24 Hours Challenge: three Panamera Diesel cars on parade!Panamera Diesel, a 24 Hours race for journalists on the Nardò track

Nardò (LE). The finish comes at 9.11 a.m. with three Panamera Diesel cars on parade. All together after a 24 Hours full of excitement and surprises which electrified the first “Panamera Diesel, 24 Hours Challenge, Economy Run”. The circular test track at the Nardò Technical Center provided the backdrop for two Panamera cars driven by 12 journalists divided into two teams, in a race against the car driven by the professional drivers of the Porsche Sport Driving School.

The purpose behind this electrifying 24 Hours was highlighting the road-racing features offered by the comfort and reduced fuel consumption of the Porsche Panamera Diesel, one year after it came onto the market.

The winning strategy was focusing on the efficiency of the Panamera Diesel: the drivers who simply attempted to save fuel, with an absolute peak of 18.9 km/l, were beaten by the drivers who combined this with the highest speed. Basically, it was unnecessary to go slowly and, on the contrary, the maximum saving could actually be made with the car travelling at the speed limit according to the Highway Code.

The three Panamera cars covered a total distance of 7,967 km at an average speed of approximately 120 km/h, with consumption of 6.1 l/100 km, in line with the values declared by the manufacturer (6.8l/100 km NCPE). The distance would have been greater if the flat tyres caused by the jersey barriers around the ring had not stopped the test for two hours for reasons of safety.

Over the 24 Hours, Marco Scafati (La Repubblica), team leader of team B, with fellow team members Luca Contartese (Virgiliomotori), Roberto Sposini (Gente Motori), Mario Cornicchia (Motorbox.com), Lodovico Basalù (Auto) and Alessio Odinzoff (Canale Italia), covered a distance of 2,714 km and obtained a K factor of 1819, the result of an average speed of 120.73 km/h and average consumption of 15.06 km/l. Following the example of the professional drivers, team B realised that they should not sacrifice performance to energy saving. This was the false friend which led astray Enrico De Vita (Automoto.it) and team A, with team members Giorgio Ursicino (Gruppo Caltagirone), Roberto Mazzanti (Qn Nazionale), Sergio Pastore (Megamodo), Aldo Tagliaferro (Giornale di Parma) and Marco Gentili (Motorcult – Sky Sport), who decided not to exploit several characteristics of the Panamera Diesel, such as its aerodynamic efficiency, low rolling friction and powertrain performance, which actually led to surprising performances well beyond the greatest expectations. Car A obtained a K factor of 1787 (which is the product of the average speed of 110.82 km/h with average fuel consumption of 16.13 km/l), covering a distance of 2,485 km.

Among the individual journalists, the best performance came from Marco Scafati: in the three stints driven, he obtained a K factor of 1915, the result of an average speed of 123.75 km/h and fuel consumption of 15.475 km/l, whereas the best driver in car A was Giorgio Ursicino (Gruppo Caltagirone) who, in the same amount of time, obtained a K factor of 1865 (the result of an average speed of 103.75 km/h and fuel consumption of 17.975 km/l). Team C, formed of the professional drivers, obtained a K factor of 1914, benefitting from a pit stop every two hours, in place of the pit stops every hour for the journalists.

All the participants, tired but satisfied, were given a prestigious acknowledgment commemorating their participation in the 24 Hours during the award ceremony held at the Risorgimento Resort in Lecce.

8/2/2012

Nota: Photographs of the Panamera Diesel are available to accredited journalists at the Porsche database at http://presse.porsche.de. Contact the Porsche Italia press office directly for the Panamera Diesel 24 Hours Challenge, Economy Run.