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September 9th, 2020 – 311RS Motorsport completes successful back to back race weekends at Road America with SRO GT Sports Club and PCA Club Racing in the #311 Porsche 911 GT2RS Clubsport.

311RS Porsche 911 991 GT2RS Clubsport by Peter Lapinski

SRO America –  Ryan Gates qualified on GT2 Class pole and won both GT2 Class races in the 311RS Motorsport Porsche 911 GT2RS Clubsport at Round 3 of the SRO GT Sports Club America series.

311RS Porsche 911 991 GT2RS Clubsport by Peter Lapinski

PCA Club Racing – Running in GT1 Class in a field of 66 cars, Ryan Gates qualified on overall pole. In both Sprint Races, the #311 finished first in GT1 class and second overall, holding off four (4) Porsche 911 GT3Rs (991.1 generation) in the process. An impressive showing for Porsche’s 911 GT2RS Clubsport platform.

311RS Porsche 911 991 GT2RS Clubsport by Peter Lapinski

We would like to extend a special thank the entire 311RS Motorsport team for their hard work and execution during this double header event. Road America is our home track, and together we proved to ourselves and others that our efficiency on and off track is to be respected.

311RS Porsche 911 991 GT2RS Clubsport by Peter Lapinski

In addition, 311RS Motorsport would like to thank Porsche Motorsport for the reliable 911 GT2RS Clubsport platform and on-site factory support during SRO weekend. Both SRO America & PCA Club Racing deserve a thank you as well for hosting safe and fun events, and finally Road America for providing all of us a pristine & safe facility for us all to race at. 

Upcoming schedule – Ryan Gates is to campaign the 311RS Motorsport Porsche 911 GT2RS Clubsport in at final two SRO America GT Sports Club events –  Circuit of the Americas September 18-20 & the season finale at Indianapolis on October 2-4, 2020.

Link to official press release.

Photos courtesy of Peter Lapinski.

We are pleased to announce a partnership with our local Porsche dealers – Porsche Minneapolis and Porsche St. Paul.

Both dealers have been longstanding hubs for the Porsche community here in the Twin Cities, and we look forward to welcoming them to the world of Motorsport as partners of our 311RS Motorsport program in SRO America and PCA Club Racing for 2020. 

Initial plans include branding on our Porsche 911 GT2RS Clubsport for the remainder of our 2020 racing schedule along with showing(s) of the car at the dealership(s). 

Future plans will be shared as they develop. Items such as private track days, tech sessions at the dealership(s) with modern & vintage Factory Porsche 911 race cars, and many more have been discussed. 

We are very proud to be working with our hometown Porsche dealers and will work together with their teams to ensure our Motorsport community, and the Porsche community as a whole, benefits from this partnership for years to come.

Ride onboard with Ryan Gates during Qualifying at Round 2 of the SRO GT Sports Club at Sonoma Raceway. The 1:44.8 lap was enough for pole position in GT2 Class and set a qualifying record for GT2 Class at Sonoma.

  • Driver: Ryan Gates
  • Car: 311RS Motorsport Porsche 911 GT2RS Clubsport
  • Lap time: 1:44.8
  • Track: Sonoma Raceway

August 9th, 2020 – 311RS Motorsport qualifies on GT2 Class pole and wins both GT2 Class races in the 311RS Porsche 911 GT2RS Clubsport. at Round 2 of the SRO GT Sports Club America series at Sonoma Raceway.

We would like to extend a special thank the entire 311RS Motorsport team for their hard work and preparation for this event. Sonoma is a unique track, together we dialed the car in during Practices 1 & 2 and managed to put it on pole in GT2 Class – allowing us to run two clean races and bring home some more hardware to Minneapolis, MN. A real team effort.

In addition, 311RS Motorsport would like to thank Porsche Motorsport for the reliable GT2RS Clubsport platform and on-site factory support, SRO America for hosting a safe and fun event, and finally Sonoma Raceway for providing all of us a beautiful facility to race at. 

Upcoming schedule: Ryan Gates is to campaign the 311RS Motorsport Porsche 911 GT2RS Clubsport for the remainder of 2020 at SRO Road America, PCA Road America, SRO Watkins Glen, & SRO season finale at Indy.

Download press release here

Photos: Peter Lapinski

July 31st, 2020: 311RS Motorsport enters five (5) factory Porsche race cars for the 2020 PCA Club Race at Brainerd International Raceway. The team effort produced 3 overall wins, 5 podiums, and 9 class wins.

311RS Porsche 911 991 GT2RS Clubsport

PCA Club Racing provided four (4) 311RS Motorsport drivers the opportunity to earn their racing licenses during the weekend.

Bruce Gates, driving his Porsche 911 GT2RS Clubsport, won Overall in both Sprint races.

