Expertise and passion unite behind 2018’s most exciting historic race series.
Words: Matt Master
Photos: Jonathan Bushell, Tuthill Porsche
Under bright lights in a small but immaculate workshop, five men huddle around the engine bay of a race-prepared short wheelbase 2.0-litre 911S. James Turner from Sports Purpose, former WRC chief scrutineer Mike Harris and three of the UK’s leading authorities on classic racing Porsches, Richard Tuthill, Lee Maxted-Page and Kevin Morfett, are gathered to discuss the forthcoming 2.0L Cup, an unprecedented single-make race series for the early 911S.
The rapidly realised dream of longstanding Porsche fanatic James Turner, the 2.0L Cup has been designed in conjunction with French event organisers Peter Auto to create the ideal racing arena for the original 911. Pre-‘66 FIA regulations will limit entries to a closely matched field of short-wheelbase 2.0-litre cars running Solex carburettors and 901 or 902 gearboxes. The series will feature across Peter Auto’s exclusive historic race calendar on a small selection of iconic European circuits with a field of largely amateur drivers from all over the continent.
Turner’s inspiration for the series came from his love of early 911s, alongside an enduring passion for the Porsche Supercup, to which he was glued in his youth. “Supercup is such pure racing: equal cars, great drivers, and has been for 25 years,” says James. “I think if you look at what works in Supercup, it’s Porsches, because they’re strong and quick and reliable, and inexpensive to run. And if you take that and apply it to historic racing – as someone like me who loves Porsches – the 2.0-litre 911 ticks the box.”
And it seems James is not alone: “We’ve got 35 entrants by the end of February,” James reveals. “You’d like to think we’d have 40-plus by the middle of May. But this year isn’t about maximum grid size. It’s about proof of concept. I want to make sure all the cars are as equal as they can be. And that the driving standards are very high. And then we can turn our attention to promoting this great series.”
Of special interest to the group today is the 2.0-litre engine, running around 130bhp in road trim but generating anything between 180 and 205bhp after a race rebuild. This is where the biggest costs lie, and where they can be most easily mitigated. “We want to see people doing it all season on a single 2.0-litre engine. It’s a highly tuned engine, but it should last all year,” says James. “There are other series where you’ve got people rebuilding engines every weekend and we cannot get to that point. We would not have achieved our goals of providing cost effective, good value, good fun racing if that happens. So it can’t happen.”
‘Cost effective’ is a relative term of course, with the price of an average early 911S donor car now well north of £100,000. Richard Tuthill estimates that a car finished by his team will be over twice that, but points out that when you consider the costs of a more problematic contemporary racer from Ferrari or Aston Martin, this actually represents something of a bargain.
“The reality is, once you’ve got a 911 it holds its value,” Richard says. “It’s cost effective to maintain and you don’t have to throw money at them. Engines last. Gearboxes last. And the reliability is good. I’d always use the argument you use in historic rallying. An Escort’s half the price of a Porsche, but over five years of racing or rallying you’ve probably rebuilt the BDA engine for or five times. Whereas the Porsche is probably on the same engine.”
So although the 2.0-litre Cup is, by James’ own admission a premium event, it represents something of an opportunity in the world of high-end historic motorsport. “One of the reasons that I love Porsche,” he says, “apart from their engineering integrity and this fantastic motorsport history, is the fact that Porsches are cars for Everyman. If you work hard you can afford a Porsche. It’s a brand value the likes of Aston Martin, Ferrari or Lamborghini do not have so much. They are more aspirational. Porsche is more real. And it’s the same for this series. I want this to be a series that everybody wants to come and do.”
For 2018, the 2.0-litre Cup will visit Spa in May, Dijon in early June and Paul Ricard at the end of August, with 30 minutes of practice, 30 minutes qualifying and 90-minute races which can be shared between two drivers to further reduce costs. There will also be a 40-minute race as part of Porsche’s 70th anniversary festivities at the Le Mans Classic in July.
There are high hopes for 2019 that the series will expand to more venues, including a street circuit and even make it to the UK. With such an impressive team at the tiller, and the promise of 40 classic 911s hammering through Eau Rouge come mid-May, who would bet against it?