PORSCHE SPORTS CAR TOGETHER FEST

VVV SPORTS CAR TOGETHERNESS

Want to combine one of the top one-make racing series in the world with one of the world's most famous racetracks and add trackside activities for the whole family into a three-day festival? Then the Porsche Sports Car Together Fest held at the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway is where you needed to be over Labor Day weekend. The second annual marque event for Porsche brought together some of the manufacturer's latest models, exciting racing, live artwork displays, classic restoration challenge, HPDE laps and parade laps for Porsche Club of America members to drive their own vehicles on track, and the world's largest gathering of Porsche GT cars. Oh, and seeing 4-four time NASCAR Cup Champion and 24 Hours of Daytona winner Jeff Gordon come out of retirement to race in his new Porsche GT3 Cup car was also a special mark to the weekend.

The three-day Porsche motorsports and culture festival is open to the public (tickets are required) and not limited to just Porsche owners, making it a great event for anyone from the serious racing fan to those just considering getting into Porsche ownership. The Sportscar Together Fest celebrates what the brand offers not only in terms of product but also in ownership experiences, brand history, motorsport, and of course, the largest single marque car club in the world, the Porsche Club of America (PCA). While the event is organized by Porsche, the PCA did have an integral presence at the festival, with the Porscheplatz tent manned by PCA volunteers and PCA National Executive Director Vu Nguyen on hand. This was the area for PCA club members to gather before parade laps, kids to enjoy remote control cars and face-painting, and special autograph sessions by Porsche drivers (more on that later).

Naturally, there was a Porsche owners' parking corral and a separate, more exclusive Porsche GT model owners' paddock for those fortunate to drive the more racing-derived variants in Porsche's lineup. With this year being the 50th anniversary of the legendary Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7, the homologation special was built to allow Porsche to race the 911 in the FIA Group 4 GT/Special Sport Car class in the 1970s. The GT paddock was filled with an incredible assortment of Porsche track-focused models paying tribute to the original Porsche model to wear the RS (Rennsport, or "racing sport") designation.

Some of the rare Porsche cars seen here, spanning several generations, included a 996 GT3 RS with the blue accents on a white paint scheme, a 997.1 GT3 RS in the rare RS Green, a 997.2

SPORTS CAR TOGETHERNESS WRITTEN AND PHOTOGRAPHED BY ALEX BESZTERDA

GT3 RS in blue with silver graphics, to a multitude of 991 series GT3 and RS cars, a 991 Speedster, along with a Carrera GT and a pair of 918 Spyders.

Demonstrating that Porsche sports cars are meant to be driven, Nick Kwan road-tripped over 3,500 miles one way from Vancouver, Canada, in his black 918 Spyder. The hybrid hypercars were on prime display at the GT paddock, just outside the Porscheplatz tent, along with a great example of the 911 Carrera RS 2.7 in green. Although the GT owners' paddock and Porsche displays had several examples of the new 992 generation GT3 car, sadly, the latest 992 GT3 RS was nowhere to be found at the Porsche festival, having just completed a major global showing at the Monterey Car Week in California.

The main Porsche Zentrum display is where fans and current customers could check out some of the latest special edition models, see available accessories and optional equipment, shop for Porsche merchandise, and learn about other Porsche programs and facilities such as the Porsche Experience Centers in Los Angeles and Atlanta. The limited edition (1250 being made) Porsche Heritage Design 992 Sport Classic was the ambassador for Porsche's Exclusive Manufaktur customization program. It was great seeing all the design details, such as the retro gauge styling and wood trim interior, up close.

As the festival did center around the sporting nature of Porsche, another very special and rare model displayed the optional track-focused modifications of the Manthey Performance Kit for the 992 gen 911 GT3 available through Porsche Tequipment. If you follow Nurburgring lap times, you may already know Manthey-Racing is responsible for producing record-holding Porsche lap times in the form of the 911 GT2 RS MR. Founded in 1996 by Olaf Manthey, the company has been a leader in performance cars for road and race use and has been responsible for running GT works competition for Porsche Motorsport since 2013, with Porsche owning 51% of Manthey. The Performance Kit for the 992 GT3 consists of a larger front spoiler and side flaps for enhanced downforce, a lightweight wheelset reducing unsprung mass by 16.09 lbs, a wider rear wing in carbon fiber with enlarged end plates, brake system enhancements including optional track pads, four-way adjustable oil over suspension system, appearance items such as Manthey door sills and graphics, and my personal favorite carbon fiber aero discs over the rear wheels.

At the time of the festival, this was the only 992 GT3 with the Manthey Performance Kit, which is available through Porsche dealers and maintains the full factory warranty.

Fans of older and air-cooled Porsches were not left out, with the Zentrum display hall also hosting the finals of the second annual Porsche Classic Restoration Challenge. Pitting over 60 dealerships across the country to restore vehicles using the Porsche Classic Genuine Parts catalog, the Sportscar Together Fest showcased three regional finalists and six additional classic restoration competitors vying for People's Choice. With months of work spent on every detail of the car and touting a final check ride from legend racing driver Hurley Haywood, the 1989 911 Turbo Type 930 of Champion Porsche beat out the 1996 911 Carrera 4S Type 993 from Porsche Exchange and 1982 911 SC G-Model from Porsche Palm Springs. The national People's Choice award went to the 1982 911 SC G-Model of Porsche Louisville, with fan support garnered by the super chill canine Porsche ambassador Simon (Great Pyrenees dog of Service Manager – Stephen Almond and wife Christy). You can Sports Car Together with your furry family too, of course.

