Porsche 956:962: A Photographic History by Glen Smale

Type 956 Design and Development

PART I PROFILE OF A NEW RACER u A modeller works on a onefifth scale model of the 956 at Weissach. That this is an early example is evident from the large NACA ducts along the sides, which were done away with on later models. (Porsche-Werkfoto)

q Norbert Singer (second from left) discusses an early one-fifth scale model of the Porsche 956 LH with the company’s CEO Peter Schutz (second from right) and Manfred Jantke (far right).

(Porsche-Werkfoto)

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Chapter 3

Type 956 Design and Development Under the watchful eye of Norbert Singer, the new Group C racer, called the Type 956, began to take shape. The step up from the 936 to the new 956, besides the obvious differences in upper-body form, lay in the under car developments and chassis construction, which was no longer a space frame, as in the 936, but an aluminium chassis fitted to a monocoque. With this new breed of racer, Porsche entered the realms of a super sports racing car with a full ground effect body, with chassis design carried out by Horst Reitter.

It had become clear that a tube frame chassis would not meet the current safety standards specified for the new Group C racers, and this prompted Porsche to explore the fabrication of a monocoque chassis. Porsche racing driver and engineer, Jürgen Barth, explains: ‘It was clear that a tube frame chassis

was not as strong as a monocoque in a crash, but it was the first time that the factory had made a monocoque, so it was quite a challenge for Mr Singer, but it worked out quite well I think.’

Every new production or racing car must have a starting point, and for the 956 the windscreen from the Porsche 917 was that starting point, at least as far as the initial discussion of the Group C rules was concerned. ‘To find the measurement of the car was quite interesting. I remember going into our museum in Zuffenhausen and measuring the inside of the windscreen of the 917, which was 1m 20cm,’ Barth recalled. ‘But actually the windscreen was completely different on the Group C cars because we had to have a maximum width of 95cm, it was much smaller,’ Norbert Singer pointed out.

Ground effect, already seen in action in Formula 1, was to enter the world of sports car racing, but there was little common ground between these two very different racing classes as far as under-body airflow was concerned, as Norbert Singer was to find out.

An official proposal was drawn up at the beginning of 1981, according to Singer, that roughly laid out the dimensions of the car, and which looked into the feasibility of constructing a car based on a fuel consumption ruling. ‘For a manufacturer like Porsche, this was the most challenging thing because it was not just making a race car and going racing,’ Singer explained.

Although the world of Formula 1 was awash with ground effect know-how in 1981, fabricating a sports car with this newfound technology was not the straightforward task it was first thought to be. Working with a one-fifth scale model made in the composites shop at Weissach, Singer began his research on the aerodynamics of the new 956 in the wind tunnel at Stuttgart University. ‘This was a very old facility, but it was the only model wind tunnel close to Porsche, so we did not have much choice. The results were pretty good, though, despite the age of the tunnel,’ Singer laughed.

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Type 956 Design and Development

PART I PROFILE OF A NEW RACER u A modeller works on a onefifth scale model of the 956 at Weissach. That this is an early example is evident from the large NACA ducts along the sides, which were done away with on later models. (Porsche-Werkfoto)

q Norbert Singer (second from left) discusses an early one-fifth scale model of the Porsche 956 LH with the company’s CEO Peter Schutz (second from right) and Manfred Jantke (far right).

(Porsche-Werkfoto)

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Chapter 3

Type 956 Design and Development Under the watchful eye of Norbert Singer, the new Group C racer, called the Type 956, began to take shape. The step up from the 936 to the new 956, besides the obvious differences in upper-body form, lay in the under car developments and chassis construction, which was no longer a space frame, as in the 936, but an aluminium chassis fitted to a monocoque. With this new breed of racer, Porsche entered the realms of a super sports racing car with a full ground effect body, with chassis design carried out by Horst Reitter.

It had become clear that a tube frame chassis would not meet the current safety standards specified for the new Group C racers, and this prompted Porsche to explore the fabrication of a monocoque chassis. Porsche racing driver and engineer, Jürgen Barth, explains: ‘It was clear that a tube frame chassis

was not as strong as a monocoque in a crash, but it was the first time that the factory had made a monocoque, so it was quite a challenge for Mr Singer, but it worked out quite well I think.’