Jeff Majkrzak drove his 2018 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup to two class wins in GTC7.

Gumer Alvero earned two wins in GTC6 with his 2015 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.

John Hull, driving his freshly restored 2004 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, earned the hard charger award for working from the back of the pack to pass 39 other Porsche drivers to finish 2nd in GTC3 in Sprint 1. In Sprint 2 he worked further forward to earn another 2nd in GTC3.

Ryan Gates drove his 2008 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup to 3rd Overall in Sprint 1.

Ryan drove the 311RS Motorsport Porsche 911 GT2RS Clubsport in the 90-min Enduro race with his father, Bruce Gates.

Together they battled back from a lengthy pitstop to finish 2nd behind the duo of Jeff Majkrzak and Leh Keen in Jeff’s 2018 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.

Upcoming schedule: Ryan Gates is to campaign the 311RS Motorsport Porsche 911 GT2RS Clubsport at SRO Sonoma, SRO Road America, PCA Road America, SRO Watkins Glen, & SRO season finale at Indy.

Photos courtesy of Peter Lapinski

Link to press release here

July 13th, 2020 – 311RS Motorsport wins GT2 Class at the inaugural SRO GT Sports Club America race at Virginia International Raceway in the 311RS Motorsport Porsche 911 GT2RS Clubsport driven by Ryan Gates.

Link to series website – Gates sweeps SRO GT2 Class at VIR

311RS Porsche 911 991 GT2RS Clubsport

We would like to thank the entire 311RS Motorsport team and Goldcrest Motorsports for all the hard work and preparation to make this weekend a reality. We should all be proud of the team’s near-flawless execution leading up to and during this race weekend at VIR.

In addition, we would like to thank Porsche Motorsport for the reliable GT2RS Clubsport platform and factory on-site support, SRO America for hosting a safe and fun event, and finally VIR for providing all of us a beautiful facility to race at. 

More information to follow.

Photos: Peter Lapinski

July 6th, 2020: 311RS Motorsport enters the 2020 SRO GT Sports Club America Championship in GT2 class with the 311RS Porsche 911 GT2RS Clubsport. The first round of SRO GT Sports Club America takes place on July 9-12th, 2020 at Virginia International Raceway.

Statement from driver and 311RS Motorsport team owner, Ryan Gates: “Porsche created the 911 GT2RS Clubsport with SRO GT2 class in mind. It’s exciting to see Porsche 911 GT2s racing again and we are looking forward to running with SRO GT Sports Clubsport America; the first US-based series with a GT2 class.

We have been preparing for this moment since founding the company nine years ago. A special thank you to our Minneapolis-based team along with the folks from Goldcrest Motorsports for their support as we launch this campaign with the Porsche 911 GT2RS Clubsport in SRO.”

We will provide further information throughout the week leading up to the weekend. Thank you to all who have helped make this happen for us!

Download copy of press release here.

In cooperation with Brainerd International Raceway, we hosted a private test for our GT2RS Clubsport & 991.2 GT3 Cup. In addition, we invited a small group of our road car clients to join us for some much-needed high speed therapy. 

Participants were limited to a total of 10 as part of our agreement with the track and the local county attorney. Strict social-distance guidelines were adhered to and we are happy to report, nearly four weeks since the event, each one of us who attended remain free of COVID-19 symptoms. 

Peter Lapinski was on hand to capture the scenes of our first test for 2020. We thank him for being there as we rolled out our GT2RS Clubsport for the first time, a huge milestone for our team. Please enjoy the following selection images from Peter and accompanying notes from the team.

The line up included: GT2RS Clubsport, 991.2 GT3 Cup, GT2RS, 991.2 GT3RS (x2) 991.2 GT3, 997.1 GT3, and a 996.2 GT3 (did not run). 

311RS Porsche 911 GT2RS Clubsport and 991 GT3 Cup at BIR by Peter Lapinski

The sun was hitting the GT2RS Gold BBS wheels just right. 

311RS Porsche 911 GT2RS Clubsport and 991 GT3 Cup at BIR by Peter Lapinski

The 311RS Porsche 911 GT2RS Clubsport followed by the 311RS Porsche 911 GT3 Cup on track together for the first time. 

311RS Porsche 911 GT2RS Clubsport and 991 GT3 Cup at BIR by Peter Lapinski

311RS Porsche 911 GT2RS Clubsport and 991 GT3 Cup at BIR by Peter Lapinski

311RS Porsche 911 GT2RS Clubsport and 991 GT3 Cup at BIR by Peter Lapinski

Our partners at Goldcrest Motorsports sent Blake White up for the test. He helped us get up to speed and ensured the test went smoothly. Thank you Blake & Goldcrest!

