RENNSPORT REUNION 2018 IS A RECORD BREAKER
Legends on four wheels and two feet in attendance
81,550 Porsche fanatics descended on the Laguna Seca circuit in central California for the sixth instalment of the Rennsport Reunion celebration of all things Porsche. It was the highest attendance at Laguna Seca in five years and easily broke the Rennsport Reunion V record of more than 60,000 at the previous event in 2015, which was also held at Laguna Seca.
The theme of the sixth edition was “Champions”. With over 30,000 race wins, Porsche reckons it is by far the most successful brand in motorsports worldwide. Around 2500 vehicles, including everything from 356 Speedster to the RS Spyder, the 959 Dakar and the 919 Hybrid racer, thrilled visitors with their fast laps in seven categories.
Dr. Wolfgang Porsche himself turned some laps in 356 Number One, the first registered vehicle from Porsche in 1948. “It was a pleasure to drive,” said the Chairman of the Supervisory Board at Porsche AG. “The corkscrew corner is definitely a lot of fun in a really fast car. I only know this passage from our track at Leipzig. The original is far more impressive.”
Among numerous notable figures who attended the 2018 event was Belgian motor racing legend Jacky Ickx. “Some very emotional experiences are connected to so many Porsche race cars,” he says. “But it’s the incredible moments that are deeply rooted. This becomes more and more obvious when I see a Porsche 936. In such a car we won a seemingly impossible race at Le Mans in 1977. For hours we fought tooth and nail. The team gave their utmost. In the end we climbed to the top of the podium. We made the impossible possible. No one gave up – you never forget such lessons.”
Jochen Mass, the Porsche legend from Germany, was also there. “It’s fantastic to see all these race cars. That’s when I realise everything I drove back then,” said Jochen on the eve of his 72nd birthday. “When I see these cars, I want to race them. Especially the 962. These cars bring back all the memories. For instance, I think how magnificent it was to drive the works cars. When customer teams slightly modified the 962, often the good balance was gone. What does that tell us? Leave a Porsche as it is. That’s as good as it gets.”
Bringing things up to the modern day was not only a few demo laps by Porsche’s new 935 track toy but also the final appearance of a Le Mans legend. After scoring three overall wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the title of the World Endurance Championship WEC and setting records on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife and the Circuit Spa-Francorchamps, Porsche works driver Earl Bamber from New Zealand turned the final laps in the Evo-version of the Porsche 919 Hybrid. A fitting end to both a fantastic career and a great event.