Every new production or racing car must have a starting point, and for the 956 the windscreen from the Porsche 917 was that starting point, at least as far as the initial discussion of the Group C rules was concerned. ‘To find the measurement of the car was quite interesting. I remember going into our museum in Zuffenhausen and measuring the inside of the windscreen of the 917, which was 1m 20cm,’ Barth recalled. ‘But actually the windscreen was completely different on the Group C cars because we had to have a maximum width of 95cm, it was much smaller,’ Norbert Singer pointed out.

Ground effect, already seen in action in Formula 1, was to enter the world of sports car racing, but there was little common ground between these two very different racing classes as far as under-body airflow was concerned, as Norbert Singer was to find out.

An official proposal was drawn up at the beginning of 1981, according to Singer, that roughly laid out the dimensions of the car, and which looked into the feasibility of constructing a car based on a fuel consumption ruling. ‘For a manufacturer like Porsche, this was the most challenging thing because it was not just making a race car and going racing,’ Singer explained.

Although the world of Formula 1 was awash with ground effect know-how in 1981, fabricating a sports car with this newfound technology was not the straightforward task it was first thought to be. Working with a one-fifth scale model made in the composites shop at Weissach, Singer began his research on the aerodynamics of the new 956 in the wind tunnel at Stuttgart University. ‘This was a very old facility, but it was the only model wind tunnel close to Porsche, so we did not have much choice. The results were pretty good, though, despite the age of the tunnel,’ Singer laughed.

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World Endurance Championship (WEC) 1982

PART II LEARNING GROUND EFFECT

Le Mans 24 Hours Round 4 WEC and Round 3 Endurance Triple Crown 19-20 June 1982

t Porsche poster promoting the 1982 Le Mans 24 Hours race.

(Porsche-Werkfoto)

Although the Nßrburgring 1,000km was scheduled for 30 May, just two weeks after the Silverstone event, Falk decided to skip this race in order to prepare for Le Mans. There was also the small matter of building and testing an additional three cars for the French race, as well as subjecting the 956 to a 30-hour rolling road test (on 23 May 1982) hooked up to Weissach’s dyno in a simulated Le Mans endurance test, which it passed with flying colours.

Following the successful test sessions the instruction was given to build the cars that Porsche would take to Le Mans, these being 956.002/003/004. These cars were duly built and the first two, chassis No. 002 and 003, were tested on the Weissach test track on 12 June, with the third being tested on 14 June.

Chassis No. 001 was taken to Le Mans as the spare car just in case, while the main onslaught on t Le Mans, 19-20 June 1982 The No. 3 factory Porsche (956.004) driven by Americans Hurley Haywood/Al Holbert undergoes some pre-race preparation in the paddock before the 1982 Le Mans.

(Porsche-Werkfoto)

u Le Mans, 19-20 June 1982 The flag dropped at 16:00 on 19 June, releasing 55 sports cars on their 24-hour test of endurance. In this image, the cars, still bunched on their formation lap, pass under the Dunlop Bridge and down the hill towards the Esses. In the front is No. 1 956 LH of Jacky Ickx/Derek Bell, followed by the No. 2 956 LH of Jochen Mass/Vern Schuppan.

Back in thirteenth place is the No. 3 956 LH driven by Hurley Haywood/Al Holbert, which had suffered from mechanical problems during practice.

(Porsche-Werkfoto)

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World Endurance Championship (WEC) 1982

PART II LEARNING GROUND EFFECT

Le Mans 24 Hours Round 4 WEC and Round 3 Endurance Triple Crown 19-20 June 1982

t Porsche poster promoting the 1982 Le Mans 24 Hours race.

(Porsche-Werkfoto)

Although the Nßrburgring 1,000km was scheduled for 30 May, just two weeks after the Silverstone event, Falk decided to skip this race in order to prepare for Le Mans. There was also the small matter of building and testing an additional three cars for the French race, as well as subjecting the 956 to a 30-hour rolling road test (on 23 May 1982) hooked up to Weissach’s dyno in a simulated Le Mans endurance test, which it passed with flying colours.

