Five Reasons Why I'm Blogging About Porsche

My love of all sport is immense but motorsport in particular has a special place in my heart as it’s the one I’ve followed the longest.

Of all the motorsport categories in the world, why have I chosen to focus on the Porsche one make scene? Here are five (of many) simple reasons:

   1)  It’s down to driver and team skill rather than performance advantage or engineering ingenuity.

All of the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars are identical and there aren’t any weight penalties to hinder the more successful drivers. Instead, it is up to the teams and the driver to find the best setup, though they are limited as to what changes they can make. Then it is down to which driver can deliver the best performance on the circuit. This is everything that you want from a race series, the fascination of which driver and team combination will come out on top. There’s nothing worse than watching a championship and knowing that barring something extraordinary happening, driver x will win because their car is by far the best suited to that particular circuit. There is absolutely none of that predictability in the Porsche one make series. Of course there are drivers who spend more time near the front thanks to their ability but due to the level playing field of the cars, they are only ever one mistake from running lower down the order. This does happen too, quite often a championship protagonist can’t string a competitive lap time together in qualifying and they end up starting in the middle of the pack, which of course leads to quite a spectacle in the race as they try to fight their way through the field.

    2) The 911 is a beautiful looking and sounding car!

The Porsche 911 is not only one of the most iconic cars ever made, it is also one of the most beautiful. Watching 30 identical 911s line up on the grid prior to a race is quite a sight to behold. It also doesn’t seem to matter what colour scheme or sponsors logos are plastered on the cars, you cannot dilute its aesthetically pleasing design. Add to that the roar of their four-litre six-cylinder boxer engine in effortless harmony with each other as they thunder away from the start line and it really is a special sight and sound to behold.

Photo Credit: Malcolm Griffiths

    3) It is the fastest one make series around.

With 485 BHP to play with the 911 GT3 Cup car certainly packs a punch. In motorsport, you want to see the fastest cars racing hard and there simply aren’t any one make series that have machinery as fast as the 911 GT3 Cup. This, for me, makes it the pinnacle of one make racing. Furthermore, there isn’t any tyre or fuel management to really consider so these cars can be unleashed and pushed to their maximum for the entire duration of the race. This means drivers need immense bravery and skill in order to be able to get the best performance out of the car. As a motorsport fan you want the drivers to be working hard behind the wheel and in awe of the power they have underneath them.

    4) The point scoring system leads to thrilling championship battles and tense finishes.

The point scoring systems in both the Supercup and domestic Carrera Cups has a one or two point difference between each point scoring position. This rewards consistency and tends to prevent anyone running away with the championship. Failure to finish can be incredibly costly so this sometimes results in championship leaders taking a more cautious approach towards a race weekend rather than trying to win at all costs. This gives their closest rivals an opportunity to take points away from them and close the gap in the standings. More often than not, the title race goes to the final round of the year, which is exactly want motorsport fans want to see. There’s nothing worse than when a highly anticipated championship ends up fizzling out as a dominant champion wraps it up with a good four or five meetings to go. This never happens in Porsche racing, there aren’t enough rounds or points to play for and, as aforementioned, the racing is too close for one driver to be able to run away with it. In the 2017 Porsche Carrera Cup GB for example, it was that close that two of the three main title protagonists, Charlie Eastwood and Dino Zamparelli, finished tied on points after all 15 rounds had been completed. Eastwood was declared champion by virtue of having won more races across the season (four to Zamparelli’s three if you’re wondering). What a way to end a championship!

Photo Credit: Malcolm Griffiths

    5) It encourages drivers of all abilities to compete.

In the domestic Carrera Cups there are different categories of championship depending on the ability and experience of each driver. This means that so called ‘gentlemen’ drivers still have class victories and championships to fight for. Not only does this allow them to stay motivated and continue trying to improve their own performance, they also have the challenge of trying to beat other drivers performing at similar levels to them. With every driver in the field having something to fight for it means it is rewarding for all competitors and the fans as there are then important battles from first to last. In the Supercup, for example, they have the rookie championship which encourages first year drivers and helps with their development. If the overall championship proves a step too far for talented young drivers they can still fight for the rookie title and have something to build on in subsequent seasons. There is nothing worse than seeing a debutant turn in good performances and not get rewarded for it, this simply doesn’t happen in Supercup racing.

There you have my top five reasons for loving and wanting to share my passion for Porsche racing. Do you agree? Have I missed any reasons that you simply have to watch the championships? Let me know by leaving a comment below!