A host of new GT machines will headline the GT New Zealand Championship when racing gets underway at Taupo in November.
The all-new Porsche 992 Cup Car will make its debut this coming season – with the new generation Porsche racers being eligible for the Open Class.
Up to four 992s will line up for round one of the championship at Taupo next month. Rick Armstrong returns to the championship in one of the new machines. Matt Whittaker will line up in another, having already had success in the South Island Endurance Series last month.
Sam Fillmore will race his newly acquired 992, with Luke Manson upgrading from his 991.2 Cup Car he raced last season.
Faster than the predecessor, the new GT3 Cup car produces more downforce with the gooseneck rear wing and a larger front lip. The result: higher cornering speeds and more direct turn-in for faster lap times, especially on winding circuits.
Both the previous generation 991.2 and the new 992 have 4-litre engines with 8500 rpm as max revs. The 991.2 could hit around 485bhp, while the 992 is reported to be around 510bhp.
The Porsche machinery won’t be the only new cars out on track, with an exciting new Mercedes AMG GT2 car arriving in the country, in the hands of Paul Pedersen.
Stepping out of his Porsche 991.2 from last season, Pedersen will debut the new car, which was only announced by AMG late last year.
The Mercedes-AMG GT2 is the most powerful homologated race car in the history of Mercedes’ Customer Racing programme. Sitting between a GT4 spec car and a GT3, the GT2 boasts both more horsepower and a top speed above GT3 level; however, less aerodynamics.
The new Mercedes-AMG GT2 boasts an AMG 4.0 litre V8 biturbo engine, producing 707hp.
“The addition of these new cars adds to what is already an amazing line-up! We’re aware of a few more cars that are on their way and are hopeful to see the grid grow during the season,” says Category Manager Grant Smith.
Eligible for competition in the Open Class are Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars, Ferrari Challenge, and Lamborghini Super Trofeo. GT2 machines from Porsche, Maserati and Audi are also eligible.
Each round of the GT New Zealand Championship will feature two 30-minute races along with one 60-minute race with a compulsory pit stop. There will be the option of one or two drivers per car, with the 60-minute race also worth extra points.
Words & Images: Supplied
Awesome. I only hope to be there. I suffer serious health issues but used to attend Taupo often.