Following the successful test sessions the instruction was given to build the cars that Porsche would take to Le Mans, these being 956.002/003/004. These cars were duly built and the first two, chassis No. 002 and 003, were tested on the Weissach test track on 12 June, with the third being tested on 14 June.

Chassis No. 001 was taken to Le Mans as the spare car just in case, while the main onslaught on t Le Mans, 19-20 June 1982 The No. 3 factory Porsche (956.004) driven by Americans Hurley Haywood/Al Holbert undergoes some pre-race preparation in the paddock before the 1982 Le Mans.

(Porsche-Werkfoto)

u Le Mans, 19-20 June 1982 The flag dropped at 16:00 on 19 June, releasing 55 sports cars on their 24-hour test of endurance. In this image, the cars, still bunched on their formation lap, pass under the Dunlop Bridge and down the hill towards the Esses. In the front is No. 1 956 LH of Jacky Ickx/Derek Bell, followed by the No. 2 956 LH of Jochen Mass/Vern Schuppan.

Back in thirteenth place is the No. 3 956 LH driven by Hurley Haywood/Al Holbert, which had suffered from mechanical problems during practice.

(Porsche-Werkfoto)

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World Endurance Championship (WEC) 1984

PART IV STRENGTHENING THE RANKS t Nürburgring, 15 July 1984 With tobacco advertising banned in Germany, the two Rothmans cars had the word ‘Racing’, in the same font as the original ‘Rothmans’ type, superimposed over the cigarette company’s labelling. Here the No. 1 (at the rear) and the No. 2 (front car), call into the pits during the race.

(Porsche-Werkfoto) u Nürburgring, 15 July 1984 The British pairing of Rupert Keegan and Guy Edwards piloted the John Fitzpatrick Racing No. 55 Skoal Bandit Porsche 962 to an eleventh-place finish. Behind the No. 55 car is the No. 9 Walter Brun Porsche 956B driven by Hans-Joachim Stuck and Harald Grohs. Despite Grohs placing the car in second position on the starting grid, Stuck squandered a strong drive when he hit a smaller car obscured by spray during a rain squall, and was unable to continue. (Porsche-Werkfoto)

u Nürburgring, 15 July 1984 Jochen Mass (at the wheel) and Jacky Ickx had a lacklustre day, losing precious time because of sticking brake pads, and eventually finishing seventh in the No. 1 Rothmans Porsche 956-83 KH. (Porsche-Werkfoto)

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World Endurance Championship (WEC) 1984

PART IV STRENGTHENING THE RANKS t Nürburgring, 15 July 1984 With tobacco advertising banned in Germany, the two Rothmans cars had the word ‘Racing’, in the same font as the original ‘Rothmans’ type, superimposed over the cigarette company’s labelling. Here the No. 1 (at the rear) and the No. 2 (front car), call into the pits during the race.

(Porsche-Werkfoto) u Nürburgring, 15 July 1984 The British pairing of Rupert Keegan and Guy Edwards piloted the John Fitzpatrick Racing No. 55 Skoal Bandit Porsche 962 to an eleventh-place finish. Behind the No. 55 car is the No. 9 Walter Brun Porsche 956B driven by Hans-Joachim Stuck and Harald Grohs. Despite Grohs placing the car in second position on the starting grid, Stuck squandered a strong drive when he hit a smaller car obscured by spray during a rain squall, and was unable to continue. (Porsche-Werkfoto)

u Nürburgring, 15 July 1984 Jochen Mass (at the wheel) and Jacky Ickx had a lacklustre day, losing precious time because of sticking brake pads, and eventually finishing seventh in the No. 1 Rothmans Porsche 956-83 KH. (Porsche-Werkfoto)

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PART VI CONVINCING ACCOUNT

World Sports-Prototype Championship (WSPC) 1986

u Monza, 20 April 1986 By lap 40, the No. 19 Brun Porsche was the last car in the field not to be lapped, but the Walter Brun/ Massimo Sigala Porsche did not suffer any mechanical maladies.

