Porsche Cars Australia will begin Australian celebrations of 70 years of the Porsche sports car at the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne this week.
The event will be the Australian debut of the Porsche 911 GT2 RS, the fastest and most powerful 911 with approval for use on the road. Local hero and Porsche ambassador Mark Webber, who was involved in the development of this high-performance model, will be on-hand to drive the GT2 RS around the Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit. The first Australian-bound version of this car will also be on display at the event.
Webber and the GT2 RS will also be a part of the exclusive Porsche Pole Position track activity on the Wednesday prior to the event, where Porsche owners will experience the special privilege of driving their Porsche sports cars around the GP circuit at speed.
In addition to the 911 GT2 RS, seven vehicles commemorating the last 70 years of Porsche racing in Australia will be on display in the Porschestraße (translation: Porsche street) situated next to the Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia paddock, between Turn 1 and the Albert Park Lake. This display ranges from a 1951 Porsche 356 Cabriolet up to a 2017 Porsche 911 GT3 RS. See below for full list and background on each display car.
Porschestraße will also include the Australian-built Porsche In Motion experience, where enthusiasts will have the opportunity to sit in the passenger seat of the iconic Porsche 911 and take it for a test drive through a virtual reality experience, discover the brand’s distinct sporting heritage and explore the latest model range on display.
Returning again in 2018 is the popular Porsche Kids Driving School, where junior race fans can get behind the wheel of a pint-size Porsche on a purpose-built track. Children from 120-150 cm tall can register to participate in the Porsche Kids Driving School, which consists of a theory and driving session, with all participants receiving their very first Porsche Kids Driving School Licence at the completion of the 20-minute session.
Guests inside the Porsche Pavilion will enjoy luxury hospitality as well as panoramic views of the first and second corners of the Albert Park layout all weekend. Some of these guests will dovetail their spectating with the Porsche High Flier Grand Prix Experience program, run by the Porsche Track Experience team at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit in the new four-litre 911 GT3, before arriving at the circuit by helicopter.
On-track, Round 2 of the Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup will be one of the highlights of the racing program, where 26 new Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars will be competing for glory in the Pro and TAG Heuer Pro-Am classes.
“We’re delighted to kick-start this year’s 70th anniversary of the Porsche sports car at the Formula 1® 2018 Rolex Australian Grand Prix with a wide variety of activities that should prove popular with sports car fans,” said Porsche Cars Australia Director of Marketing and Motorsport, Toni Andreevski.
