Falken Porsche GT3 RSR – Behind The Scenes

By Joey Leh, Photography by Duane Uyeda

It’s 8 o’clock in the morning and we’re early. Really early. Like an hour early. Southern California’s reputation for horrendous traffic doesn’t hold up on this day and we make great time down the freeway. Of course, a large amount of giddy anticipation doesn’t hurt either.

Falken Tire’s new 2010 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR has just been wrapped in their distinctive teal/blue livery and Duane and I have been given full access to peer into its intricate details.

The most highly developed 911 racing chassis sold by Porsche Motorsport, the 911 GT3 RSR is a stripped out and reworked racecar that weighs about 2,700lbs and puts out 450hp through an air inlet restrictor. Falken Tire’s racecar was hand-built in Weissach, Germany and then flown straight to California for delivery.

Built from the bare frame of a 911 GT3 RS, the GT3 RSR is hot tanked and then given a roll cage and air jack system at the factory. From there, the Porsche receives an entire list of racing bits – Sachs suspension, Brembo brakes, center lock hubs, spherical arms, bucket seat, fire system, rear wing and an entirely different aerodynamically formed body.

In fact, so many items are changed on the GT3 RSR, we have trouble referring to it as a modified street car. Sure it’s based off of a production model but after seeing the amount of carbon work, wiggins clamps and different suspension parts, it has almost nothing in common with the 911 parked in front of the golf course.

Homologated for GT2 class rules, Falken’s GT3 RSR will be competing in the professional American Le Mans Series. It’s a tough class to race in and their competition will include teams like Corvette Racing, Flying Lizard (Porsche) and Rahal Letterman Racing (BMW).

But under the direction of race manager Rod Everett, Falken Tire will be putting its best foot forward with returning driver Bryan Sellers and new-for-2010 driver Wolf Henzler. As the factory works driver for Porsche, Henzler has loads of experience with the rear-engine platform. Plus, you can’t argue with a racecar driver name like Wolf.

When we dropped in to see the Falken 911 GT3 RSR, Team Falken was busy prepping the car, setting up for a test session at Sebring International Raceway. The 12 Hours of Sebring will open the 2010 ALMS season in March and the Falken guys are serious about their racing efforts.

The 911 GT3 RSR uses a strut-type front suspension and a multi-link setup in the rear with 4-way adjustable dampers all around and not a single rubber bushing in sight. Team Falken was busy dialing in the car’s initial suspension setup and this meant a trip on to the setup pads. With the Porsche rolled on to the pads, the air jacks were released and the car popped up into the air.

Pages: 1 2