PORSCHE HISTORY RELIVES WITH “PINK PIG” 911 GT3 RS
Penders, Lamot, Jacobs, Dujardyn In Provisional Class Pole Position
ZOLDER, 23 August 2006
– ProSpeed Competition won a first, unofficial award at today’s first day of qualifying for this weekend’s Zolder 24 Hours: that of most looked at car in the paddock. The reason for this is that the team’s lead Porsche 911 GT3 RS has swapped its traditional dark blue and grey livery, for a commemorative “Pink Pig” design.
Indeed, just like the infamous Porsche 917/20 at the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1971, the Belgian team’s car is decked out like a butcher’s drawing, all in pink with the different pork cuts outlined in red. Names like Haxen, Rückenspeck, Rüssel and Schinken are racing around the clock again after 35 years.
“Our PR-guy came up with this crazy idea last week,” team boss Rudi Penders explained. “Our car’s usual dark blue colour scheme didn’t really stand out on TV and in pictures, so I thought, ‘why not?’ This will be the last endurance race for this particular car anyway, and being a Porsche dealer I obviously have a soft spot for the make’s rich racing history. In two days we managed to get the agreement of our sponsors, as their names and logos don’t appear in their usual corporate colours, so I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their support. All we have to do now is to make a difference with the result of 35 years ago, as the original “Trüffel-Jäger” didn’t finish the race in 1971.”
Just like in 1971, the car’s finishing touches of American Dick Soderburgh’s original design were applied in the pitlane before the first practice session. The original letter font of the pork cuts didn’t exist anymore and to be re-created by hand, as were the original race numbers.
Once on track, the defending Class 2 champions did exactly what was expected of them by setting provisional pole position in class. Carl Jacobs set the time in a car that had some set-up problems which will be ironed out in tomorrow’s remaining the qualifying sessions. The team ended today’s session with a fuel consumption run.
MVD BELCAR ROUND 5 – ZOLDER 24 HOURS – PROVISONAL QUALIFYING RESULTS
1. Longin/Kumpen/Hezemans/Mollekens Chevrolet Corvette C5-R 1m29s0322. Hart/Duez/Soulet/Cloet Chevrolet Corvette C5-R 1m30s6963. Goossens/Van Dongen/Euser Marcos LM600 1m31s7384. Penders/Lamot/Jacobs/Dujardyn Porsche 911 GT3 RS 1m34s651 (1st Class 2)5. Kenis/De Keersmaecker/Verheyen/Schbrck Mosler MT 900 R 1m35s110 (2nd Class 2)6. Bouvy/Menten/Belloc/Verbergt Porsche 911 GT3 RSR 1m35s726 (3rd Class 2)33. Nelissen Grade/Kelders/Roij/Poncelet Porsche 911 Supercup 1m43s839 (14th Class 2)