Because of the fuel consumption problem, Brun had to time his crossing of the finish line just perfectly, allowing the winning Rothmans Porsche to cross the line before he did, to avoid doing another lap, resulting in a thirdplace finish. (Porsche-Werkfoto)

u Monza, 20 April 1986 Fitted with the new 3.0-litre engine, the No. 1 Rothmans Porsche of Derek Bell/Hans Stuck did not experience any difficulties with its PDK transmission, and they ran out the clear winners at Monza. (Porsche-Werkfoto)

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PART VI CONVINCING ACCOUNT

World Sports-Prototype Championship (WSPC) 1986

u Monza, 20 April 1986 By lap 40, the No. 19 Brun Porsche was the last car in the field not to be lapped, but the Walter Brun/ Massimo Sigala Porsche did not suffer any mechanical maladies.

Because of the fuel consumption problem, Brun had to time his crossing of the finish line just perfectly, allowing the winning Rothmans Porsche to cross the line before he did, to avoid doing another lap, resulting in a thirdplace finish. (Porsche-Werkfoto)

u Monza, 20 April 1986 Fitted with the new 3.0-litre engine, the No. 1 Rothmans Porsche of Derek Bell/Hans Stuck did not experience any difficulties with its PDK transmission, and they ran out the clear winners at Monza. (Porsche-Werkfoto)

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World Sports-Prototype Championship (WSPC) 1986

PART VI CONVINCING ACCOUNT t Spa, 15 September 1986 Qualifying in tenth, Paolo Barilla jumped four places on the first lap. By lap 30, with Ludwig behind the wheel, the No. 7 Joest Porsche was up in fourth place and, as the Autosport report said, ‘Ludwig was absolutely flying in the Blaupunkt car.’ Not all was well with the Joest car, however, as Barilla complained of oversteer.

In response the team put on more wing, which made the rear tyres blister, causing Ludwig to slow down. With a mere ten laps to go, the No. 7 Joest car still held station in fourth place, but with a blistering tyre that was as high as they would get. (Porsche-Werkfoto)

Fuji 1,000km Round 5 WSPC and Round 9 World Sports Prototype Championship for Drivers 6 October 1986 t Spa, 15 September 1986 From his second place on the grid Bell relinquished his position to the hard-charging Baldi on the 11th lap, but during one of the early refuelling stops Stuck was delayed when the refuelling jig refused to perform and the No. 1 Rothmans Porsche had to be refuelled from the No. 2 pits. Lap 30 saw Stuck back up to second, and on the 74th lap Bell went into the lead for the first time. A change of brake pads on the No. 1 Porsche proved troublesome, losing the team valuable time, but late fuel consumption worries forced team boss Peter Falk to instruct Bell to tap-off in the closing stages, judging that slipping to third was better than running dry on the circuit, and that is where they finished. (Porsche-Werkfoto)

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Perhaps it was fitting that the last race on the WSPC calendar for 1986 would be remembered for some significant milestones. In the Fuji race the Brun Memorex Porsche had finished second and, to Walter Brun’s total disbelief, the team from Switzerland was crowned World Champions, pipping the Joest team by just four points.

The Fuji 1,000km was won by Paolo Barilla/ Piercarlo Ghinzani in the now-famous No. 7 Joest Taka-Q Porsche 956 (chassis 956.117), this race bringing to an end the illustrious career of this great race car. There was an awkward uncertainty after the race that saw the Jaguar drivers Eddie Cheever and Derek Warwick being awarded second place, but because of a timing error this was later adjusted to third – there were appeals and re-appeals but the result stood.

This meant that Derek Bell was World Champion for the second year in a row, and as he and Hans Stuck had the same points tally, the matter was decided on the one race in which the two had not driven together, namely the Norisring, where Bell had finished eleventh to Stuck’s fifteenth.

p Spa, 15 September 1986 After leading the first 15 laps of the race from pole position, the No. 17 Brun Jägermeister 962C of Thierry Boutsen/Frank Jelinski slowed with an engine misfire around mid-race. Then, with a dozen laps to go, Boutsen held a seven-second lead over secondplaced Bell, but before long both would encounter heart-stopping fuel problems. Boutsen’s Porsche coughed its way to the La Source hairpin, the final corner, where the hard-charging Jaguar of Derek Warwick caught up, and as the Porsche and the Jaguar rounded the tight corner together, it was the Jaguar which faltered and Boutsen was able to make a dash for the flag, crossing the line less than a second ahead of the Silk Cut Jaguar. (Porsche-Werkfoto)

t That famous Porsche 956, chassis 956.117, that won again at Fuji in 1986. (Porsche-Werkfoto)

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World Sports-Prototype Championship (WSPC) 1986

PART VI CONVINCING ACCOUNT t Spa, 15 September 1986 Qualifying in tenth, Paolo Barilla jumped four places on the first lap. By lap 30, with Ludwig behind the wheel, the No. 7 Joest Porsche was up in fourth place and, as the Autosport report said, ‘Ludwig was absolutely flying in the Blaupunkt car.’ Not all was well with the Joest car, however, as Barilla complained of oversteer.

