Porsche will campaign a new 911 GT2 RS at Pikes Peak this month in the new 2011 Porsche 911 GT2 RS. Driven by 7 time champion Jeff Zwart, they will try and prove their cars are as reliable as they are awesome. Zwart had set the 2WD Time Attack record a year ago in his modified 911 GT3 Cup car.

His journey started this weekend when his team picked up the car from Porsche Motorsports and drove the two-day trip across country.



Press Release:
Atlanta – June 16, 2011 – Seven-time Pikes Peak Hillclimb champion Jeff Zwart, from Woody Creek, Colo., will not only take Porsche’s fastest road car ever up the mountain next week at the world’s most famous hillclimb, but he will drive the street-legal, 620 horsepower 911 GT2 RS the 1100miles from Porsche Motorsports North America in Santa Ana, Calif. to the event.

Zwart, a commercial film director, will defend his 2WD Time Attack class championship from last year, when he smashed the class record by more than 30 seconds in a modified Porsche 911 GT3 Cup road racing car. He returns to his roots at Pikes Peak – testing the limits of the ultimate street Porsche on the mountain.
With technical support from Porsche Motorsport North America (PMNA) and Michelin Tires, Zwart will be contesting the 89th running of the hillclimb classic, the second oldest race in America (behind the Indy 500). Zwart said that running a 2WD car – only the third time he has done that in his previous ten starts – will be easier because of last year’s experience, but the Porsche 911 GT2 RS, one of just 500 produced, will still be a bit of a handful. He also entered a previous generation Porsche 911 GT2 in 2003.

“Although I have gained more than 150 horsepower from last year’s car, I have also gained a lot of chassis weight – the difference between a street car and a race car. Also, I made good use of the sequential-shift transmission last year in the race car, and now have a six-speed manual gearbox to operate through Pikes Peaks’ 156 turns,” said Zwart.

The course is even more challenging for the veteran Pikes Peak competitors this year, as there are only two miles of gravel left on the mountain, which is slowly being paved completely to help attract additional tourist traffic. By next year, the road, which starts at 9,390 feet above sea level, and ends at 14,110 feet above sea level, will be all tarmac.

The road trip
This Saturday, June 18, Zwart and his crew will pick up the car at Porsche Motorsports North America in Orange County, California, and drive it over the Interstate Highway system to Colorado Springs, arriving sometime Sunday evening.

“We wanted to show the sports car enthusiasts that the Porsche 911 continues to be a car that meets multiple transportation needs, something its owners have known for years. You do not have to hit the top speed of 205 miles-per-hour to enjoy this car on the road, yet we hope to use the 600-plus horsepower to get us up Pikes Peak fast enough to win the class and break our own record,” said Zwart.

Last year, Ex-DTM pilot Roland Asch (Germany), race driver and TV commentator Patrick Simon (Germany), as well as journalists Horst von Saurma (Germany) and Chris Harris (Great Britain), drove a street-legal Porsche 911 GT3 RS, from the factory race shop in Weissach to the Nurburgring in Germany for the 24-hour race. The German and his three teammates completed a total of 145 laps without any technical mishaps.

Zwart has won his class at Pikes Peak – all in Porsche Turbo street cars – in 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, and 2002 – plus his 2010 win in the naturally aspirated 911 GT3 Cup, setting new class records four times. Recently, he co-drove a Porsche Cayenne with Pikes Peak veteran Paul Dallenbach at the challenging TransSyberia Rally (Moscow to Mongolia) in 2007. He also has an SCCA PRO Rally Championship (1990 with Rod Millen) and a SCORE Baja 1000 class win (2004) to his credit.The 89th running of Pikes Peak will start official practice on Wednesday, June 22, with Zwart scheduled to run the bottom third of the 12.42-mile course. The Porsche will run the middle part of the course during Thursday practice, and the top part of the course on Friday. Friday is also Fan Fest in Colorado Springs, and the race Sunday begins at 9:00 AM MDT. Results will be posted on the official Pikes Peak web site – www.ppihc.com.

 

thanks for sharing

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7abO...layer_embedded

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wj-x-...layer_embedded

 

Sweet!!!

 

Best of luck to Jeff on this year's effort...but I don't think he'll need it!!

 

 

 

Zwart's freak'n amazing. Here's his unbelievable run from 2010...his GT3 Cup car and the record breaking win...broke the record by 38 seconds for the 2WD Time Attack class.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSP-_...eature=related

 

I just got back to my home in Vail Valley from a reception held for Jeff Zwart by Porsche of Colorado Springs. It was worth the 3 hour trip each way!

Got there early and toured the fairly new dealership with new GM Joe Brenner. Found Jeff in the back shop still working on the car. I know Jeff from R Gruppe functions, including our recent reunion in Monterey. Wished him the best of luck on his run this weekend at the 'Race to the Clouds'.

Jeff, as you all know, is the one with the black shirt in the first photo, not the one in red (not me). Saludos, z356

 

What a great opportunity to meet the guy!

Can you give us some idea what's done to the car? I see stripped interior, cage, harness, seat...anything else done?

bob

 

 

Bob: I think we can see 18" wheels and tires. I didn't ask any questions on the car since they were quite busy still finishing up with their preparations. In fact, a steering wheel sensor had failed in his car and they were in the process of taking a working one off a yellow gt2 (I think '08 vintage) that happened to be for sale in the dealer's showroom!

Besides whatever technological wizardry Porsche Motorsport has developed for this 2011 gt2 RS for its Pikes Peak run, I think the not-so-secret ingredient in this effort is the *****-out brilliant driving skills of Jeff on a mountain course! That is the ultimate 'unfair advantage' he has against his competitors in the 'Race to the Clouds', perhaps now the most notorious hill climb in history! And interestingly enough, Jeff Zwart is the most humble, approachable guy I met ever met in auto sport! z356

 

Completely agree - the guy is a monster on the track. After watching his runs in the GT3 Cup, the guy's got incredible courage and skill that makes him a perfect match for this race.

I hear they are going all pavement next year...