Rennsport Reunion 7
More than 90,000 people celebrated the 75th anniversary of their cherished brand in California at the end of September. The event ended up being the biggest Porsche gathering ever.
Well known:
The “Corkscrew” corner at Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca in California is infamous among drivers and a hit with the spectators. During the seventh Rennsport Reunion, historic Porsche models of various classes could be observed.
Diverse:
Rare race cars like this 914/6 GT from the 1970s also feature. The marks on the asphalt bear witness to a lot of slipping on the infamous “Corkscrew” corner.Night falls on Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca in Salinas, California. The temperature drops significantly, but the excitement is mounting. The time has come for a spectacular world premiere in pit lane. The throaty roar of a six-cylinder boxer engine emanates from a garage. Thunderous music and a dynamic video installation signal the next highlight for the approximately 200 invited guests from around the world. “Dreams defined us, but it’s sport that made us what we are,” says the announcer’s voice. The curtain is raised and the pit crew push the star of the evening into the spotlight – with power of up to 456 kW (620 PS) and a large rear wing, the new 911 GT3 R rennsport is made for the racetrack and is limited to 77 units. Jörg Bergmeister starts the mighty machine for the first show run around the 3.6-kilometer circuit. “It was a huge honor,” the Porsche brand ambassador and erstwhile works driver subsequently said, commenting on the experience.
Record breaking:
The 911 GT3 R rennsport is driven by Jörg Bergmeister. “I never drove so fast in Laguna Seca before!” said the delighted brand ambassador and former works driver following the first laps in the special model limited to 77 units.The premiere of the breathtaking special-edition 911 was just one of many highlights at the seventh Porsche Rennsport Reunion. More than 90,000 Porsche enthusiasts gathered at the legendary racetrack for a globally unparalleled festival to mark 75 years of the sports car brand. For four days, engines roared, music blared out from the main stage, and the fans swarmed in the paddock and pit lane. “There’s only one brand on planet earth that could hold an event on this scale,” raves Bruce Meyer, “and that’s Porsche.” He then pauses as the noise level in the paddock increases and a rare RS Spyder prototype thunders past. Meyer, a real estate investor and race car collector from Beverly Hills, came to Laguna Seca with, among other things, the 911 Carrera RSR 3.0 in which Herbert Müller and Gijs van Lennep finished the 1973 Le Mans in a fantastic fourth place.
Laid back:
The racing around the hilly raceway can also be observed from an elevated lookout. Problems both big and small with the historic cars are remedied right there, in true cowboy style.
Meyer is in good company. Private collectors from all over the world open up their vaults for the Rennsport Reunion, and the Porsche Museum features with numerous icons, too. In all, more than 300 Porsche race cars of different classes engage in thrilling races and demonstration laps. They range from the legendary 550 Spyder to the Carrera GTS (904 type) and Carrera 6 (906 type); the victorious 917 cars in their evolutionary stages to the 911 motorsport versions from all eras and the highly innovative Le Mans-winning 919 Hybrid. The races featuring the slowest Porsche vehicles ever – tractors – prove to be a crowd puller.
Attractive:
Herbert Müller und Gijs van Lennep competed in the 1973 Le Mans in the 911 Carrera RSR 3.0. It is now part of Bruce Meyer’s collection.
The paddock becomes a place of pilgrimage surrounded by the roaring of engines. And the parking areas around the racetrack become a huge open-air show of Porsche models of all ages and types. “We meet all our friends here,” says Porsche restorer Rod Emory of Oregon cheerfully, “but more importantly, we meet them all surrounded by these fantastic cars.” Thousands of the visitors travel to the event in their own Porsche vehicles. But for a number of them, the distance is too great. Such as Sihabutr Xoomsai, otherwise known as Tenn, of Thailand. “I’m simply amazed,” he says. “I’ve never seen so many race cars and so many of my race car driver idols all together.” Nowhere else do fans come into such close contact with their brand and the people behind it. There is entertainment from morning till into the night in the form of numerous presentations, media workshops, autograph signing sessions with Porsche legends, e-sports competition, and demonstration laps with the endurance racing prototype 963 and the GT4 e-Performance. The Porsche Cars North America organizers intentionally incorporated not only the brand’s glorious history, but also its present and future. “The brand’s development boasts unique continuity, which has kept it close to its roots to this day,” explains former works driver Patrick Long, one of the event’s grand marshals. “And that’s what I love about Porsche.”
At close quarters:
On the left, historic 911 GT models, and on the right, the endurance racers from the glory days. Walking through the spectacular field of starters at Laguna Seca, fans can marvel at these icons of motorsport up close.
It is the community’s intimate connection with the brand that makes the Rennsport Reunion such a unique experience. “It’s about more than the race cars,” says Cameron Ingram of North Carolina, custodian of a valuable family collection of RS models, some of which make appearances on the racetrack. “It’s about the entire design, the philosophy, and the cars’ beauty. We celebrate the Porsche culture, and it’s actually a huge family get-together.”
Generations:
The sports cars to color in are very popular with the young and old alike (top). Dr. Wolfgang Porsche and son Ferdinand enjoy the contact with the community during their drive in the 356 “No. 1” Roadster.
Which is why the Rennsport Reunion also features members of the family that gave the brand its name – both as official representatives and enthusiasts. Dr. Wolfgang Porsche, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Porsche AG, performs a few laps of honor in the 356 “No. 1” Roadster, together with his son Ferdinand. The sports car brand’s story began with this car in 1948. “My father built it for himself back then; it was his dream,” relates Dr. Porsche. “I wonder what he would say were he able to experience all this.”
Exclusive:
The premiering 911 GT3 R rennsport is surrounded whenever it makes an appearance (top). Dr. Wolfgang Porsche and his son Ferdinand perform a few laps of honor in the forerunner of all Porsche models, the 356 “No. 1” Roadster.
