titles between 1997 and 2000. Huisman's record is followed by René Rast and Michael Ammermüller with three titles and Jeroen Bleekemolen, Richard Westbrook, and Larry ten Voorde with two titles each. The reigning champion is Danish driver Bastian Buus.

SeasonChampionTeam ChampionCar Model
1993 Altfrid Heger Porsche Zentrum KoblenzPorsche 911 (964) Cup
1994 Porsche Zentrum KoblenzPorsche 911 (993) GT3 Cup 3.8
1995 Jean-Pierre Malcher JMB CompetitionPorsche 911 (993) GT3 Cup 3.8
1996 Emmanuel Collard Oberbayern MotorsportPorsche 911 (993) GT3 Cup 3.8
1997 Patrick Huisman Olaf Manthey RacingPorsche 911 (993) GT3 Cup 3.8
1998 Patrick Huisman (2x) Olaf Manthey RacingPorsche 911 (996 I) GT3 Cup (1998–2001)
1999 Patrick Huisman (3x) Olaf Manthey RacingPorsche 911 (996 I) GT3 Cup (1998–2001)
Patrick Huisman (4x) Olaf Manthey RacingPorsche 911 (996 I) GT3 Cup (1998–2001)
2001 Jörg Bergmeister Farnbacher RacingPorsche 911 (996 I) GT3 Cup (1998–2001)
2002 Stéphane Ortelli Kadach TuningPorsche 911 (996 II) GT3 Cup
2003 Frank Stippler Farnbacher RacingPorsche 911 (996 II) GT3 Cup
2004 Wolf Henzler Farnbacher RacingPorsche 911 (996 II) GT3 Cup
2005 Alessandro Zampedri Walter Lechner RacingPorsche 911 (997 I) GT3 Cup
2006 Richard Westbrook Jetstream MotorsportPorsche 911 (997 I) GT3 Cup
2007 Richard Westbrook (2x) HISAQ CompetitionPorsche 911 (997 I) GT3 Cup
2008 Jeroen Bleekemolen Jetstream MotorsportPorsche 911 (997 I) GT3 Cup
2009 Jeroen Bleekemolen (2x) Konrad MotorsportPorsche 911 (997 I) GT3 Cup
2010 René Rast Al Faisal Lechner RacingPorsche 911 (997 II) GT3 Cup
2011 René Rast (2x) Veltins Lechner RacingPorsche 911 (997 II) GT3 Cup
2012 René Rast (3x) Lechner RacingPorsche 911 (997 II) GT3 Cup
2013 Nicki Thiim Attempto RacingPorsche 911 (991 I) GT3 Cup
2014 Earl Bamber VERVA Lechner Racing TeamPorsche 911 (991 I) GT3 Cup
2015 Philipp Eng Lechner Racing Middle EastPorsche 911 (991 I) GT3 Cup
2016 Sven Müller Lechner MSG Racing TeamPorsche 911 (991 I) GT3 Cup
2017 Michael Ammermüller Lechner MSG Racing TeamPorsche 911 (991 I) GT3 Cup
2018 Michael Ammermüller (2x)Porsche 911 (991 II) GT3 Cup
2019 Michael Ammermüller (3x)Porsche 911 (991 II) GT3 Cup
2020 Larry ten Voorde Team GP ElitePorsche 911 (991 II) GT3 Cup
2021 Larry ten Voorde (2x) Team GP ElitePorsche 911 (992) GT3 Cup
2022 Dylan PereiraPorsche 911 (992) GT3 Cup
2023 Bastian BuusPorsche 911 (992) GT3 Cup

Circuits

Popularity

At the Grand Prix circuits during 2006 an average of 125,000 spectators witnessed the action from the grandstands at each round. According to Porsche AG races attracted 22 million TV viewers worldwide, most of them in Europe where Eurosport provided regular coverage.[15]

Porsche Carrera Cup

See main article: Porsche Carrera Cup. Porsche also runs many regional and national one-make production racing series around the globe.

See also

External links

Carrera Cup

Notes and References

  1. Web site: ExxonMobil Named Title Sponsor of Porsche Supercup. 5 March 2007. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20090528195412/http://www.csnews.com/csn/petroleum/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003528496. 28 May 2009.
  2. Web site: Here's How Virtual Safety Cars Work in Formula One. Westbrook. Justin T.. Jalopnik. 22 May 2018. en-US. 5 April 2019. 2 May 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190502064719/https://jalopnik.com/heres-how-virtual-safety-cars-work-1826237975. live.
  3. Web site: 98-00 – 911 GT3 – Story . racecam.de . 2 August 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180802193202/https://archive2.racecam.de/index.php?sid=10&site=racecar&id=6 . 2 August 2018 . dead .
  4. Web site: 2001 – 911 GT3 Cup – Story und Facts . racecam.de . 2 August 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180802193218/https://archive2.racecam.de/index.php?sid=10&site=racecar&id=7 . 2 August 2018 . dead .
  5. Web site: 2002 – 911 GT3 Cup – Story und Facts . racecam.de . 2 August 2018 . 2 August 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180802193215/https://archive2.racecam.de/index.php?sid=10&site=racecar&id=9 . dead .
  6. Web site: 2004 – 911 GT3 Cup – Story und Facts . racecam.de . 2 August 2018 . 2 August 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180802223433/https://archive2.racecam.de/index.php?sid=10&site=racecar&id=11 . dead .
  7. Web site: 2006 – 911 GT3 Cup – Story und Facts . racecam.de . 2 August 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180802193159/https://archive2.racecam.de/index.php?sid=10&site=racecar&id=12 . 2 August 2018 . dead .
  8. Web site: Joseph . Noah . Pavlov's Bell: Porsche reveals, prices new 911 GT3 Cup racer ahead of Frankfurt debut . Autoblog.com . 26 August 2009 . 14 December 2010 . 6 March 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200306045313/https://www.autoblog.com/2009/08/26/pavlovs-bellporsche-reveals-prices-new-911-gt3-cup-racer-ahead-of-frankfurt/ . live .
  9. Web site: 2008 – 911 GT3 Cup – Story und Facts . racecam.de . 2 August 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180802223421/https://archive2.racecam.de/index.php?sid=10&site=racecar&id=78 . 2 August 2018 . dead .
  10. New 911 GT3 Cup with ultra-modern drive . Porsche . 29 September 2016 . 9 March 2017 . 19 September 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200919041832/https://newsroom.porsche.com/en/products/porsche-911-gt3-cup-2016-new-edition-racing-car-motorsports-13026.html . live .
  11. Web site: 26 November 2020. Check Out The All-New 2021 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Car. 6 December 2020. Crisara. Matthew. motor1.com. en. 6 December 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201206214254/https://www.motor1.com/news/458694/new-porsche-911-gt3-cup/. live.
  12. Web site: 26 November 2020. 2021 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup: new racetracks, new car, new teams. 26 November 2020. newsroom.porsche.com. en. 26 November 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201126111534/https://newsroom.porsche.com/en/2020/motorsports/porsche-mobil-1-supercup-pmsc-2021-calendar-22979.html. live.
  13. Web site: Premiere for the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup with eFuels. Porsche Newsroom. Porsche Newsroom. 30 April 2024. 30 April 2024.
  14. Web site: Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. Porsche AG. 6 June 2015. 4 May 2015. https://archive.today/20150504203625/http://www.porsche.com/international/motorsportandevents/motorsport/customerracing/racing/pmsc/. live.
  15. Web site: Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup website. 5 March 2007. 30 September 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20070930184725/http://www.porsche.com/international/motorsportandevents/motorsport/racing/pmsc/profile/?gtabindex=7. live.