At PCCJ

The other day at Okayama International CircuitPorsche Carrera Cup Japan (PCCJ)watched the game. On that occasion, theMotorsports Manager of Porsche Japanand we were able to talk to him directly, albeit for a short time.

During the pit tour held on the day of the event, a public relations person explained about the Carrera Cup cars, and today I would like to introduce a summary of what I heard.

Porsche Motorsports Projects

...Having said that, I have virtually no knowledge of Porsche's motorsports activities, so I decided to take this opportunity to do a little research.

Porsche Japan is a "leading manufacturer ofMotorsports activities in 2019 will be even stronger than last yearand commented at the end of last year. He went on to say that three projects will be implemented in 2019.

The first is called the world's fastest one-make race, "Porsche Carrera Cup Japan (PCCJ)The "F1 Japan GP" will be held at Okayama International Circuit in April, and the final race will be held at Suzuka Circuit in October as a support race for the F1 Japan GP, for a total of 11 rounds. What a surprise!This season marks the 19th year of the program.Yes.

The second project is the "718 Cayman GT4 ClubsportA new series called "Porsche Sprint Challenge Japan" using the "Porsche Sprint Challenge Japan. This is the "GT3 Cup Challenge(One of the official Porsche Motorsports-sanctioned races, held in 10 countries around the world)The race is an evolution of the "911 GT3 Cup" and will be run in a mixed format with the 911 GT3 Cup cars.

Since the 718 Cayman GT4 delivery is in mid-2019.Porsche Sprint Challenge Japan" will be held in the second half of the 2019 season.Yes.

And the third project is the PlayStation 4 (PS4) "Gran Turismo SPORTA one-make e-race by the "Porsche E-Racing JapanThe event was held in

Of the approximately 6 million Gran Turismo users around the world, approximately 3.5 million people are participating in the online competition.This year, the World Finals will also be held in Monaco with the top ranked players from all over the world.Yes.

It requires technique and strategy equivalent to racing in real life.This genre is attracting attention as the next generation of motorsports, with FIA-certified competitions also being held.
(*Article source.Certified E-Sports also launched [Porsche] Announces 2019 Motorsports Activities)

By the way.Porsche E-Racing JapanThis announcement was made recently regarding the timing of the "The

Porsche to Hold Official Races in Gran Turismo SPORT on PS4! - GT Sport Porsche Esports Racing Japan (PERJ)

My husband also races nightly on Gran Turismo and has set reasonably good times, but when we compete online, everyone seems to be half as good... and the other day I was in a "race" with aWhy don't you join Porsche E-Racing Japan?I said lightly, "I'm sorry.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. They're all unbelievably good.

He said. It's an amazing world!

I mean, I should have done at least this much research before I went to see the PCCJ. Then, when I was introduced to the person in charge of motorsports, I could have asked more legitimate questions... (-_-)

Porsche Motorsports representative speaks

We spoke to him this year.Naoki Matsuoka was appointed manager of Porsche Japan's motorsports division.Matsuoka-san is a former racer himself. Mr. Matsuoka is a former racer himself, and he is using his experience to lead Porsche Japan's motorsports activities this season.

Porsche's relationship with motorsports

."Porsche is inseparable from motorsportsThe stance of the company, which is considered to be "the most important thing in the world," has remained unchanged over the years. In addition, while there are many manufacturers that feed back the know-how developed through "motorsports" to their production vehicles, "No other manufacturer feeds back into production vehicles in the same form as Porsche does.I'm not sure how much of a difference it makes," Matsuoka said.

Indeed, a comparison of the production GT3 and the Carrera Cup car is a clear indication of this.

Even though the Carrera Cup car looks the same as the GT3 on the outside, it has a roll cage on the inside and uses carbon as a material.The weight has been tremendously reduced.Ordinarily, a Carrera Cup car would seem to be a completely different construction than a 911, but Porsche's factoryAssembled on the same line as the production 911Yes.

In other words, the Carrera Cup car is a "Not made on a dedicated line by a dedicated staff, but made on the same line as the 911 by the same staff that makes the 911.I think this is a great thing. I think this is a great thing.

Porsche is, nevertheless, a "Sporty and practicalThe emphasis is on being "the best of the best". Mr. Matsuoka is a member of the

Even the Panamera in the luxury saloon segment can drive on the track without any problems.

He said.

Yes, Panamera, that is exactly what it is.

