40 years of Group C – a reunion in Leipzig

40 years of Group C – a reunion in Leipzig

24/10/2022
The most successful Porsche race car ever meets its Porsche drivers in Leipzig. In the Newsroom, they explain the technical milestones and most important developments.

The most successful Porsche race car ever meets its Porsche drivers in Leipzig. In the Newsroom, they explain the technical milestones and most important developments.

Group C racing drivers: Derek Bell, Hans-Joachim Stuck, Jochen Mass, l-r, 2022, Porsche AG
Group C racing drivers: Derek Bell, Hans-Joachim Stuck, Jochen Mass (l-r)
Bernd Schneider, Timo Bernhard, Hans-Joachim Stuck, Derek Bell, Jochen Mass, l-r, 2022, Porsche AG
Bernd Schneider, Timo Bernhard, Hans-Joachim Stuck, Derek Bell, Jochen Mass (l-r)
Mechanic Alexander Wiggenhauser and racing driver legend Derek Bell, l-r, 2022, Porsche AG
Mechanic Alexander Wiggenhauser and racing driver legend Derek Bell (l-r)
Racing driver legend Hans-Joachim Stuck, 2022, Porsche AG
Bernd Schneider, Timo Bernhard, Hans-Joachim Stuck, Derek Bell, Jochen Mass (l-r)

At the Porsche Experience Centre in Leipzig, Bell and his colleagues encountered the winning car from the 1982 24 Hours of Le Mans with chassis number 956-002. Also present was the 956 with chassis number 956-005, which won the 1,000-kilometre races at the Nürburgring and Spa, among other triumphs. This racing car was fully restored by the Porsche Museum and returned to its 1983 livery. These cars were also joined by the IMSA-spec 962 from 1984, which posted the fastest qualifying time in Daytona, and the 962 C that won the Supercup in 1987, both of which had also been restored to their original glory. Beside them was the 962 C with the starting number 17, the Le Mans winner in 1987. Also present was the youngest representative of Group C, the fourth-place finisher at Le Mans in 1990: the 962 C with chassis number 962-015, from the Joest customer team.

956-002 LT (1982), 956-005 ST (1983), 962-001 IMSA LT (1984), 962-006 LT (1987), 962-009 Shell Dunlop Design ST (1987), 962-015 Blaupunkt LT (1990), 2022, Porsche AG
956-002 LT (1982) (front right), 956-005 ST (1983) (front left), 962-001 IMSA LT (1984) (middle right), 962-006 LT (1987) (middle left), 962-009 Shell Dunlop Design ST (1987) (back right), 962-015 Blaupunkt LT (1990) (back left), 2022, Porsche AG
962-015 Blaupunkt LT (1990) (back right), 962-009 Shell Dunlop Design ST (1987) (back left), 962-006 LT (1987) (middle right), 962-001 IMSA LT (1984) (middle left), 956-005 ST (1983) (front right), 956-002 LT (1982) (front left), 2022, Porsche AG
956-002 LT (1982), 956-005 ST (1983), 962-001 IMSA LT (1984), 962-006 LT (1987), 962-009 Shell Dunlop Design ST (1987), 962-015 Blaupunkt LT (1990) (front to back), 2022, Porsche AG
956-002 LT (1982) (front), 956-005 ST (1983) (middle), 962-006 LT (1987) (back), 2022, Porsche AG

The reunion was also attended by then-test engineer Helmut Schmid and – joining by video – Norbert Singer, the head of the project and metaphorical father of the legendary car. Such an assembly of experts and stars needed a host who can meet them on an equal footing – in this case Timo Bernhard, the Le Mans winner in 2010 with AUDI and 2017 and two-time World Endurance Championship winner with Porsche. “The 956 is the most successful racing car in the history of Porsche. It dominated everyone. And it remained a winner for an unbelievable 12 years,” he said to kick things off. The 956 was unbeaten at Le Mans from 1982 to 1985, and this success was seamlessly continued by its successor, the 962 C, which took first place in the 24-hour race at the Circuit de la Sarthe in 1986 and 1987.

Impressive list of successes

The car’s list of successes is indeed impressive: five manufacturer’s and team titles, 43 individual victories at WEC races, five WEC driver’s titles, seven overall victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (from 1982 to 1987 with the 956 and 962 and with the 962 Dauer Le Mans GT in 1994), four IMSA titles, 52 individual victories in the IMSA races and five victories at the 24 Hours of Daytona. Jochen Mass put it in a nutshell: “Thanks, Norbert, for making it possible!”

956-002 LT (1982) (front), 956-005 ST (1983) (back), 2022, Porsche AG
962-015 Blaupunkt LT (1990), 956-002 LT (1982), 956-005 ST (1983), 962-009 Shell Dunlop Design ST (1987), 962-001 IMSA LT (1984), 962-006 LT (1987) (f.r. in the circle), 2022, Porsche AG
962-001 IMSA LT (1984), 962-009 Shell Dunlop Design ST (1987), 962-006 LT (1987), 956-002 LT (1982), 962-015 Blaupunkt LT (1990), 956-005 ST (1983), l-r, 2022, Porsche AG

Small wonder that the protagonists are in a fine mood – after all, they begin the day flying in formation in their racing cars on the 3.7 km, FIA-certified circuit at PEC Leipzig, the design of which recalls some of the best-known sections of the world’s race tracks. Although the drivers weren’t going quite as quickly as they would have back in the day, everyone gathered got goosebumps as the powerful racing cars, with their distinctive engine notes, ripped down the straight one after the other. The fact that the cars can even still be driven in this fashion is thanks to the Historic Motorsport team in the Porsche Heritage and Museum department and Coordinator Armin Burger.

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