Six-time Pikes Peak champ Jeff Zwart tries for Number Seven!
For the first time since Porsche began production of the 911 GT3 Cup racecar in 1989, the car will contest a major international hill climb. Jeff Zwart, commercial film director from Woody Creek CO, and six-time class winner at Pikes Peak, will challenge the 2WD Time Attack class with his Luminox Watch Porsche 911 GT3 Cup racecar. With technical support from Porsche Motorsport North America (PMNA) and Pirelli Tires, Zwart will be running in the 88th annual hill climb classic, the second oldest race in America (behind the Indy 500).
Zwart said that running a 2WD, naturally aspirated, purpose-built racecar up the "Mountain" would be a new experience for him despite his nine starts at Pikes Peak.
"In previous years, I have always taken a street Porsche Turbo and converted it into a racecar, but this time, with the help of Porsche and Pirelli, we have taken a racecar and modified it for Pikes Peak’s unique half tarmac-half gravel course. The low-ratio sequential gear box keeps me busy through the 156 turns, but it makes the car very quick," said Zwart.
Porsche Motorsport started with a 2007 Cup car, updated it to 2010 specifications, and installed a new 450 horsepower 3.8-liter engine currently in use in the Patron GT3 Challenge, American Le Mans Series Challenge Class, and the Porsche Supercup series. The engine management mapping was modified to perform well in high altitude as the race starts at 9,390 feet and finishes at the summit, 14,110 feet above sea level. Ride height was increased for the gravel sections of the course. The underbody was also modified to protect the car from gravel and stones. Pirelli has provided road racing-style rain tires that worked very well both on paved and gravel surfaces during last week's test.
Zwart has won his class at Pikes Peak - all in Porsche Turbo street cars - in 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, and 2002, setting new class records three times. Most recently, he co-drove a Porsche Cayenne with Pikes Peak veteran Paul Dallenbach at the challenging TransSyberia Rally (Moscow to Mongolia) in 2007. He also has an SCCA PRO Rally Championship (1990) and a SCORE Baja 1000 class win (2004) to his credit.
The Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car, built on the same assembly line as street-legal Porsche 911s, is raced all over the world in the Porsche Supercup series as well as various Porsche Carrera Cup and Challenge Cups.
The 88th running of Pikes Peak begins at 9:00 AM MDT on Sunday, June 26. For more details and results, please visit www.ppihc.com