Now let's add two turbos to that: Porsche GT2 track video.

You have enjoyed Zampa's Porsche 996 GT3 video below, now let's switch to the next generation of flattened VW Beetle, the 997.

Same track, Imola and we ride this time with Manuma in his Porsche 997 GT2. This is the same car our own CG has and aside from massively more power, the 997 has a better suspension setup (stock) and is easier to drive at the limit than the 996.

We are not sure what if any modifications this GT2 has or if it's been aligned any particular way, we do know it is wearing Pirelli Corsa.

The GT2 is a massive 7 to 8 seconds faster on this track than the 996 GT3 and it does it with a lot less drama. Most of the advantage comes on the straights with the big turbo just destroying the GT3 on the uphill sections. If you are familiar with the corners at Imola, the 996 can just about hang to Tosa but on the run up to Piratella and later from Acque Minerali to the Variante Alta...well it's all over, ciao!

The 997 seems to be more balanced mid corner with possibly a touch of understeer.

In the video below I have combined the two laps. After the jump, you can see the original GT2 video, three laps of which the first is the fastest and well, it gets more sideways and hooliganistic from there. Again, nice car control from our Italian tracktard friends!

Tomorrow we switch to a red car on the same track...

Sergini Strikes Again

One of our favorite global tracktards is Signor Sergini from Bologna.  Here are two videos from Vallelunga, a great track near Rome.
We get both wet and dry practice (on old tires he notes), I think you'll enjoy these rides.
Note the very nice data display. From the upside down g-meter I would think it might be a custom version of the software from our friends at TrackVision, but I don't recognize the display. Maybe Tony will chime in and clear things up. In any case, it's super clear and it's great that it includes both brake and throttle position sensors. Very cool.







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And now EVO, the GT-R vs GT3 test.

All good things come in threes so, after Autocar and CAR magazines,  here is EVO's take on the same story.    Their GT-R is black,  maybe the same Autocar used,  makes you wonder why CAR magazine was not able to get a tester from Nissan.

Anyway, there are two things I found most impressive about the GT-R in this video, the first that it's claimed it brakes as well as the GT3, this despite weighing almost 700 lbs more.

The second is how the car stays composed despite the jerky inputs of the driver on the last two turns.  If it's the same driver using the same technique in the GT3, it is no surprise the car comes out of the last turn with at least 60 degrees of yaw angle and smoking the tires...
Makes you wonder if the GT-R comes with a "reset" button!

What's in the Water?

Without getting the specifics of the debate, if there is one, does it seem right to you that the GT3 be tested against a 4WD car, on a 2°C (35°F) day with Pilot Sport Cups and traction control ON?

While I have no doubt the Nissan GT-R will be the stop light GP king every time, this is now the second comparo we have seen between the GT-R and Porsches where all is not on the up and up in our books.

I also find it amusing that the e92 M3 got so much stick for its looks and girth but I have yet to read one mention of the GT-R' s nastyness. The GT-R too fat? Hey "it's a baby Veyron".

Oh well, the Freep always says, looks are subjective and thus cannot be questioned...... nah, it's ugly.

What's in the Water? pt1 from AxisOfOversteer.com on Vimeo.


What's in the Water? pt2 from AxisOfOversteer.com on Vimeo.

UPDATE: Since this car has sparked one of the biggest debates ever with the readers, I thought I would add this review by Fifth Gear's Jason Plato. His conclusion? Fantastic car on the road, not very good on the track.....discuss

Night track... day

With night races coming to F1 this season, it would be cool to have night track, ah ... days.

Check out Mr. Sergini and his Porsche 997 GT3 Cup (with a radio...) at Misano on Italy's Adriatic Coast.





Find more SerginiRennSport videos HERE

Die luddites, DIE! Porsche 997 MkII with DSG in 2008

Some drivers have to push levers, some LIKE to hold sticks and some just want the best possible engineering solution to make the car as fast as possible,  it's a fairly solid rumor that Porsche have finally decided to cater to this last group with the upcoming facelifted and revised 997 coming in 2008.  Every model from the Carrera though to a new and revised GT3 MkII will have an available DSG transmission or, in Jeremy Clarkson speak,  flappy paddle gearbox.

The lineup looks awesome: all will get direct injection for better efficiency and less emissions ("I'm upgrading my Porsche because I love the Earth"  should work quite well....).  The base Carrera will get 345hp vs the current 325hp and the Carrera S, 380hp!  The cars should debut at the Geneva show and be on sale in Europe in April.

And it only gets better if you can wait,  September will see the rollout of the new Turbo and, most juicy, a GT3 mkII.  

