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The Second Annual Porsche Sportscar Together Day at Shanghai International Circuit Porsche Sportscar Together Day 2019
Shanghai. The first Sportscar Together Day in China was launched in 2018 as part of the celebrations surrounding Porsche’s 70th anniversary. Due to what a roaring success the first day was, it became inevitable that the Sportscar Together Day would become a standout part of Porsche China’s calendar for years to come.
For many owners, fans and enthusiasts, Porsche is more than just a manufacturer of sleek, stylish sportscars; it’s a family. The family spirit of Porsche was in full effect during the 2019 Sportscar Together Day, with hundreds of families filling out Shanghai International Circuit for a motorsport carnival celebrating everything Porsche.
On the track excitement
Over the course of the busy weekend there were four main on-the-track competitions and races for Porsche drivers at all levels. For begginers, there was the Porsche sports Cup China Experience. This two-day, entry-level track experience was designed to ease newcomers into motorsport with guided driving and a slalom test. The Porsche Sports Cup China Driver’s Cup Regularity Test and Time Trial were two separate one-day events featuring guided driving, practice with a professional coach and respectively a regularity test and time trial. For all three of these events all that was required was a valid Chinese Driving Licence and a Porsche to race in. The fourth and final event was the Porsche Sprint Challenge China, a two day programme including free practice, qualifying, grid walk and two thrilling races. Unlike the other three events, the Porsche Sprint Challenge China was for more experienced racers, and required all entrants to possess a valid Racing Licence.
On the less-competetive side of things, Porsche fans were also able to take to the track in the passenger seat for a series of exciting Taxi Rides, with an experienced pilot taking them round the circuit at high speed. The GT Test was an event designed to allow guests to test out the GT models and prepare for the taxi laps.
The on-the-track fun culminated in a show-stopping Porsche Parade, with dozens of customer-driven Porsches – covering the full model line-up – taking to the track for a unified victory lap.
Off track fun for all the family
The Sportscar Together Day is a day for the whole family, and as such had plenty to offer beyond the high-octane thrills of on-the-track racing. The Porsche Kid’s Driving School offered a taste of motorsport excitement for budding racing enthusiasts too young to have a licence yet, while the Remote Control Car Racing Simulator section offered up a similar experience albeit with smaller vehicles. Alongside these activities there were claw machines, miniature golf, model car painting, caricature artist, roaming magicians, and much much more.
One of the highlights of the off-track activities was the Exclusive Manufaktur booth. Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur is a new initiative that enables Porsche customers to fully customise their vehicle before purchasing, matching their unique interior and exterior colours and options to create their perfect, bespoke Porsche. The booth on the day proved to be a popular attraction for both committed customers and hopeful dreamers alike, allowing all comers to craft a truly original Porsche for themselves.
Porsche legends flock to Shanghai
To help celebrate the Porsche Sportscar Together Day in China – Porsche’s largest single global market – several Porsche legends were on scene to make the event even more special.
From China, Bao Jinlong and Li Chao – two of the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia’s most notable local Pro-Am stars – made the journey down from Beijing to Shanghai for the event. Bao was last year’s Pro-Am winner and is poised to repeat the performance in the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia 2019 – as long as he maintains his winning consistency for the final two races scheduled for early November. While Li Chao is one of the founding members of Porsche Club China and will celebrate his 100th ever Carrera Cup Asia race at the finale of the 2019 season. Further Porsche Carrera Cup Asia stars on the track today included veteran racer Paul Tresidder who will also celebrate his hundredth Carrera Cup Asia race in Shanghai next month, as well as Indonesia’s Ahmad F. Alam, Anatres Au racing for Earl Bamber Motorsport and Eric Kwong for Kiddy World Racing.
When it comes to international Porsche legends, there’s really no bigger name than Jacky Ickx. The six-time Le Mans winner has conquered every aspect of motorsport, from F1 to endurance racing to winning the Paris-Dakar rally – Ickx has seen it all and won it all. The other big international name at the event was Earl Bamber, current Porsche factory driver and double Le Mans winner who cut his motorsport teeth right here in Asia, having been set on the road to worldwide racing stardom after he won the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia twice.
Alongside the human legends, Porsche also managed to surprise guests with a mechanical legend as well. The classic Porsche 935 variant of the 911 – one of the most successful on-the-track sports cars ever built – was on display alongside the 2019 tribute model. The classic 935 won 123 races between 1977 and 1983, while the tribute model is based on a 991 GT2 RS with the classic 935 body. For the Sportscar Together Day, both cars were decked out in the beloved Porsche Martini Racing livery.
10/20/2019
Further information and pictures for journalists and media representatives can be found on the Porsche press database at http://presse.porsche.de/.