From pixels to pavement: Testing the new Porsche 911 Cup in iRacing and IRL

Before the cup car, some warmup in a GT3.

Credit:
Tim Stevens

The car I drove had a dual-clutch transmission, which meant I could just relax and let the car do the shifting while I figured out which way to go. Though I came in too hot to a few corners and often got a little over-exuberant when accelerating out of them, the car’s top-notch stability and traction control systems made sure I never found any of the PEC’s many and inviting walls.

911 Cup

Firing up the 911 Cup requires a bit of ceremony. There’s a big, chunky master switch that must be pulled out and down to start, and then a separate ignition switch. After that, you’re tempted to stab the shiny red button that’s immediately to the right, but do that, and you’ll only make a very big mess. That button releases the car’s extinguisher system.

The Engine Start button is in the traditional Porsche place to the left of the steering wheel. Press that and, assuming your foot is on the clutch, the engine fires to life with a deafening roar. Yes, there’s a clutch pedal here, despite this being a car with paddle shifters. Unlike the GT3’s dual-clutch unit, it’s a single-clutch sequential gearbox.

That means you need the clutch to get the thing going in first gear, but after that, the car automatically slams from one gear to the next, cutting the throttle on upshifts and auto-blipping it on downshifts. There’s even a function that will quickly restart the engine should you stall it at the launch.

A look at the working environment.

Tim Stevens

A look at the working environment.

Tim Stevens

The road car’s interior is simple compared to the Cup car.

Tim Stevens

The road car’s interior is simple compared to the Cup car.

Tim Stevens

A look at the working environment.

Tim Stevens

The road car’s interior is simple compared to the Cup car.

Tim Stevens

Sadly, I got to test that feature, as I was a little too gentle with the throttle pulling out of the pits. It bucked and stalled, but as soon as I got back on the clutch, the engine re-fired. I was free to shame-facedly head out onto the track.