Only last fall the brilliant Porsche 911 GT2 RS MR set a street-legal lap record at the renowned Nürburgring Norschleife race track in Germany, which only remains bested by a modified version of the Stuttgart brand’s own 919 Hybrid EVO World Endurance Championship (WEC) racer, but now the globe’s winningest sports car manufacturer claims a new production car record-setting time on Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin’s ultra-challenging Road America track.
The 14-turn, 6.5-km racetrack combines long high-speed straight-ways, tight turns and a bevy of undulations, making it easy taking for most any Porsche 911, although when that 911 is a 2019 GT2 RS it’s game over for any competitors. As it is, Road America has yet to become popular for attempting track records, with the current title-holder being a GT2 RS privateer that managed an ultra-quick 2:17.04 lap time last year, so Porsche was really trying to beat itself, but when competition seems so scarce what’s there left to do? How about carving 1.87 seconds off the just noted lap time for a new record of 2:15.17 minutes? Not too shabby, and it only took 24 Hours of Daytona and Le Mans class winner David Donohue two laps to do it.
As if that wasn’t good enough, Porsche doubled down on its RS track time with another outing, but this time with the less formidable 911 GT3 RS. Even though engine output is 200 horsepower less convincing, Donohue managed a surprisingly quick best-of-three 2:18.57-minute charge, the high-revving flat-six engine often passing right by its lofty 8,800-rpm redline during the process. The fact that the 911 GT3 RS’ track time remained so close to the GT2 RS record is a testament to its impressive handling, especially when factoring in Road America’s long high-speed straights and plentiful sharp corners.
Both GT2 and GT3 RS models wore road-legal Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R N0 production rubber, these optional for Canadian RS owners, while it should also be noted that the Road Atlanta event’s lap times and vehicle telemetry were recorded and validated by Racelogic.
Not to be satisfied with just two racetrack lap records, Porsche took this 911 GT2 RS to Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia only last month, and with Randy Pobst in the driver’s seat managed another record-setting time of just 1:24.88 minutes, which incidentally trumped the outgoing record-holding Corvette ZR1 by nearly two seconds, not to mention the previously mentioned Porsche 911 GT3 RS by 1.36 seconds.
So why is Porsche taking its RS models to all of these tracks to break records? Possibly it’s due to a new 2020 911 arriving later this year, and the need to make hay while the sun shines, so to speak. This said it’s not like a redesigned GT2 RS will be available immediately upon the new 911’s arrival, which means we’ll likely see plenty of additional racetrack records smashed soon.
Until that happens, enjoy some record-breaking videos below:
Porsche 911 GT2 RS sets production car lap record at Road America – David Donohue onboard camera (2:25):
911 GT3 RS completes Road America lap in just 2:18,57 minutes (2:28):
Porsche 911 GT2 RS Record Lap at Road Atlanta – Highlight Film with Randy Pobst Onboard Camera (2:18):
Porsche 911 GT2 RS sets production car lap record at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta (1:39):
Onboard video of the 911 GT3 RS at the Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta (1:36):
Story credits: Trevor Hofmann
Photo credits: Porsche