Our 2023 Porsche racing pack includes the already previewed 944 Turbo Cup, the new 992-shape 911 GT3 Cup (in both sprint and endurance spec) and then the big daddy of them all: Porsche’s new 911 GT3 R. The GT3 class has gone from strength to strength over the last 17 seasons, starting off as a sideshow to the brutal GT1s of the time and then standing to the side of the recent GTE era, but outlasting them all to become the de facto top-line GT spec. The manufactures are there, the drivers are there, the desire is there. And that counts in the sim racing world too. GT3s deliver epic performance on track and strength in numbers – the number of manufacturers has never been healthier (and we have 23 GT3s from all eras in RaceRoom). But, GT racing isn’t GT racing without a Porsche 911 involved. Cue the new 911 on the block, coming to RaceRoom next week.
This new 992-shape variant first raced at the end of 2022 on, naturally, the Nordschleife, with – also naturally – Manthey’s Grello car taking a podium on its debut, setting a fastest lap in the process. After this strong start, 2023 has seen the GT3 R take an inexorable grip on GT racing, just like its forebears.
With the epic success of previous models written into the history books, all new 911 GT3 R’s have a lot to live up to: but the new 992 is already winning, hoovering up victories in the sprint-format DTM (and currently leading both the Driver and Teams championship following the Norisring round), finishing strongly in 24-hour endurance races (in the top five at Dubai, Nürburgring and Spa this year),
This new 992-shape 911 GT3 R is an evolution of the previous generation, taking all the lessons learned from the phenomenally successful 991.2 model – which won pretty much everything there was to win – and the sister GTE-spec car. It moves a touch closer in spirit to the RSR GTE – although here the 992 is still firmly rear-engined. The new car just does everything a bit better than before: there’s more downforce; a better base suspension setup; a wider track for stability and power delivery; improved electronics; and it’s generally just more driver friendly.
Pleasingly, it’s even wider and more squat in appearance. After the relatively delicate look of the 996 GT3s we’ve evolved back into big, bad, muscular looks again – just like the last of the 993-era Rock GT2 Evos of the late ‘90s, in spirit if not the actual direct aesthetic. And that’s never a bad thing.
The 992-shape GT3 R’s suspension has been optimised for drivability and the reduction of tyre wear, theoretically making the best set-up window for any given track easier to achieve. It sports double-wishbones at the front, with a central pivot position that delivers a cleaner flow of air to the massive rear diffuser. At the back, the multi-link rear-axle has been pushed back slightly, lengthening the wheelbase while reducing the load on the rear tyres, which particularly helps on longer driving stints.
Like the Cup car, the engine is based on the road-going water-cooled boxer power plant: it’s slightly larger than its predecessor, now displacing 4.2-litres and making a healthy 565PS. It’s naturally aspirated, and has an optimised power curve to make the delivery smoother and more suited to the weekend drivers who are often sharing cars with the pros.
That’s really the story with this car – and many other GT3s. With all cars having to fit into prescribed Balance Of Performance stats to keep a level playing field, and power basically capped, the difference will be made in how the chassis performs. It’s not about making GT3’s ‘easy’ to drive: it’s about making them better to drive – and this 992 is another example of clever engineers delivering just what drivers need.
As with previous models, we’ve spent a lot of time optimising the GT3 R’s performance in RaceRoom, and it’s a blast to drive. There’s not long to wait now: you’ll be able to get your hands on the wheels of all three cars in our 2023 Porsche racing pack in a week’s time.