Actually, the 971 Panamera Turbo we have at home.At the time of its launch in 2017, it set a time of 7 minutes 38 seconds on the Nürburgring North Course in Germany, beating the 911 GT3 (997 model) time of 7 minutes 40 seconds.It was a hot topic. And that's with the stock tires that will be available on the market.

This time, of course, was at the timeWorld's fastest in its classBut there is.

Well, the Panamera is amazing... but the driver must be amazing. If I were to actually drive the Panamera Turbo around the Nürburgring, it would probably take me about 30 minutes....

Porsche's relationship with motorsports

We also asked him about the intention of the Porsche Carrera Cup Japan (PCCJ), which is now streamed live on JSPORT starting this year. Then, Mr. Matsuoka answered...

Of course, we want people to know that the Carrera Cup exists, plusWe also want to spotlight the Gentleman Class racers.I thought it was a good idea.

He said.

Although they are classified as amateurs, they all have great skills.He has been practicing and seriously challenging himself to compete in the PCCJ and win the race.I wanted more and more people to see this run by all of you.

He said, "I'm not a racer. I am sure that Mr. Matsuoka thinks so because he himself has racer experience and understands how racers feel. He also talked about the Porsche Experience Day to be held at Fuji Speedway in June.(My wife and I participated for the first time last year).

Participated in Porsche Experience Day & watched Porsche Carrera Cup @ Fuji Speedway

The PCCJ Round 7-8 and Carrera Cup Asia will also be held in conjunction with the event.This year, Porsche will rent out Fuji Speedway for a whole day!Yes.

'That's great, but it sounds like a hell of a lot of money...!' I said.

Yes... (laughs) But we are what we are thanks to Porsche fans and Porsche owners, so we did it this time as a token of our gratitude.

He said, "I am very happy to be here. Due to my schedule, I was only able to hear a little bit of what he had to say this time, but I would like to hear more about it if I have the chance. Thank you, Mr. Matsuoka!

PCCJ Pit Tour

Next, I would like to share with you a story I heard during the pit tour.PCCJ is a "one-make race" that started in 2001 and is now in its 19th year.(All participants must ride in racing machines of the same specifications.)".

There were other manufacturers that held similar one-make races, but with each passing year, fewer and fewer racers entered, and they withdrew from the race.It has now become the longest running one-make race.Yes.

As I briefly aforementioned.The Carrera Cup car looks like a production GT3, but its interior has been thoroughly lightened.Under PCCJ regulations, the

The minimum weight of the vehicle is 1215 kg with empty fuel and the driver(including helmets, etc.)The minimum weight of the "Mere Old Man" is 85 kg, and a total of 1,300 kg machines will be competing.

The vehicle weight of 1,215 kg, which is considered to beAbout 300 kg lighter than the commercial GT3Yes.

The publicist described the car as a lightweight version of the 911.Carrera Tis often cited as an example, but it is still only about 20 kg lighter than a regular 911.（I'm sorry I said "only".)...When you think about it, you can see that the Carrera Cup cars are still ridiculously light.

Finally, the "What are the highlights of PCCJ?When asked the question, "What do you think of the

What I want you to see is.The fun is unique to one-make races.The PCCJ has strict regulations, and with regard to car specifications, tires(Michelin)Everything is in equal condition. Even though there are some subtle differences in the setting by the engineers, it is almost "as good as new".Depends on the skill of the driver.The winner is decided by the "one-make race". It is hard to find such an interesting one-make race!

He said.

Although domestic manufacturers have their own one-make races, "theWear tires from different manufacturersIt seems that there are times when people say, "XX tires are strong this season," butThe PCCJ depends on the skill of the driver, including mental strength and strategy.

I am sure that for the PCCJ drivers, "theMachine is in equal conditionI guess the ""-" part is one of the big attractions. Also, surprisingly, this time the PCCJ hasA 71-year-old driver is also participating in the race.Yes.

I'll be active for the rest of my life, that's cool.

Racing is Adult Adolescence

Motorsports is sometimes called "a rich man's pastime," but the more you know about it, the more you realize that there is no such thing as a "rich man's pastime" in motorsports.A real slugfest between adultsI felt as if it was similar to the world of the Suzuka 8-Hours Endurance Race, where Gentleman Shimada once formed a team and took on the challenge.

What people are passionate about in their lives is different for everyone, some people's passion is their "job," some people's passion is their "hobby," and so on... I thought again that I would like to live a life that burns passionately no matter how old I get.（That's the conclusion of the day, isn't it?)