This Porsche 996 Cup has a rich history out in the USA. The car was originally obtained and run by Autometrics Motorsport. It's first competitive outing was Round 1 of the Rolex Sports Car Series, the Rolex 24 at Daytona with drivers Cory Friedman (USA)/Lynn Wilson (USA)/Bransen Patch (USA)/Adam Merzon (USA)/Mike Smith (USA). It went on to finish 11th in class from what was a very strong entry list, not a bad debut!
Throughout the 2004 Season it ran in various rounds of the Rolex Sports Car Series with drivers Leh Keen and Corey Friedman. The pair captured two podiums in the three races they entered with the car. The top finishes of the season were third-place finishes at Virginia International Raceway and Barber Motorsports Park.
Fast Forward 16 years later and the car arrives with us here on the other side of the world, in a rather neglected 'Dusty' state, after being recovered from a farmers barn.
We began work by giving the car a thorough clean followed by a comprehensive inspection to see what needed doing to get it back to being race fit.
First job post inspection was to get the suspension off and refreshed, full service of all fluids and a good spanner check, along with making the car comply to current Motorsport UK regulations. This involved fitting a new fire extinguisher system and (in date) Approved Seat and Seatbelts.
A new quieter exhaust was also fabricated due to noise regulations here in the U.K being far stricter than out in the U.S.A.
Next up for the car was a test at Donington park. The day was a success for the 996 despite the treacherous conditions.
Once mechanically happy with the car post shakedown, we decided to spend some time on getting the car looking the part once more and back in its period livery.
This involved a wheel refurb, both bumpers and sideskirts painted and livery applied we also opted to fit door windows to the car as they aren't used out in the states.
We then put an entry in for the Masters Endurance Legends at Donington Park for its return to racing here in the U.K. After a full re-prep it was ready to hit the track!
We simply couldn't have asked for more from the car on it's return to racing.
It went on to achieve pole position in qualifying, first in class in both races alongside fastest lap in both races.
Be sure to enquire if you have similar needs for your race/rally car!
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