Race test Porsche 911 GT3 2023: Extremely fast but friendly

what can i say about Porsche 911 GT3 RS 992 generation that hasn’t been said? It has everything good with version 991.2 — and there’s a lot of cool stuff — And push it to the extreme. GT3 RS 2023 fully active aerodynamics and adjustable dampers on the go, unmatched. Porsche pops up heart above 4.0-natural liter flat suction six engine, now makes 525 hp, and shift gears in 7 speeds PDK . automatic transmission has been specially tuned for maximum acceleration out of corners. All has been said before, So what’s to add? Well, strangely enough, the one thing missing from all this praise is: what is the Porsche 911 GT3 RS 2023 wanting to drive in full attack, full tilt on the track?

When Porsche first invited journalists to drive the 992-generation GT3 RS, the automaker scheduled a launch event at the Silverstone Circuit in rural England, a track that allows the RS’s aeronautical capabilities to shine. Unfortunately, the only tracking time available is in late October, and it turns out, England gets a little rainy in the fall.

So all American assembled car writer spend the day tiptoeing around the legendary high-speed F1 circuit, don’t want to make headlines as the first driver to wipe out 2023 GT3 RS. That’s a way of thinking tend to stick to one’s reputation.

to compensate us, Porsche invites journalists to a second event, this time at Thermal Motorsports Country Club in Arid Palm Springs, California. A place so dry, a strong nose-blowing is enough to trigger local flood warnings. There is no chance of rain at this event — only a few The all-new 2023 GT3 RS, a select number of guests will be salivating for them, and Porsche heelers Pat Long and Jörg Bergmeister to guide us around the track. It was conceived to be a full day to beat Porsche’s masterpiece.

And we made it.

Prior to this Porsche event, my total time spent watching at Thermal was limited to a round seen a few years ago with The late Jeff Rodriguez, was the race manager at the time and was one of my first instructors at Skip Barber decades ago. I need to run a few laps to get used to the runway. Pat Long, who led me everywhere in not RS 992 GT3obviously disagree, quickly disappear into the distance and expect me to match his speed. (Side note: Oha good day, I’ll struggle to keep up with Pat’s pace, so his thinking is a bit… optimistic.)

The great thing about having Pat in the lead in GT3 is that I can use him as a rabbit, judging my speed into the corners, shortened my learning curve on both car and monitor. This isn’t to say Pat is at a disadvantage – the non-RS GT3 is a great machine no matter where you’re driving it. But the addition of the RS package, with its fully active aerodynamics, gives you a 911 that produces downforce numbers second only to Porsche’s Le Mans GTE race car. While the regular GT3 produces a bit of downforce, the RS is a different animal.

This is evidenced by the fact that I was able to build several cars-the length of the distance between me and Pat in the North Course carousel, a long stretch, scan 270 degrees the angle basically doubles back to itself. While the RS has a slight advantage in terms of mechanical grip, thanks Its 20-mm-wider tires before and after, That extra layer of rubber isn’t enough to make up for the huge difference in cornering speed. RS is simply on another level from GT3.

Porsche let us run a layout that combines Thermal’s northern and desert circuits. Out of the Desert Circle and into the second half of the North Road, you run through a series of high-speed essays that absolutely insane aero advantage The RS has more than its very capable brother. As you go through the essays, you accelerate more and more and gently as you climb the only “hill” on the track, Top to the bottom and go through the last S-curve. With the steel railing rising rapidly to your left, this is great speed, big commitment moment. Misunderstood, and you’will spread across the desert the most expensive Porsches. But RS doesn’t matter. Bring anything less than the maximum speed through This, and the car almost mocks you, qRate your skills and the bravery when it almost screams at you, telling you it’It is capable of so, so much more.

at TNormally, I spent some time chatting with Bergmeister, who did most of the RS development. He told me that Engineers compared the data between GT3 RS on Michelin Cup 2 . tiress and a GT3 Cup car on the track, and the RS’s cornering speed is faster than the Cup car through some corners.

As a reminder: Cars running on street tires are faster than racing cars on racing tires.

The aerodynamic advantage of the GT3 RS also extends to the brakes. the is the leading element on the massive rear wing, as well as front wing elements, all slam closes under heavy brakes. This has a dual effect. First, the aerodynamic element acts as an air brake, generates a huge amount of RS . 16-inch support resistance ceramic disc brake in capturing the RS to decelerate insanely over very short distances. IIn addition to helping the vehicle slow down, Those closed elements also help stabilize the vehicle when braking, giving the driver super-confidence in the braking zone and allowing people who are willing to test their bravery to overcome boundaries that are often very far away, far beyond their comfort level.

This is the magic of the 992 generation 911 GT3 RS. It’s not just that it has the level of performance to ostentatious race of rival Porsche car – that is you don’t have to be a professional driver to visit so much of that performance. Surine, right (professional) hand, GT3 RS will wipe everything this side of the GTP prototype, right from the show floor. But you don’t need that professional talent to get it Get the most out of RS. Aero activities and adjustable suspension allows for average tracking-the day driver gets closer to the car limit than any other super car I used to drive. At the end of the day, Isn’t that what we all want? Performance cars help us drive better. That thing, my friends, is Porsche 911 2023 GT3 RS in a nutshell.