The GT2RS Clubsport absolutely ate up the track. Even during shakedown, the car was running faster laps than we had ever ran around BIR. A beast, as they say.

With nothing more than fuel & distilled water (for the intercooler sprayer system), the GT2RS Clubsport ran like clockwork. Here we see Ryan giving the underside of the car an ocular pat down after a session in the car. 

311RS Porsche 911 GT2RS Clubsport and 991 GT3 Cup at BIR by Peter Lapinski

It was a treat running the GT2RS road car and the GT2RS Clubsport together on track. While the road car is quite a bit faster in a straight line (it is tuned by M-Engineering making over 700whp), the Clubsport handily walked away from it over the course of a lap. 

311RS Porsche 911 GT2RS Clubsport and 991 GT3 Cup at BIR by Peter Lapinski

311RS Porsche 911 GT2RS Clubsport and 991 GT3 Cup at BIR by Peter Lapinski

Two different vantage points through T9 – a turn that requires much respect from the driver. 

311RS Porsche 911 991 GT3 Cup at BIR by Peter Lapinski

Elsewhere on track, Jeff was up to speed out of the box in his 991.2 GT3 Cup. He’s tested the car at Sebring & COTA already this season, so on familiar territory at BIR he was very quick.

311RS Porsche 911 991 GT3 Cup at BIR by Peter Lapinski

We look forward to working with this driver and car as the season progresses. The 991.2 GT3 Cup provides us an opportunity to understand and develop with Porsche’s latest Cup car platform. This experience will pay dividends for years to come. 

Dan was pushing his 311RS-prepared 991.2 GT3RS to new limits during the test. He is picking up speed, and quickly. We are looking forward to seeing his development this season.

311RS Porsche 911 997 GT3 at BIR by Peter Lapinski

Tom was on hand in his gorgeous 311RS-prepared 997.1 GT3 consistent as usual. It’s always a pleasure seeing this car run. 

311RS Porsche 911 GT3RS at BIR by Peter Lapinski

A new driver for 311RS, John, was testing out his new 311RS-prepared 991.2 GT3RS for the first time. Fresh from an initial chassis setup, he was quick to improve, lopping multiple seconds from his lap times each session.

He’s due back into 311RS HQ for further upgrades along with our track aero & chassis setup. We are looking forward to seeing this & driver car develop.

311RS Porsche 911 991 GT3 at BIR by Peter Lapinski

Brandon was up to speed right away in his 311RS-prepared 991.2 GT3. We’ve been working with him for a season now, his progression in both speed and feedback have been great to see.

He’s now equipped with our safety package (roll bar, harnesses, and HANS device) and faster than ever while also being safer than ever. 

311RS Porsche 911 GT2RS Clubsport and 991 GT3 Cup at BIR by Peter Lapinski

Bruce was pounding laps in his GT2RS road car in between sessions in his GT2RS Clubsport. Hearing his feedback in back to back sessions was awesome, suddenly that GT2RS road car felt very much like a road car in comparison.

That’s it for now. Lots learned, with even more yet to learn. Until next time, Fear The Cheese!

Photos courtesy of Peter Lapinski

As delivered, the GT2RS Clubsport is one of the most aggressive and imposing things to ever come out of Stuttgart. Part of that look comes from the exposed carbon fiber throughout the car.

This is where we come in – with the aim to “complete” the look of the car. 

311RS Porsche 911 GT2RS Clubsport

As delivered to 311RS. Factory fresh. Exposed carbon fiber all around.

311RS Porsche 911 991 GT2RS Clubsport Motive Artworks

Wes from Motive Artworks rendered our vision and brought it to life. Here is a comparison between as delivered and 311RS. To us, the 311RS Porsche GT2RS Clubsport looks as though it could have came like that from the factory, which was ultimately the goal. 

311RS Porsche 911 GT2RS Clubsport

The first thing that needed changing were the wheels. Porsche created GT2RS Gold specifically for the 997 GT2RS in 2011, and continued it for the 991 GT2RS in 2018. We absolutely love the color and wanted to bring that aspect of the GT2RS to the GT2RS Clubsport. 

311RS Porsche 911 GT2RS Clubsport BBS Satin White Gold Metallic

There we go. A GT2RS, in our opinion, should always have GT2RS Gold wheels. 

311RS Porsche 911 GT2RS Clubsport BBS Satin White Gold Metallic

We’ll be running the car in PCA Club Racing and SRO GT Sports Club, both of which are officially partnered with Pirelli. On the road cars we exclusively run Michelin tires, however for the race cars, at least for the current series we operate in, Pirelli is the tire. 

Fun fact: the GT2RS Clubsport runs the same size tire front and rear as the 991 GT3 Cup.

