Racing History
Making its first appearance at the May test for the 1986 24 Hours of Le Mans, the 961 was able to show its potential pace quickly by setting the tenth fastest lap time under the control of French driver René Metge. The 961's time was not only quicker than the BMW M1 which was entered in the Group B category, was also faster than several C1 and C2 class prototypes. At the race in June, Metge was joined by fellow Frenchman Claude Ballot-Léna and the two were able to qualify the car 26th. Through dependability the 961 was able to climb through the field as the race progressed and eventually finished the race in seventh place, 47 laps behind the winning factory 962C.
Later in 1986, the 961 was moved to the United States and entered in the Camel GT Championship's final round at Daytona International Speedway. The car was reclassified once again by International Motor Sports Association, this time being entered in the GTP category alongside sports prototypes like the 962. Drivers Kees Nierop of Canada and Günter Steckkönig of Germany were assigned to the car. The 961 however struggled with the banked turns of the Daytona circuit. The 961's Dunlop tyres were pushed beyond their limits and suffered several blowouts while the car was at full speed. This slowed the 961's overall pace down before it eventually finished the race in 24th position.
Porsche continued to develop the 961 into the 1987 season where it was prepared once more for Le Mans. The car was repainted in the colors of Rothmans to match the scheme used by the factory 962Cs. Performance fell from the previous year as the 961 earned only the 16th fastest lap in the May test session. Swiss driver Claude Haldi was assigned to partner René Metge, but the two were later joined by Kees Nierop whose 962C had been destroyed in a qualifying accident. Although the 961 managed to run as high as 11th overall in the race, Kees Nierop crashed the car after suffering a gearbox problem. The car was stopped and retired after it caught fire as Nierop attempted to return to the pit lane.
Following the Le Mans difficulties, and with no championship with which to run the 961 against similar machinery, the project was canceled. The 961, repaired after its crash and fire in 1987, now resides on display in the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, Germany.
Read more about this topic: Porsche 961
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