The mid-week long read: level pegging
Meet the men behind a single-make race series for the classic 911
Amid all the festivities to mark the 70th anniversary of the 356, this summer also sees the start of something rather special for the original 911. A one-make race series to celebrate the early short wheelbase 911S will roll out across Europe in 2018, with around 40 privateers racing their 50-something 2.0-litre cars around iconic race tracks such as Spa Francorchamps and Le Castellet.
The 2.0L Cup is a joint venture between James Turner, a UK-based classic Porsche specialist, and Peter Auto, the long-established French events company that made a name for itself with historic races like the Spa-Classic and Grand Prix de l’Age d’Or.
Turner’s decision to form the series was born from an enduring love of the Porsche Supercup, alongside a personal and professional passion for early 911s. “Supercup is such pure racing: equal cars, great drivers, and has been for 25 years,” says James. “I think if you look at what works in Supercup, it’s Porsches, because they’re strong and quick and reliable, and inexpensive to run. And if you take that and apply it to historic racing – as someone like me who loves Porsches – the 2.0-litre 911 ticks the box.”
James has made contact with some of the biggest names in classic Porsche preparation, including Richard Tuthill, Lee Maxted-Page and Kevin Morfett of Historika, and these veterans of the racing Porsche scene have come together to help make the series as accessible as possible.
The first line in the sand was pre-‘66 FIA regulations, which limits entries to the original short-wheelbase 2.0-litre cars running Solex carburettors and 901 or 902 gearboxes. The road-going engines, good for 130hp in period, are developed to in excess of 200hp in racing trim.
Previously, these older 911s have been eligible for various historic series that pitch them against larger capacity cars from the likes of Aston, Ferrari and Jaguar. Now the cars will be very evenly matched, ensuring the best sort of wheel-to-wheel racing for driver and spectator alike.
“There are two obvious challenges,” James explains. “Driving standards and scrutineering. We’ll have a clear set of rules that we will evolve if challenges arise, but a lot of thought has already gone into making it as sensible as possible.”
The reason scrutineering is so important is not just to ensure a level playing field, but also to keep costs down. If the cars are kept as original as possible, there is a limit to how much money can be spent or advantage gained in development.
“We want to see people doing it all season on a single 2.0-litre engine,” James continues. “It’s a highly tuned engine, but it should last all year. There are other series where you’ve got people rebuilding engines every weekend and we cannot get to that point.”
His formula seems to be an attractive one, with 36 cars signed up and more expected to follow. “This year isn’t about maximum grid size," James explains. "It’s about proof of concept. I want to make sure all the cars are as equal as they can be. And that the driving standards are very high. And then we can turn our attention to promoting this great series.”
James and Richard would be the first people to concede that the 2.0L Cup is still a premium event, but it’s a fairly democratic one in the context of historic motorsport. “One of the reasons that I love Porsche,” James says, “apart from their engineering integrity and this fantastic motorsport history, is the fact that Porsches are cars for Everyman. If you work hard you can afford a Porsche. Porsche is more real than aspirational. And it’s the same for this series. I want this to be a series that everybody wants to come and do.”
For this first series, the 2.0L Cup will visit Spa on May 18 , Dijon in early June and Paul Ricard at the end of August. There will also be a shorter exhibition race as part of Porsche’s 70th anniversary festivities at the Le Mans Classic in July, with the expectation that the series will expand to more venues in more countries in 2019.
In the meantime, the prospect of seeing a sea of early 911s plunging through Eau Rouge in ten days' time is a tantalising one. Somehow 2018 just keeps getting better.
Images: Sports Purpose/Nat Twiss
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