2010 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR

To maintain the competitive edge that Porsche gained with the 911 GT3 RSR against Ferrari in 2007 and 2008, the engineers at Weissach constantly worked behind the scenes to develop any modifications to sharpen their advantage and updated the RSR for the 2009 and 2010 model years.

The entire cooling system was relocated to the front of the car to accommodate air conditioning. The most distinguishing feature of the update was the redesigned air ducting and outlets at the nose with large louvers on the front hood. Aerodynamics were improved at the rear with a wider adjustment range for the rear wing and through improvements to the airflow beneath the rear. Weight reduction came in the form of a weight-optimized brake system and a lighter wiring harness and helped to sharpen handling. The engine’s displacement was increased from 3.8 liters to 4.0 liters and was capable of producing 450 horsepower at 7,800 rpm despite a reduction of the size of the mandatory air restrictors. Inside, the RSR received an updated multi-function display with integrated shift lights, an updated air jack system, and an oil filler with fast filling function was moved to the rear lid to give mechanics better access.

In 2010, only two examples of the RSR were delivered with the 4.0 liter M97/81 and this example, chassis WP0ZZZ99ZAS799912 is one of the two. Team Falken Tire took delivery of the new RSR at their corporate offices in Fontana, California, and announced that once again Wolf Henzler and Bryan Sellers were to drive chassis 9912 for the 2010-12 seasons. Derrick Walker and the team at Walker Racing Inc. in Indianapolis, Indiana were in charge of preparing the car throughout the two seasons, building on their experience from the 2009 season with Falken’s 2008 RSR.

Throughout the 2010 and 2011 seasons, chassis 9912 was campaigned in a total of 20 races, the duo of Henzler and Sellers placing Team Falken Tire in the top ten in their class a total of 15 times and delivering two first-in-class victories at Mid-Ohio and Baltimore in the 2011 season. Perhaps the crowning achievement of chassis 9912’s racing career was delivering another first-in-class victory at the Finale of the American Le Mans Series.

On October 2013, the 16th Annual Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta marked the final running of the American Le Mans series.  2012 911 GT3 RSR was totaled in a six-car pileup in an earlier race in Baltimore, which forced the team to resort to running the previously retired 2010 911 GT3 RSR that was being used as a show car in the shop of Falken’s Team Manager Derrick Walker. In order to get the car prepared for the subsequent races at Circuit of the Americas and Virginia International raceway, the team had to work tirelessly to get the car prepared and race-worthy once again.

The car underwent several days of testing and practice in the rain, and the team was able to secure a sixth-place qualifying position in the number 17 911 RSR, just 0.5 seconds off of the pole position. Falken Tire drivers Wolf Henzler and Bryan Sellers were joined by Nick Tandy at Petit Le Mans to prepare for race day. The three shared the car for the week, each testing different compounds and various setups, preparing for the final event. Morning rains left the track wet for the start of the race and while most GT teams stayed on slicks, Team Falken started on wet tires. The track dried after the first several laps, forcing the number 17 Porsche to pit early and lose a lap off of the leaders. Intermittent wet and dry conditions forced each team to alternate tires frequently- but this played into team Falken’s advantage, using Falken’s proprietary wet tire compound to gain an advantage, allowing them to take the lead at the halfway point. Falken Tire led 128 laps of the 375-lap race thanks to excellent strategy and a total of twelve perfectly executed pit stops. In the final two hours of the race, the Porsche went head to head with pressure from the number 56 Factory BMW but held on to take the team’s fourth win in the final American Le Mans Series race. “It’s unbelievable,” said Wolf Henzler. “The car that won Petit Le Mans today was a show car!”

Its most recent owner, Arizona Porsche collector Jim Edwards, bought chassis 9912 directly from Team Falken Tire. Jim hired Nico Castellaccio (Migliore Motorwerks) to prepare and care for the GT3 RSR during his ownership. Nico had worked as a team mechanic in ALMS and Grand-AM in-period, and also prepared the RSR for RennSport Reunion VI in 2018 where it took second place in the Flacht Cup with Kevin Estre behind the wheel. The second-place finish was behind the 2012 Falken RSR piloted by Jörg Bergmeister.

Competition history:

Year: 2010

Year: 2011

Year: 2013