In response the team put on more wing, which made the rear tyres blister, causing Ludwig to slow down. With a mere ten laps to go, the No. 7 Joest car still held station in fourth place, but with a blistering tyre that was as high as they would get. (Porsche-Werkfoto)

Fuji 1,000km Round 5 WSPC and Round 9 World Sports Prototype Championship for Drivers 6 October 1986 t Spa, 15 September 1986 From his second place on the grid Bell relinquished his position to the hard-charging Baldi on the 11th lap, but during one of the early refuelling stops Stuck was delayed when the refuelling jig refused to perform and the No. 1 Rothmans Porsche had to be refuelled from the No. 2 pits. Lap 30 saw Stuck back up to second, and on the 74th lap Bell went into the lead for the first time. A change of brake pads on the No. 1 Porsche proved troublesome, losing the team valuable time, but late fuel consumption worries forced team boss Peter Falk to instruct Bell to tap-off in the closing stages, judging that slipping to third was better than running dry on the circuit, and that is where they finished. (Porsche-Werkfoto)

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Perhaps it was fitting that the last race on the WSPC calendar for 1986 would be remembered for some significant milestones. In the Fuji race the Brun Memorex Porsche had finished second and, to Walter Brun’s total disbelief, the team from Switzerland was crowned World Champions, pipping the Joest team by just four points.

The Fuji 1,000km was won by Paolo Barilla/ Piercarlo Ghinzani in the now-famous No. 7 Joest Taka-Q Porsche 956 (chassis 956.117), this race bringing to an end the illustrious career of this great race car. There was an awkward uncertainty after the race that saw the Jaguar drivers Eddie Cheever and Derek Warwick being awarded second place, but because of a timing error this was later adjusted to third – there were appeals and re-appeals but the result stood.

This meant that Derek Bell was World Champion for the second year in a row, and as he and Hans Stuck had the same points tally, the matter was decided on the one race in which the two had not driven together, namely the Norisring, where Bell had finished eleventh to Stuck’s fifteenth.

p Spa, 15 September 1986 After leading the first 15 laps of the race from pole position, the No. 17 Brun Jägermeister 962C of Thierry Boutsen/Frank Jelinski slowed with an engine misfire around mid-race. Then, with a dozen laps to go, Boutsen held a seven-second lead over secondplaced Bell, but before long both would encounter heart-stopping fuel problems. Boutsen’s Porsche coughed its way to the La Source hairpin, the final corner, where the hard-charging Jaguar of Derek Warwick caught up, and as the Porsche and the Jaguar rounded the tight corner together, it was the Jaguar which faltered and Boutsen was able to make a dash for the flag, crossing the line less than a second ahead of the Silk Cut Jaguar. (Porsche-Werkfoto)

t That famous Porsche 956, chassis 956.117, that won again at Fuji in 1986. (Porsche-Werkfoto)

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Interserie 1986

PART VI CONVINCING ACCOUNT u Sport Auto Supercup 1986.

(Porsche-Werkfoto)

q Nürburgring, 27 April 1986 Hans Stuck in the No. 1 Porsche Blaupunkt was on pole. (PorscheWerkfoto)

ADAC SPORT AUTO SUPERCUP 1986 With Germany’s DRM a thing of the past, the ADAC Sport Auto Supercup was introduced as the replacement series.

It was hoped that the Supercup, which consisted of shorter ‘sprint’ races and prime time TV coverage and bigger purses (DM 1-million/about £294,000), would result in a competitive and closer series. Even if the grids were not that big, the quality of the cars and drivers certainly made up for the lack of quantity.

