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The Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid passed its test leading up the Nuerburgring 24 hour race on 15 and 16 May with flying colours. At round two of the Nuerburgring Long Distance Championship, the racer from Weissach decked out in white and orange crossed the finish line third in the overall classification. On 23 April, several weeks prior to the long distance classic in the Eifel, AT&T Williams Formula 1 pilot Nico Hülkenberg will test the hybrid-911 on the Nuerburgring Nordschleife.


Testing for the third round of the Nuerburgring Long Distance Championship, Hülkenberg will make his debut on the Nordschleife in a race car. Hülkenberg is no stranger to the flywheel generator that stores energy from the Porsche-developed hybrid system. Following Porsche’s specifications, the generator was designed and manufactured by Williams Hybrid Power.

“This test drive will certainly be a completely new experience for me,” says Hülkenberg. “In my career to date I’ve only every driven formula cars so I’m very curious to find out how the Porsche with hybrid technology drives.”

Electric front-wheel-drive with two electric motors developing 60 kW (82 hp) each supplements the 480 hp four-litre flat-six at the rear of the 911 GT3 R Hybrid. Instead of the batteries used in hybrid road cars, an electrical flywheel power generator fitted in the cockpit beside the driver delivers energy to the electric motors. Compared to a battery, the flywheel generator has the advantage of storing high amounts of energy considerably quicker and then releasing it.



Thanks to its sophisticated electronic control, the innovative hybrid drive of the 911 GT3 R automatically provides optimal efficiency at racing speed. The combination of the combustion engine and electric motors fulfil a simple objective: Less fuel consumption without compromising performance. When overtaking or accelerating out of a bend, the driver can manually override the controls by pressing the boost paddle on the steering wheel and sending energy from the charged flywheel generator to the front axle. This additional power of 120 kilowatts is available to the driver after each charge process for approximately six to eight seconds.

Nico Hülkenberg’s test drive starts on 23 April at ca. 14.30 hours and lasts for about one hour.