311RS Porsche 911 GT2RS Clubsport BBS Satin White Gold Metallic

First test fit. We were feeling good about the combination!

311RS Porsche 911 GT2RS Clubsport BBS Satin White Gold Metallic

311RS Porsche 911 991 GT2RS Clubsport Color X Labs

On the ground and pure class. The Satin White Gold metallic gives the car life, and allows the BBS wheel design to be fully appreciated. 

However, something had to be done about that exposed carbon fiber. More on that later.

311RS Porsche 911 GT2RS Clubsport ClearPlex

With the wheels and tires sorted, we began to focus on preserving the car. Cory from Lifestyle Tint is our go to for ClearPlex install. These semi-permanent window films do a great job protecting the glass from debris. 

We tend to go through 1 or 2 of these films per season, depending on driver. With the GT2RS Clubsport we aim to use just this one this season. 

311RS Porsche 911 991 GT2RS Clubsport Color X Labs

Onto the fun part – we partnered with Color X Labs to create a vinyl wrap that would match the exact color of our GT2RS Clubsport. They use the OEM Porsche paint code (Carrara White – B9A) to match the color, and further “tune” the color using a piece of the body work, in our case we sent them the fuel door. 

311RS Porsche 911 991 GT2RS Clubsport Color X Labs

And so it begins. 

311RS Porsche 911 991 GT2RS Clubsport Color X Labs

While we set out to “complete” the look of the car, that did not mean we cover all of the exposed carbon fiber. Instead, by covering a large portion of it and exposing portions of the carbon fiber, the result was accentuation of the ducting on the hood. 

311RS Porsche 911 991 GT2RS Clubsport Color X Labs

We love the look – adding aggression while simultaneously completing the hood. Note the beautiful color match of the vinyl to the factory painted bumper and fenders. 

311RS Porsche 911 991 GT2RS Clubsport Color X Labs

The idea to add white to the wing end plates was to give that rear wing a place on the car. It’s so large and so far back, with black end plates it can get visually lost from certain angles. 

Along with a Porsche logo across the wing, the end plates completed our work back there and again looks as though it could have came that way from the factory.

311RS Porsche 911 991 GT2RS Clubsport Color X Labs

Here we see the removable carbon decklid getting it’s helping of Carrara White vinyl wrap. We chose to leave the air intakes exposed (as is on the GT2RS road car) along with the backside of the duckbill – this gives some nice contrast in the rear while highlighting how much the piece acts as an aero device. 

Also seen here is Elliott from Glisten Detailing –  he worked through night to complete the car and did an amazing job executing all of the minute details we had for him. We cannot thank him enough for the dedication he showed to the project. Beers on us for the foreseeable future!!

311RS Porsche 911 991 GT2RS Clubsport Color X Labs

311RS Porsche 911 991 GT2RS Clubsport Color X Labs

Take a look at the amount of material used to cover the rear bumper. The GT2RS Clubsport is especially girthy back there. 

311RS Porsche 911 991 GT2RS Clubsport Color X Labs

Fear The Cheese – a hat tip to the legends at Matt’s Bar. We are proud to be from Minnesota and love the Jucy Lucy, so we felt it was a fitting tribute to where we come from and what we love.

And as such, the car will affectionately be known as Lucy to us here at 311RS. There is no doubt she will be a jucy one!

311RS Porsche 911 991 GT2RS Clubsport Color X Labs

The roof would be the final portion we wrap in an effort to “complete” the car. Doing so required removing the emergency hatch – 8 quarter turn allen bolts and it was off. Very cool.

311RS Porsche 911 991 GT2RS Clubsport Color X Labs

And the result is seen above. The car looks gorgeous, and every bit aggressive as when it was delivered. To us, the car is now visually “complete”. 

311RS Porsche 911 991 GT2RS Clubsport

The moment the car was finished (5:15a) it was loaded up. We had a 5:30a meeting time to head up to BIR for our first test with the car. Talk about just in time!! 

Another factory Porsche race car joins the 311RS Motorsport program for 2020 – a  Porsche 911 GT2RS Clubsport. Complimenting our 911 GT2RS road car, the 911 GT2RS Clubsport will provide a familiar platform for us to further develop our racing team in 2020. 

311RS Porsche 911 GT2RS Clubsport

The initial program has been curtailed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however we look forward to racing the car with PCA Club Racing and perhaps SRO in the GT2 class. 

311RS Porsche 911 GT2RS Clubsport

Until then, the car is to receive a baseline chassis setup in collaboration with Goldcrest Motorsports. A few visual updates are planned in coordination with the rest of the 311RS Motorsport racing team.

We look forward to sharing the next chapter with you. In the meantime, please be safe and do your part to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus. 

Photos courtesy of Peter Lapinski.