Hans Stuck came away with the lion’s share of the purse after five races, and he pocketed DM62,700 for this series alone.

Just to confuse things for the spectators and readers alike, the Norisring event (Round 4) would double as a round of both the Supercup and the WSPC series, a decision that would have an influence on the outcome of the 1986 WSPC Drivers Championship.

u Nürburgring, 27 April 1986 Pictured during warm-up, the No. 30 Lloyd Liqui Moly 956 of Mauro Baldi leads Brun Racing’s No. 38 Memorex 956 driven by Frank Jelinski, which is in turn followed by the No. 10 Kremer SAT 962C driven

by Austrian Jo Gartner. The works Blaupunkt 962C of the race-winner Hans Stuck follows close behind.

(Porsche-Werkfoto)

Supercup Eifelrennen, Nürburgring Round 1 27 April 1986 Spectators at the first round of the Supercup series at the Nürburgring on 27 April 1986 were greeted by one of the most poorly attended grids of any major race that season. With just a dozen cars on the grid, and eight of them 956s or 962Cs, you would have expected just a handful of Porsche enthusiasts sitting in the stands, but a healthy 15,000 turned out for the event. They were to witness a masterful performance by Porsche works driver Hans Stuck, who carried off just about every accolade on offer that day, having dominated the two qualifying heats as well as the race itself.

Quite unsurprisingly, the first seven positions were taken by the Porsches, the only non-finisher being the Brun Jägermeister 956 of Drake Olson who suffered a blown front tyre that sent him skidding off on to the grass. Stuck had the benefit of the factory’s latest 3.0-litre engine and the PDK ’box which gave him a very obvious advantage in acceleration.

u Nürburgring, 27 April 1986 The 2.8-litre-engined No. 8 Joest Porsche was driven by ‘John Winter’ and finished in seventh place, three laps down on the winning car. (Porsche-Werkfoto)

u Nürburgring, 27 April 1986 German driver Frank Jelinski piloted the No. 38 Memorex-sponsored Brun Racing Porsche 956 to a solid fifth-place finish, being lapped just five laps from the end of the race.

(Porsche-Werkfoto)

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Interserie 1986

PART VI CONVINCING ACCOUNT u Sport Auto Supercup 1986.

(Porsche-Werkfoto)

q Nürburgring, 27 April 1986 Hans Stuck in the No. 1 Porsche Blaupunkt was on pole. (PorscheWerkfoto)

ADAC SPORT AUTO SUPERCUP 1986 With Germany’s DRM a thing of the past, the ADAC Sport Auto Supercup was introduced as the replacement series.

It was hoped that the Supercup, which consisted of shorter ‘sprint’ races and prime time TV coverage and bigger purses (DM 1-million/about £294,000), would result in a competitive and closer series. Even if the grids were not that big, the quality of the cars and drivers certainly made up for the lack of quantity.

Hans Stuck came away with the lion’s share of the purse after five races, and he pocketed DM62,700 for this series alone.

Just to confuse things for the spectators and readers alike, the Norisring event (Round 4) would double as a round of both the Supercup and the WSPC series, a decision that would have an influence on the outcome of the 1986 WSPC Drivers Championship.

u Nürburgring, 27 April 1986 Pictured during warm-up, the No. 30 Lloyd Liqui Moly 956 of Mauro Baldi leads Brun Racing’s No. 38 Memorex 956 driven by Frank Jelinski, which is in turn followed by the No. 10 Kremer SAT 962C driven

by Austrian Jo Gartner. The works Blaupunkt 962C of the race-winner Hans Stuck follows close behind.

(Porsche-Werkfoto)

Supercup Eifelrennen, Nürburgring Round 1 27 April 1986 Spectators at the first round of the Supercup series at the Nürburgring on 27 April 1986 were greeted by one of the most poorly attended grids of any major race that season. With just a dozen cars on the grid, and eight of them 956s or 962Cs, you would have expected just a handful of Porsche enthusiasts sitting in the stands, but a healthy 15,000 turned out for the event. They were to witness a masterful performance by Porsche works driver Hans Stuck, who carried off just about every accolade on offer that day, having dominated the two qualifying heats as well as the race itself.

