Walter Röhrl for President!

...that's what my friend Kevin York said when I told him of "Uncle" Walter's recent comments on hybrids,  today's rally cars and (not) getting older.

Porsche made Röhrl available to the press at an event promoting the new Cayenne,  EVO was there and reported these priceless quotes.

Walter was... on a roll:

Where does (Röhrl) see Porsche in 5 & 10 years; what technology does he think will dominate?

First of all I hope we never have a 911 electric car. These hybrid cars, you cannot take things back I think. We have to live for the next 10-15 years with these things.

Looking forward maybe we will get a new system, because I still think electric isn’t the future.

To produce all these batteries, or recycle all these batteries, it’s so much energy that it cannot be the right thing.

Cayman GT4. Is it better than the GT3 for you? What cars do you own nowadays?

The GT4 is a perfect handling car, it’s a proper race car with a mid-engine. Lets say on a twisty mountain road, like in the Alps, I’m sure you’re in the right car if you’re in a GT4.

If you come to a racetrack like the Nurburgring, then you need a lot of power as you have many fast parts. Then of course the GT3 has more power and the GT3 is the better car. But for somebody who says ‘i want to own a Porsche because I have fun driving’, the GT4 is a fantastic car.

Do you think Porsche should do a works WRC car?

No. If you see the WRC cars, they are not sports cars. That is, they are using cars which a lot of people buy.

They use it just for publicity. Why would you use a Polo or a Citroen DS3, these are normal cars for housewives, but of course, it’s something the factories wanted.

Spectators see it and they think, oh it must be a good car and then they sell big numbers.

Mr Rohl. Out of any car. Can be a Porsche, I don't mind bias. What would you take out on a nice quiet country road at 2am for a drive and a think. To relax and order your thoughts.

Relaxing. Not for fun? Ok, I think I can use a Bentley. I remember once I was on the motorway and I passed a Bentley and my wife was sitting beside me.

My wife said to me, ‘oh if we get old’, it could be a nice car. We are already old. A Bentley is a fantastic car, it’s really nice.,

evo: There’s not a world where you drive in a relaxed manner is there?

No not yet. no.

with apologies to Car and Driver and Dan Gurney...

Röhrl's Cat

Everyone loves Senna of course but we at Axis also worship "uncle" Walter, that master of oversteer, arguably the best and most complete rally driver of all time.

Now, you can get your hands on a new DVD celebrating Röhrl's career through Ford, Opel, Fial, Lancia, Porsche, Audi from Turini to Pikes Peak through RallyandRacing.com



Check out this slide show on Auto-Motor und Sport

First 20 Porsche GT2 RS delivered in the US.

Very cool presentation by Porsche. Loved the story of the car's development. Congratulations to the owners!



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Röhrl dops out of the Nürburgring 24 Hours

"Uncle" Walter can't make the party.

In this year's 24 hour Rennen at the 'Ring, Porsche will be running what they say is a stock 997 GT3 RS. OK, it's stripped, with a different springs, slick tires, a cage and modified electronics, but never mind all that, the cool thing was going to be the return of Walter Röhrl to a major racing event.

Sadly he had to drop out. No official reason given but it is said that after the recent VLN shakedown race, it was realized he was just too exhausted by his stint. Time waits for no one, even legends like Röhrl.

Cheers from all of us Walter, you still are the patron saint of tracktards the world over!

Here is the official entry list

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The "stock" 997 GT3 RS at the 'Ring

This is the 997 GT3 RS street car that Porsche is racing at the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring in May and that had it's debut at the VLN race last week. At that race the car finished and placed 22nd overall.

It's not quite stock, it has different springs and has a re-calibrated traction control and obviously a cage and no passenger seat

Driving in the video is "Uncle" Walter Röhrl driving. Hi co-drivers will be Nürburgring specialist Horst Von Saurma and journalist Chris Harris from EVO.





Home

Uncle Walter Drives a Van...

First time I've ever seen Walter Röhrl look nervous... I can't imagine why?



I mean a 790HP, 195mph VW van with a MclarenF1 driving position on a wet track, what could possibly go wrong?

More after the jump

Porsche 997 GT3 mk II at the 'Ring: Let's see Uncle Walter do it...

To see how it's really supposed to be done while we think about our trip there. The old man casually does a 7:32 BTG giving a passenger ride. I would guess the car had the stock semi slicks on, still how's that for a lesson in humility eh?

Here are the comments from the person who posted the video:

Walter & I: in-car camera of the best race track in the world: the Nürburgring Nordschleife with the man who o.k.'s every new Porsche that leaves the Porsche factories.

If you do not know who Walter Röhrl is, just google him. Nuff said.

This was a childhood dream come true. I never expected to ever meet the man, much less to spend a lap with him on his playground.

I have done everything, I ever wanted to do in my life.

For all the experts out there who have been at the ring:

We did a timed lap of about 7:25 minutes. I substracted about 6 seconds for the traffic we hit and the delayed acceleration after the bilstein bridge. At Schwedenkreuz we hit 260 kph right before the 100kph turn into Aremberg. at the end of Fuchsröhre we hit 240kph.

The funny thing is, I was wearing a helmet, he was not...

And here is the rest of it.

How do you pronounce Walter Röhrl?

Here you go, don't hurt yourself next time you try to show off in front of your motorhead buddies though.

For good measure I added an extra clip after the jump because that just how we Röhrl here at the Axis...

Old school mit Walter

It may not be as slick as a Nissan GT-R or as fast as a GT2 but this lap with Walter Röhrl in a 1975 Porsche Carrera 3.0 RS is fully worth your next eight minutes and 20 seconds or so.

Love the sound and how you can hear every throttle nuance in the wonderfully analog car. The run at top speed though the world's tightest pit lane gets extra bonus points...as does his missing a gear after Wehrseifen (someone correct me if I got that wrong), he's human!

(kueke.com)

Find the video after the jump

Hello, I'm Walter and I'll be your driver today...

Earlier in the summer, during a Bilstein Performance Day a couple of lucky guys got a very special ride on the Nürburgring Nordschleife with a very special taxi driver, none other than the legendary Walter Röhrl. We know Röhrl not only from his spectacular rally career but also in his role as test driver and the go-to guy when Porsche needs to set a fast ring lap time with a new road car. Here he is driving a Porsche 997 GT3.
What is great about this clip is that it's the first I have seen which truly gives you the sense of how fiendishly slippery the Nürburgring is when it's wet! Unfortunately our German is not up to par so I cannot pick up if the master has any interesting commets, perhaps if some of our readers pick up something they will post a comment. Enjoy!

ps (Walter did not buckle his helmet....black flag!!)



On a Röhrl from Axis on Vimeo.