The Outgoing Version of the Racer Compiled 14 Wins and 12 Season Championships in Four Years
By Mark Robinson
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – It may be out with the old and in with the new as far as the Porsche 911 GT3 R is concerned, but not before celebrating what the current version of the car achieved in four short years of IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship competition.
Launched in 2019, the type 991.2 Porsche 911 GT3 R compiled a most impressive resume, though “impressive” puts it mildly. To wit:
- A total of 14 class race wins – nine in the GT Daytona (GTD) class over four seasons and five in the first year of GTD PRO in 2022
- Back-to-back GTD triumphs at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Advance Auto Parts (2020 and ’21), followed by a GTD PRO and GTD victory sweep this year in the Rolex 24 At Daytona
- Driver and manufacturer championships in the 2019 IMSA WeatherTech Sprint Cup consisting of the GTD non-endurance events
- GTD driver, team and manufacturer titles in 2021 for both the season championship and IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup (IMEC)
- GTD PRO driver, team and manufacturer crowns for the season championship and the manufacturer trophy in IMEC this year in GTD PRO
Pfaff Motorsports compiled the bulk of Porsche’s success, amazingly running the same chassis throughout all four years. The fan-favorite “plaid Porsche” delivered 11 wins altogether and started from the get-go in 2019. That year, the No. 9 Porsche won two GTD races and Zacharie Robichon took the Sprint Cup driver’s title with Porsche claiming Sprint Cup manufacturer honors.
After missing most of 2020 due to pandemic travel restrictions, Pfaff returned with a vengeance in 2021. Robichon and Laurens Vanthoor won four races in the No. 9 Porsche to sweep the season championships for drivers, team and manufacturer. Stepping up to the new GTD PRO class this year made no difference, with co-drivers Matt Campbell and Mathieu Jaminet winning five times to run away with the three season titles.
“Our 991.2 GT3 R, chassis 05, has been a very special car for us, as we had virtually all of our ‘firsts’ in IMSA with it,” said Steve Bortolotti, Pfaff Motorsports team manager. “I was never one to have an emotional attachment to inanimate objects. However, I am proud to know that we will be hanging on to this car for the foreseeable future.
“The pedigree it has amassed is incredible, and I’m proud of the job both our staff and Porsche have done to keep a chassis with over 55,000 racing kilometers (34,175 miles) on it still running in tip-top shape at the sharp end of an extremely competitive field.”
Wright Motorsports brought home three GTD wins for Porsche, including Sebring in 2020 and Daytona this year. Co-drivers Jan Heylen and Patrick Long earned the Michelin Endurance Cup driver, team and manufacturer championships in the 2021 season that, ironically, didn’t include an endurance race victory for the No. 16 Porsche.
The 2023 version of the Porsche 911 GT3 R will be based off the type 992 platform. But its predecessor won’t be forgotten soon.
“The car was competitive from the start until its last race at Petit Le Mans, earning back-to-back championships for Pfaff,” said Volker Holzmeyer, president and CEO of Porsche Motorsport North America. “Even by the high standards we set at Porsche, I would consider that a successful platform.
“The car proved the concept that not only drivers but teams, like Pfaff Motorsports and Wright Motorsports, could grow and excel on the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid with the 911 GT3 R. In racing, you move very quickly from one generation of car to the next, but I am confident the 991 generation of 911 GT3 R will always hold a special place of honor in the history of the Porsche Motorsport.”