Quite unsurprisingly, the first seven positions were taken by the Porsches, the only non-finisher being the Brun Jägermeister 956 of Drake Olson who suffered a blown front tyre that sent him skidding off on to the grass. Stuck had the benefit of the factory’s latest 3.0-litre engine and the PDK ’box which gave him a very obvious advantage in acceleration.

u Nürburgring, 27 April 1986 The 2.8-litre-engined No. 8 Joest Porsche was driven by ‘John Winter’ and finished in seventh place, three laps down on the winning car. (Porsche-Werkfoto)

u Nürburgring, 27 April 1986 German driver Frank Jelinski piloted the No. 38 Memorex-sponsored Brun Racing Porsche 956 to a solid fifth-place finish, being lapped just five laps from the end of the race.

(Porsche-Werkfoto)

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Interserie 1988

PART VIII SIGN OF THE TIMES

Chapter 24

Interserie 1988 The 1988 Interserie calendar consisted of six rounds, the same as the two preceding years but down on the ten rounds in 1985. The average grid consisted of 14 cars of which usually about a third were Porsche 962Cs, numbers that were more or less consistent with the three previous years.

‘John Winter’ won the Interserie in 1986, and was second in 1987, and he was second again in 1988 while driving for Joest Racing in all three years. The 1988 victor was Jochen Dauer, a name that would feature quite significantly on Stuttgart’s radar in 1994.

Interserie, Hockenheim Round 2 24 April 1988 Originally built before the Second World War as a test track for the Mercedes-Benz team, the Hockenheim circuit, now significantly different from the 1939 layout, is located in the south of Germany.

About 20,000 spectators turned out to watch the second round of the Interserie held there, which was won by the Dane, Kris Nissen. t Hockenheim, 24 April 1988 Finishing in sixth place overall for the two races, Jochen Dauer in the No. 9 Dauer Victor 962C was fourth in heat one and eighth in heat two. (Porsche-Werkfoto)

u Hockenheim, 24 April 1988 Kris Nissen driving the No. 10 Kremer Yokohama Porsche 3.0litre 962 CK6 won both heats at Hockenheim, making him the overall winner on the day. In second place in both heats (seen here in second place behind Nissen) was ‘John Winter’ in the No. 2 Joest Sachs Porsche.

Although it seems that Nissen ran away with both races, that was not the case, as he was 20 seconds ahead of ‘Winter’ in the first heat and just 10 seconds ahead in the second. (Porsche-Werkfoto)

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Interserie 1988

PART VIII SIGN OF THE TIMES

Chapter 24

Interserie 1988 The 1988 Interserie calendar consisted of six rounds, the same as the two preceding years but down on the ten rounds in 1985. The average grid consisted of 14 cars of which usually about a third were Porsche 962Cs, numbers that were more or less consistent with the three previous years.

‘John Winter’ won the Interserie in 1986, and was second in 1987, and he was second again in 1988 while driving for Joest Racing in all three years. The 1988 victor was Jochen Dauer, a name that would feature quite significantly on Stuttgart’s radar in 1994.

Interserie, Hockenheim Round 2 24 April 1988 Originally built before the Second World War as a test track for the Mercedes-Benz team, the Hockenheim circuit, now significantly different from the 1939 layout, is located in the south of Germany.

About 20,000 spectators turned out to watch the second round of the Interserie held there, which was won by the Dane, Kris Nissen. t Hockenheim, 24 April 1988 Finishing in sixth place overall for the two races, Jochen Dauer in the No. 9 Dauer Victor 962C was fourth in heat one and eighth in heat two. (Porsche-Werkfoto)

u Hockenheim, 24 April 1988 Kris Nissen driving the No. 10 Kremer Yokohama Porsche 3.0litre 962 CK6 won both heats at Hockenheim, making him the overall winner on the day. In second place in both heats (seen here in second place behind Nissen) was ‘John Winter’ in the No. 2 Joest Sachs Porsche.