The Turbo...we don't care, but the GT3 will have a 7 speed DSG transmission and a 435hp 3.6L Direct injection, dry sump engine.  If you missed your chance to buy a 997 GT3 the first time around,  here is your chance to get your deposit in.

Then again, why would Porsche NOT produce another run of GT3 RS...

autoblog.it

Holy Smoke!

Let's take a break from the depressing Formula 1 debacle, here is an entertaining video by the guys at Autocar: the 10 best drivers cars of 2007.

There are some odd choices included in the test (and yes I cut one of them out as just too boring) but that's cool enough, after having briefly driven a Mercedes C350 Sport I do agree that it's quite a nice handling car.

The conclusions leave me a little perplexed, sure 4WD is easier in the rain but to conclude that the 997 is "C-R-A-P" on a wet track says more about your driving "usefulness" than the car. Stee and I were both schooled by CG driving at Watkins Glen in the wet on shaved Toyo RA1... we could not keep up with his 997S at all, especially coming out of corners.

The cars in the test are

• Mercedes Benz SLK55 Black
• Ford Mondeo (that's the one I spared you)
• Mercedes Benz C350
  
• BMW M3 (e92, V8)
• Porsche Cayman S
  
• Lamborghini LP640
• Porsche 997 GT3
• Lotus 2-eleven
• Audi R8
  

Hey, in the end, it is just a bunch of guys talking cars at the bar like many of us would and the trashing of the SLK55 black is pretty funny. It's all good and Chris Harris has just the right amount of entertaining smugness while still convincing you he is still an actual car guy, not a pod.

Finally, say what you will about the new e92 M3, but without those magnificent, Wagnerian tire smoking powerslides you would have had no video here!

(ps they made a mistake on the graphics at the end...the MB c350 did NOT, repeat did not come in 3rd in wet track times, it's good but it's not THAT good!)

Sub 8

What exactly does it take to run a sub 8 minute BTG lap at the Nürburgring? When CG was there earlier in the year and rented the BMW 325 from rent-racecar.de he was able to run an 8:38 with traffic, what does it look like when you cut another 40 seconds? A faster car helps of course but that's not all, you need to get a motorcycle free run and you need large attachments.

In the first clip, this Italian 997 GT3 driven by "Sergini" will give you an idea of the skill and commitment needed for a sub 8.

In the second clip the driver makes a serious mistake (one which he had made in the first as well but got away with): he tries to pass a BMW 5 series wagon on the right between Klosteral and the Karussell.

Good thing for those mythical Porsche brakes because as much as the BMW driver should have been paying attention, "Sergini" would have had a big bill to pay in this case. As you well know, the 'ring is a regular road and overtaking on the right is technically illegal, finger or no finger.

Enjoy.

Dijon, June 3 2007 by AlexF



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"...There is no substitute"

just having a little fun with our Porker friends. Actually, I have never seen anything like that falling out of a car before!



oh oh... from AxisOfOversteer.com and Vimeo.

Nice garden, you let cars drive on that?

Mas du Clos has to be one of the most gorgeous looking tracks on the planet, look at those manicured runoff lawns! They must be very exciting when it rains but man, they look pretty.

Here are some great shots from the Track4Fun guys who had what looks like a very Lotus-centric track day. Excellent pictures by Zamp and AlexF.

At the bottom is a movie clip from a 996GT3. Don't get thrown by the music, just a bit of humor which ends with the first oversteer moment!














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Ring Pics

Here are CG's snapshots from his recent trip.
Crowded party, EVO's Jertho Bovingdon who was there to try for a sub 8 lap and real CSL's.


Some classic 'ring cars: the Ring Mini, Skyline GTr and Lancia Delta Integrale Evoluzione.


The mean looking TVR Sagaris and a nice family car.


Ultimate sleeper minivan (we had a feature on these), a donkey CSL and mean green.


Hamann Drift Taxi The JGF crew welcomes CG.



The rental car....


Some local color...

First round of the European HPDE championship

Looks like our friends over at Track4fun were contesting the first round of the European HPDE championship* at the glorious Salzburgring in Austria.
Though Zampa, the driver of the GT3 in the video below left, will have to consult JustGoFaster.com's list of tire excuses soon, the sound from his GT3 is just fantastic, I love it.
(photos by Andi111s)


Now speaking of HPDE championships, the Axis will be fighting hard for pointless bragging rights this Saturday at Pocono East, Time trial and lots of cameras, EVO IX vs 997s vs GT3 vs MCoupe vs M3... weeeeeee! Below right is a video of what happened last year around this time.

*"HPDE Championship" also known as the "Track Day Championship" is a self-mocking term among track-a-holics.