The new GT3 RS is faster around the track than the old GT2 RS.
Porsche has just announced that the 911 GT3 RS has broken the brand's own production car lap record around the Road America circuit in Wisconsin with a time of 2:13.8. The lap was set by Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup North America veteran Dimitri Dimakos on the freshly resurfaced track, which could explain why it managed to beat a far more powerful car – the 991 922 GT2 RS from 2018.
The previous lap record was set in 2019 by David Donahue, who recently took the Time Attack 1 class at Pikes Peak. Despite the fact that the GT2 RS produced 691 horsepower, the 518-hp 992 GT3 RS beat Donahue's record by almost two seconds.
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“The biggest thing is not necessarily the lap time, it is the ease at which the car can achieve that lap time and the confidence it inspires in the driver,” said Dimakos. “The car can be driven by someone who is a novice or intermediate level driver and still be very fast and comfortable to drive. The braking is nearly identical to what we run in the 911 GT3 Cup car. I was braking at exactly the same spot. No wiggling at all. The car stopped exactly straight, turned in great.”
Clearly, the complex aerodynamic elements of GT3 RS work in the real world, on real tracks.
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Interestingly, the time was set on Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R N0 rubber, which was specially developed for the car. We find this remarkable because we still have not seen Porsche mention anything about the new Pirelli P Zero Trofeo RS rubber that we spotted the car wearing before its reveal and which has since been revealed on the Pagani Utopia and Ford Mustang Dark Horse.
In our minds, that suggests that the GT3 RS could go even quicker. Then again, perhaps Stuttgart is saving the Trofeo RS tires for the inevitable GT2 RS, which will once again up the ante and break more records.
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Keyword: 2023 Porsche 911 GT3 RS Sets New Road America Lap Record