Porsche RS Spyder
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The RS Spyder (Type 9R6) is a
racing car Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including ...
designed by
Porsche Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, usually shortened to Porsche (; see below), is a German automobile manufacturer specializing in luxury, high-performance sports cars, SUVs and sedans, headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Th ...
in conjunction with Penske to compete in
Le Mans Prototype A Le Mans Prototype (LMP) is a type of sports prototype race car used in various races and championships, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, FIA World Endurance Championship, IMSA SportsCar Championship, European Le Mans Series, and Asian Le M ...
Class 2 (LMP2) racing. The car takes its name from the legendary Porsche 550 Spyder of the 1950s (combined with Porsche's common "RennSport" ''(lit.: racing sports)'' designation). The car marked Porsche's first return to the top level of sports prototype racing since the firm abandoned its Porsche LMP in 1999. The RS Spyder made its debut in the final event of the 2005 American Le Mans Series (ALMS) at
Laguna Seca Laguna Seca Raceway (branded as WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, and previously Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for sponsorship reasons) is a paved Racing track#Motorsport, road racing track in central California used for both auto racing and Motorcyc ...
winning its class. Since then the RS Spyder has won the ALMS LMP2 Championship in 2006,
2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
and
2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
and took class honours at Le Mans in
2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
and
2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
. The outright victory at the 2008 12 Hours of Sebring was the first major victory for Porsche in endurance racing for five years and it was also the first time in 14 years that the non-premier class won the 12 Hours of Sebring overall. Regulation changes for the 2011 season rendered the RS Spyder obsolete but the car has left a legacy in the Porsche 918 Spyder, which uses a development of the RS Spyder's engine and the Porsche 919 Hybrid which carried Porsche's racing program on into the LMP1 category starting in 2014.


Design

The RS Spyder was designed completely in-house by Porsche engineers with help from Carbotech. The chassis is a rigid
carbon fibre Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (American English), carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers ( Commonwealth English), carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics, carbon-fiber reinforced-thermoplastic (CFRP, CRP, CFRTP), also known as carbon fiber, carbon comp ...
monocoque Monocoque ( ), also called structural skin, is a structural system in which loads are supported by an object's external skin, in a manner similar to an egg shell. The word ''monocoque'' is a French term for "single shell". First used for boats, ...
with both the engine and transmission being integral stressed members. The 3.4-litre 90-degree V8 racing engine was designed from scratch as was the six-speed electro-pneumatic sequential gearbox. Braking is via six-piston aluminum monobloc calipers and carbon ceramic discs, mounted on suspension controlled by four-way adjustable spring/damper units activated by pushrods with adjustable torsion-bar springs. The car has a dry weight of in 2010 specification but was initially . Since its introduction in 2005, the engine, which initially produced , has been developed and modified to meet the changing regulations of both the ALMS and the ACO. For 2008, the engine developed using sequential multipoint inject and in 2009-spec, with air restrictor limitations.


Race results


2005

The RS Spyder made its race debut at the final round of the 2005 American Le Mans Series, the Monterey Sports Car Championship at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, entered by Penske Racing and driven by Lucas Luhr and Sascha Maassen from the Porsche Junioren factory team. The sole RS Spyder finished first in class and fifth overall.


2006

During 2006, Penske entered two RS Spyders in the ALMS and won seven class victories including an outright victory at the
Mid-Ohio Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is a road course auto racing facility located in Troy Township, Morrow County, Ohio, United States, just outside the village of Lexington, Ohio, Lexington. It hosts a number of racing series such as IndyCar Series, Indy ...
race. This was the first LMP2 victory in a race since 2003 and the first major result for Porsche since the 1998 24 Hours of Le Mans. The results ensure victory for Penske in the LMP2 Championship and also for Sascha Maassen in the drivers' standings.


2007

For 2007, Porsche unveiled the 2007-spec RS Spyder (known as the RS Spyder Evo), which included an increase in power to . Dyson Racing joined Penske in the ALMS. 2007 would be the most successful year for the RS Spyder with Penske repeating their outright victory in the ALMS series a further eight times and also securing an additional three class victories. Penske again won the LMP2 class in ALMS and Romain Dumas won the LMP2 Drivers Championship. During the season the RS Spyder won eight races while the Audi R10 TDI from the largest P1 class won only four.


2008

Rule changes increased the RS Spyder's weight to 825 kg and Porsche introduce a new direct injection engine developing . A Penske car driven by Timo Bernhard, Romain Dumas, and Emmanuel Collard, secured the overall victory at the 2008
12 Hours of Sebring The 12 Hours of Sebring is an annual motorsport Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance race for Sports car racing, sports cars held at Sebring International Raceway, on the site of the former Hendricks Army Airfield World War II air base in S ...
, winning it on the 20th anniversary of Porsche's last overall win at the race. Penske had another outright victory at the Utah Grand Prix and also recorded an additional three class wins. At Petit Le Mans a 3rd RS Spyder was entered by Penske in an attempt to lock out the manufacturers' championship against Acura. Penske won both the LMP2 Team and drivers' championship for Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas. Porsche won the manufacturers' championship by 1 point ahead of Acura. Danish Team Essex together with Van Merksteijn Motorsport of The Netherlands and Horag Racing of Switzerland participate in the
Le Mans Series The European Le Mans Series (abbreviated as ELMS) is a European sports car racing endurance series inspired by the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The European Le Mans Series is similar to the ...
(LMS) all with 2008-spec RS Spyder. Team Essex and Van Merksteijn also entered the
24 Hours of Le Mans The 24 Hours of Le Mans () is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the city of Le Mans, France. It is widely considered to be one of the world's most prestigious races, and is one of the races—along with ...
, marking the debut for the RS Spyder at the event. An RS Spyder from Van Merksteijn Motorsport driven by Jeroen Bleekemolen, Peter van Merksteijn and Jos Verstappen, came first in class and 10th overall with the Essex team coming second in class (12th overall). A RS Spyder won its class in every LMS race giving it a 1-2-3 in the LMP2 standing and securing the drivers championship for Jos Verstappen and the Team championship for Van Merksteijn Motorsport.


