03 Dec Successful tests in the USA

Despite the motorsport season 2013 is hardly over, the preparations for the next year are running on full throttle already. It’s the 24 hours race in Daytona, which is the season opener for the new Tudor United SportsCar Championship, that’s on the focus of Konrad Motorsport. During the official test days in Sebring and Daytona the traditional team collected important experiences with the Porsche 911 GT America. 

“Our team and American motorsports simply belong together”, says team owner Franz Konrad. The racing squad of the Austrian looks back on a long and successful career in American racing. The last success of the team from Germany was achieved in January, 2013. At the 24 hours of Daytona Konrad Motorsport driver Nick Tandy commandingly snatched the pole position in the field of the 30 GT cars. However, later in the race the team had some bad luck and retired from the race early.

If it is after Konrad, this shall change at the next edition of the endurance classic in Florida. “We will be at the start with a perfect overall package and we are looking forward to the event full of confidence”, explains the team boss. “Thanks to our long-standing experience we were able to sort out everything quite well, which was proven at the test in the past days. We really got familiar with the brand new car for the next season.”

The American motorsport fans can look forward to a number of novelties in 2014. With the fusion of the GrandAm and the ALMS one completely new series originates. “It was everything else than easy to get one of the available starting permissions”, explains Konrad. “Currently we are trying to get another entry in the championship, in order to be at the start with two cars.”

It’s the new Porsche 911 GT America, which comes to use. The car is based on the type 991, which came to use in exclusively in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup in 2013. The stage for the car is provided by the GT Daytona classification of the Tudor United SportsCar Championship. With that, Konrad Motorsport belongs to the first teams worldwide to run the Cup car designed for North American Racing.

By the way, old-hand Franz Konrad took also a seat behind the wheel of Porsche at the tests. Beside others, the team owner was supported by Rolf Ineichen. The Swiss man, who won the title in the amateur-class of the Porsche Carrera Cup Germany last season, is really looking forward to his debut in the USA. “I can hardly wait for Daytona”, says the Konrad Motorsport driver. Christian Engelhart, who became runner-up of the 2013 Carrera Cup Germany, will be at the start for Konrad Motorsport as well as one of the Porsche works drivers. The 24 hours of Daytona take place from January 23rd to 26th.