One other car that stood out to me here was the 1993 911 RS America Type 964 prepared by the 2021 Restoration Challenge winner Porsche Ontario (California). This 964 was used as a track car and came from Ontario, Canada, with 127,314 miles. The team at Porsche Ontario took the opportunity to make several upgrades with components from the European version 964 Carrera RS (engine and transmission mountings, lightweight flywheel and clutch assembly, lightweight aluminum hood, short shift kit, adjustable front and rear anti-roll bars, RS Suspension wishbones and bushes, RS washer bottle and RS strut brace to name a few). Combined with the complete paint respray, interior refinement of Maritime Blue stitching accents and matching tachometer with the RS America model script gave this classic a fresh look with performance and handling worthy of the RS badge.

The main attraction at Sports Car Together Fest was, of course, the racing and the 14-turn road course layout at the hallowed Indianapolis Motor Speedway stayed busy from Friday through Sunday. With three distinct racing series holding practice, qualifying, and racing sessions interspersed with the PCA parade laps and Advance Solo Only HPDE track sessions, you could watch Porsche sports and racing cars nearly non-stop every day. The Porsche Sprint Challenge North America (PSCNA), itself consisting of three classes, and the Porsche Carrera Cup North America (PCCNA) were the racing series featured over the weekend. The Sprint Challenge is broken up into the Cayman GT4 Clubsport, 991 GT3 Cup, and 992 GT3 Cup classes, with the Cayman cars competing separately from the PCSNA GT3 Cup cars (both the 991/992 GT3 Cup cars are on track together during GT3 Cup races). The Sprint Challenge is the first step on the Porsche Motorsports pyramid and is intended as a step between club racing and the Carrera Cup North America. The Carrera Cup NA pits competitors in identical Porsche 992 generation GT3 Cup cars, with driver skill being the sole differentiator, making for close, exciting racing action.

The level of access throughout the Indianapolis Motor Speedway facilities was incredible, with fans able to see the teams working in the Paddock garages, walk the grid before races, access premium grandstands near the famed Pagoda and masterclass info sessions with some of the teams. At the 911 GT3 Cup car walkaround session, the Team Principal of JDX Racing, Jeremy Dale, described how closely related the race car is to the road car, with the engines virtually identical but the transmission being a purpose-built racing gearbox. There is very little that teams can adjust on the 992 GT3 Cup cars, which are purchased by qualified racing customers from Porsche Motorsport North America at the cost of around $315,000 (the carbon fiber steering wheel alone is $12,000). Pro Canadian driver of the No.9 JDX Racing team car, Parker Thompson, was the fastest in Carrera Cup qualifying on Friday and went on to win Carrera Cup Race 1 of the weekend on Saturday. However,

as is often the case in racing, fortunes can easily change from day to day, and Parker was knocked out of Race 2, with Texas native Riley Dickinson from New Braunfels taking the Sunday win with the No. 53 Kelly-Moss Road and Race/Racing for Children's team cars. While Parker Thompson went on to win the 2022 PCCNA Pro Class championship with the final season race at Road Atlanta, Riley Dickinson was a threat in every race since the series began in 2021, so keep an eye on both these young racers as they are sure to move up the Porsche Motorsport ranks.

And what of NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon coming out of retirement and partnering with former crew chief Ray Evernham to race a Porsche at Indianapolis over the weekend? While visiting the Thermal Club race track in California, Gordon test-drove a friend's Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race car and immediately wanted one to use for track days. One of the stipulations in owning a GT3 Cup car was that it has to be raced in the one-make series, so naturally, Jeff chose the famed Brickyard and the Sports Car Together Fest to make his temporary return to racing. Gordon finished 22nd on Saturday and 16th on Sunday out of a field of 33 cars but surely had fun testing his new amid of field of tight competitors. While at the PCA autograph session with Pro Porsche racer and Safari 911 builder Leh Keen, Gordon and Evernham were welcomed with honorary membership in the Porsche Club of America.

What more could you expect to pack into such an action-filled three days? There was an E-sports racing tournament, a multiday mural painting by famed motorsport artist Bill Patterson, unique Porsche x Pretty Cool ice cream flavors such as Frozen Berry Metallic, and if you still felt the "need for speed," an evening viewing of Top Gun: Maverick on the Pagoda big screen. A final highlight of the festival was a pretty epic sight at the famous "Racing Capital of the World" on Sunday; as part of the tribute to Porsche's GT cars, 115 of the various GT models produced were lined up for a group photo to commemorate the occasion. Ranging from 996 GT3s, Cayman GT4s, 997 and 991 generation GT3 RS, 918 Spyders, Carrera GT, to the latest 992 gen GT3, and near the front of the pack, the 911 Carrera RS 2.7 without which we may not have the successful brand allowing us to Sports Car Together.

In conjunction with the Sports Car Together Fest at Indianapolis, numerous Porsche dealerships across the country held smaller local Sports Car Together gatherings. Porsche River Oaks and Garage Ultimate of Friendswood hosted a Sports Car Together Fest on September 11th with tasty beverages and delicious bites for local Porsche owners and LSRPCA club members to enjoy while sharing stories of this brand we have such a passion for. Thank you to all the Porsche Club of America volunteers that make such national and local events possible and to our local club sponsors.J