2009

New restrictor rules brought the RS Spyder's power down to approximately , and the wingspan was limited by the rules, effectively decreasing downforce. Penske did not compete in the ALMS in 2009 but Team CytoSport, who had previously competed in LMP1 in 2007, purchased an ex-Dyson Racing RS Spyder and took part in four races with a best result of second in class at
Road America Road America is a motorsport Road racing, road course located near Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin on Wisconsin Highway 67. It has hosted races since the 1950s and currently hosts races in the IndyCar Series, IMSA SportsCar Championship, Sports Car Club ...
. In LMS, Team Essex only competed in the 1000 km race at Spa taking the class victory and also securing the class victory at
Le Mans Le Mans (; ) is a Communes of France, city in Northwestern France on the Sarthe (river), Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the Provinces of France, province of Maine (province), Maine, it is now the capital of ...
, finishing 10th overall with Casper Elgaard, Kristian Poulsen and Emmanuel Collard at the wheel. Team Goh also took part in the race with an ex- Van Merksteijn Motorsport car.


2010

CytoSport announced in February 2010 that it would contest the full ALMS in a RS Spyder. It was also announced that Sascha Maassen would join the regular drivers Klaus Graf and Greg Pickett at the longer races at Sebring, Laguna Seca and Road Atlanta. Cytosport used a full-width rear wing for the entire season, unlike arch-rivals Highcroft HPD. The CytoSport RS Spyder won the LMP2 class at the
12 Hours of Sebring The 12 Hours of Sebring is an annual motorsport Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance race for Sports car racing, sports cars held at Sebring International Raceway, on the site of the former Hendricks Army Airfield World War II air base in S ...
and took their first outright victory at Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock. CytoSport continued their winning success by taking outright victory at a shortened race at Mosport. They also finished the season second behind Patrón Highcroft Racing in the championship and Klaus Graf finished second in the drivers' standings. No RS Spyders were entered in the 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans. The 2011 LMP2 regulations rendered the RS Spyder obsolete due to the costs exceeding the LMP2 budget limit.


Gallery

File:Penske_RS_Spyders_at_Laguna.jpg, alt=Two bright yellow racing sports cars on a race track taking a left hand corner, Both of Penske Racing's Porsche RS Spyders at the 2007 Monterey Sports Car Championships. File:Cockpit porsche.jpg, alt=A view of the cockpit of a Porsche RS Spyder racing car showing the dashboard and steering wheel, Cockpit of Porsche RS Spyder. File:Porsche 9R6 RS Spyder - engine, gearbox and rear axle.jpg, alt=A view of the engine, gearbox and rear axle of a Porsche RS Spyder, Porsche MR6 3.4 Litre V8 engine, GR6 gearbox and the rear axle with
drive shaft A drive shaft, driveshaft, driving shaft, tailshaft (Australian English), propeller shaft (prop shaft), or Cardan shaft (after Girolamo Cardano) is a component for transmitting mechanical power (physics), power, torque, and rotation, usually ...
s and wishbones. File:Horag_RS_Spyder_Front.jpg, alt=A view of a red and white sports car on a racing track, Didier Theys at the wheel of Horag Racing's Porsche RS Spyder at the 2008 1000km of Silverstone. File:Porsche RS Spyder in Spa 2009.jpg, alt=A view of a bright blue race car with the word Essex clear to read on the side, Emmanuel Collard drives a Porsche RS Spyder of Team Essex in Spa 2009. File:Porsche RS Spyder Evo Muscle Milk Team Cytosport.jpg, alt=Side view of #6 white sports racing car with the words Muscle Milk on the side, Sebring LMP2 class winner. Muscle Milk Team Cytosport Porsche RS Spyder Evo. File:2008OverallWinner12Hoursof SebringPenskePorsche7.jpg, The overall winner of the 2008 12 Hours of Sebring. File:Penske Racing Porsche RS Spyder Evo - Winner 2007 Grand Prix of Mosport.jpg, Porsche RS Spyder EVO at the 2007 Grand Prix of Mosport


Race victories

* Bold indicates pole position
''* Italic indicates the fastest lap''


See also

* Porsche racing models * Porsche in motorsport


References


External links


Official Porsche website

RS Spyder at official Porsche site (German)

Penske Racing
{{DEFAULTSORT:Porsche Rs Spyder Le Mans Prototypes 24 Hours of Le Mans race cars Sports prototypes Rs Spyder Team Penske