Although it seems that Nissen ran away with both races, that was not the case, as he was 20 seconds ahead of ‘Winter’ in the first heat and just 10 seconds ahead in the second. (Porsche-Werkfoto)

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International Motor Sport Association (IMSA) 1989

PART IX HOLDING ON … t Daytona, 4-5 February 1989 The No. 67 BF Goodrich/Miller Busby 962 driven by John Andretti/Derek Bell/Bob Wollek was relatively far back on the starting grid in twelfth place, quite unfamiliar territory for the Stuttgart make. However, as any wily 24-hour competitor will know, it’s who crosses the line first after 24 hours of racing that counts. Jim Busby recalls Derek Bell’s comments about the No. 67 Porsche: ‘Of course Derek Bell knows everything there is to know about that car, and he is the one that said, “This is the fastest 962 ever built.” It had the air-cooled 3.0-litre, single turbo, IMSA engine in it, and we had that engine up to nearly 1,000bhp in qualifying, but we raced it at about 875.’ The 1989 Daytona win was the 962’s fiftieth victory in America. (Porsche-Werkfoto)

q Miami, 5 March 1989 The nature of the Miami layout, like any street circuit, was that it was temporarily constructed for the race with unforgiving concrete barriers brought in for the duration of the event. It was these unforgiving concrete barriers that signalled the end of Oscar Larrauri’s run in the No. 3 Brun Torno 962 when he hit them at speed in practice, courtesy of a jammed throttle, destroying the car and posting a DNS. (Porsche-Werkfoto) p Miami, 5 March 1989 The start of any street race is a frantic affair, and the second-placed Wollek in the No. 67 BF Goodrich Porsche gave the Nissan on pole something to think about. (Porsche-Werkfoto)

Miami 3 Hours Round 2 IMSA 5 March 1989 Hot and humid weather makes for uncomfortable cockpits, and the Miami 3 Hours certainly lived up to expectations on that front, but despite the fearsome heat, a strong crowd of 45,000 spectators turned out to watch. Although this was the seventh running of this race through the streets of Miami, there were only 25 cars on the entry list. u Miami, 5 March 1989 On lap seven, the No. 30 Momo/Guffanti Porsche 962 smacked the tyre wall (Sigala) causing the premature retirement of Massimo Sigala and Dr Gianpiero Moretti, the latter being the founder of the Momo company. (Porsche-Werkfoto)

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International Motor Sport Association (IMSA) 1989

PART IX HOLDING ON … t Daytona, 4-5 February 1989 The No. 67 BF Goodrich/Miller Busby 962 driven by John Andretti/Derek Bell/Bob Wollek was relatively far back on the starting grid in twelfth place, quite unfamiliar territory for the Stuttgart make. However, as any wily 24-hour competitor will know, it’s who crosses the line first after 24 hours of racing that counts. Jim Busby recalls Derek Bell’s comments about the No. 67 Porsche: ‘Of course Derek Bell knows everything there is to know about that car, and he is the one that said, “This is the fastest 962 ever built.” It had the air-cooled 3.0-litre, single turbo, IMSA engine in it, and we had that engine up to nearly 1,000bhp in qualifying, but we raced it at about 875.’ The 1989 Daytona win was the 962’s fiftieth victory in America. (Porsche-Werkfoto)

q Miami, 5 March 1989 The nature of the Miami layout, like any street circuit, was that it was temporarily constructed for the race with unforgiving concrete barriers brought in for the duration of the event. It was these unforgiving concrete barriers that signalled the end of Oscar Larrauri’s run in the No. 3 Brun Torno 962 when he hit them at speed in practice, courtesy of a jammed throttle, destroying the car and posting a DNS. (Porsche-Werkfoto) p Miami, 5 March 1989 The start of any street race is a frantic affair, and the second-placed Wollek in the No. 67 BF Goodrich Porsche gave the Nissan on pole something to think about. (Porsche-Werkfoto)

Miami 3 Hours Round 2 IMSA 5 March 1989 Hot and humid weather makes for uncomfortable cockpits, and the Miami 3 Hours certainly lived up to expectations on that front, but despite the fearsome heat, a strong crowd of 45,000 spectators turned out to watch. Although this was the seventh running of this race through the streets of Miami, there were only 25 cars on the entry list. u Miami, 5 March 1989 On lap seven, the No. 30 Momo/Guffanti Porsche 962 smacked the tyre wall (Sigala) causing the premature retirement of Massimo Sigala and Dr Gianpiero Moretti, the latter being the founder of the Momo company. (Porsche-Werkfoto)

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