911GT3Cup
THE ‘CUPCAR’ IS BY FAR THE HUMBLEST OF OUR TRIO,
both in looks and technical specification, but it makes
almost as much power (478bhp) as the R and RSR, given
the restrictions applied to those other two. There’s also the
smallmatter of there being no ABS or traction control. This
current iteration of the Cup, based on the 991.2-generation
911, isthe latestina long line of one-make 911s dating back
to the beginning of the 1990s, with over 3500 examples
now sold. A highly profitable business.
ThenationalCarreraCupsandtheSupercup areasmuch
about identifying, developing and rewarding driver talent
as anything. You can tell this car is going to test its driver
and need cajoling from the moment it bobs its nose down
the pitlane in that idiosyncratic 911 way, softer sprung
at the front relative to the rear thanks to the rear engine.
Despite being enormously stiff compared to a road-going
GT3 RS, in relation to the other two cars here it feels very
softly sprung, and managing the weight transfer is crucial
if you’re to get the best out of it. In a highly competitive
series, whether national or international, the difference
between winning and being an also-ran is tiny, and the
best Cup drivers develop a real specialism in the cars.
It’s something that stands them in good stead if they’re
youngsters climbing the Porsche motorsport ladder.
There’s a kink not long after you join the banking on
the start-finish straight, with a bump, where the Cup is the
only car here on every lap that gives me a twitchy-backside
moment. Each time I ever so slightly feather the throttle,
bracing myself for the rear of the car to suddenly step out
as it squirms around. It’s not so much getting the lock on in
that precise moment that’s a concern; more how imperative it
will be to get it off again to prevent the Cup suddenly turning
full steam right and into the nearby unyielding concrete wall.
As my confidence rises and I get on the throttle earlier
and more keenly in slower corners, so I discover that the Cup
will oversteer under power relatively easily, too – although
this surely costs lap time. The Cup also gives me my one
minor ‘moment’ of the day: I lock the fronts under braking
for the tightest left-hander, and rather than risk an incident I
deliberately let the car run wide.
Out of the three cars here it’s the Cup that undoubtedly
provides me with by far the biggest challenge. It’s a good
challenge, mind, and as with all of these 911s, given the
chance to drive one again, perhaps with the added challenge
of a grid full of near-identical cars to tussle with, I’d be
there like a shot.L
PORSCHE 911 RSR, GT3 CUP & GT3 R
Below:GT3 Cup
is based on the
road-going 911
GT3 and produces
478bhp, again from
a 4-litre flat-six; the
price for customer
cars is €189,900
(c£170,000)
plus taxes