New Porsche 911 GT3 Cup makes Australian debut

The new Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car has made its Australian public premiere at The Bend Motorsport Park, ahead of this weekend’s OTR Supercars SuperSprint including round two of the 2021 Porsche Carrera Cup Australia series.

Shipped directly from Porsche Motorsport in Weissach, Germany for a special presentation last night, the first 992-series 911 GT3 Cup racer arrives Down Under before the road-going model on which it’s based – the 2021 Porsche 911 GT3, first deliveries of which land here in the second half of the year.

A record 30 examples of the 992 Cup car – which is already contesting the 2021 Porsche Supercup and several other Carrera Cup championships around the world, including in North America for the first time – will arrive here in time for the 2022 Porsche Carrera Cup Australia series.

“We are currently assessing all of the expressions of interest we’ve received from motorsport customers across Australia and New Zealand,” said Porsche Cars Australia head of motorsport Troy Bundy.

“Given the quality and calibre of the drivers interested, the 2022 grid will be one of the strongest in the series history.”

The first wide-body GT3 Cup car is powered by virtually the same 375kW/470Nm naturally-aspirated 4.0-litre flat-six as the GT3 road car, but also has the ability to run of synthetic fuels.

Measuring up to 28mm wider at the rear (1902mm), incorporating a broader double-wishbone front-end (1920mm) and riding on 12-inch front and 13-inch rear wheels, the 992 Cup brings a far more muscular appearance and new aero package.

The new Cup car gets a larger 11-stage adjustable rear wing and larger front apron, with panels including the bonnet, doors and rear spoiler made from carbon-fibre reinforced plastic.

The cabin has also been renovated, bringing improved ergonomics for drivers via more height adjustability for the seat and steering column.

Other improvements to the latest GT3 racer include special brake callipers that allow quicker pad changes, more durable rear drive shafts and hazard lights that automatically illuminate if the engine stalls at the start of a race.

Porsche says Carrera Cup lap times are expected to be slashed by “a good one per cent” in 2022, depending on the track layout.