Muscle Milk Team CytoSport driver Mark Bullitt is in his native Germany this week to take part in the inaugural Porsche Carrera World Cup race at the famous Nordschleife circuit at the Nürburgring.
Bullitt's Porsche 911 GT3 Cup racecar will be sporting the same white, black and red Muscle Milk livery as his IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge by Yokohama Porsche Cup car when he takes to his favorite racetrack.
The driver of the Muscle Milk car has great memories of the famed circuit. He took part in his first ever race at the Nürburgring and has raced there many times over the years.
For this occasion, the German is joining Uwe Alzen Automotive where he will be able to count on an experienced team to prepare his Porsche GT3 Cup car for the event. Most importantly, he will be soaking up as much knowledge as possible from Uwe Alzen, a racing legend at the Nürburgring and one of the favorites entering the race weekend.
Bullitt will also have his coach and fellow Muscle Milk driver Klaus Graf on hand during the weekend to help him out.
The Porsche Carrera World Cup race, which is held during the same weekend as the 24 Hours of Nürburgring race, will run for six laps around the 15.5-mile Nordschleife circuit on June 25, 2011, in front of an expected 200 000 fans.
The field will be divided into two classes. The Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car from 2007 to 2009 (400 to 420 hp) will be in one class with the 3.8-liter versions of the 2010 and 2011 model years (450 hp) in another.
The green flag drops on the Porsche Carrera World Cup race at 11:20 am local time June 25, 2011. A practice session will take place on Thursday, June 23 with qualifying on Friday, June 24.
MUSCLE MILK QUOTES
Mark Bullitt talks about...
... racing in the inaugural Porsche Carrera World Cup:"I'm looking forward to competing in the Porsche Carrera World Cup race this weekend and pleased to be representing Muscle Milk as well as the IMSA GT3 Cup series at the 'Ring."As soon as I heard about this race I made arrangements to make sure I could be a part of it. I think the race itself will be pretty wild with so many cars on track and with the best Porsche Cup drivers in the world competing on the Nordschleife, all aiming to be crowned 'King of the Ring'. It should be fantastic."After my disappointing race in Utah in April, I'm very happy to be back behind the wheel. My right arm was in a cast until last week to heal up my broken wrist and elbow, which made driving very challenging in Utah. I can't express how happy it makes me to have received the green light to get back to racing just in time to make this race. This is one of the highlights of my 2011 season. I'll be driving one of my favorite racecars at my favorite track."
... joining Uwe Alzen Automotive for this race:"I'm very fortunate to be able to race with Uwe Alzen Automotive. I have complete trust in the team's abilities and I know that I will have the same level of track support and engineering as we have with the Muscle Milk team in the United States."Uwe is a Nordschleifen legend and also one of the fastest guys around so to be able to get some driving tips and input from him will be invaluable. There are not a lot of people who know more about Cup cars and the Nordschleife than Uwe. We could not have picked a better team."
... the Nürburgring:"I love this track as it is the most beautiful and challenging track there is. Period. It is a very fast track with a lot of elevation changes and blind, flowing turns. There are even some jumps for us to enjoy! To be really fast here you need a lot of courage. The weather might also be a big factor. It could be starting to rain and you could be stuck driving a long way to the pits on slicks."
... what to expect and what to watch:"It will be interesting to see the 'Nordschleifen' experts competing against the Carrera Cup pros. The different Porsches ranging from the earlier models to the newer ones will also be something of interest."I think the cars will be bumper to bumper for most of the laps and it will be a very close race at the front. Lapping cars shouldn't be an issue with such a long track and should make for some really good racing."Staying clean at the start and then pushing as hard as I can will be the plan. The race may be about 60 minutes but it will be a sprint race from start to finish. With the Porsche Carrera World Cup race taking place only hours before the 24 hour race and with 200 000 people expected this race will have its own feel to it. It will be an amazing experience and I can't wait for it to start."
