- Lionspeed GP commits to new championship celebrating GT3’s 20 year anniversary
- Jose Garcia and Tim Mol to pilot retro-liveried Porsche 997 GT3 R
- David Harrison joins Lionspeed for the first time in second entry
- Lionspeed GP completes bare shell restauration of 2x 997 GT3R
Lionspeed GP is celebrating both its and GT3s past with a two-car effort in the new GT3 Revival Series. The team will field a pair of Porsche 997 GT3 Rs in the new series by Peter Auto and SRO Motorsports Group, with the Le Mans Classic event shaping up to be a guaranteed season highlight.
The newly formed GT3 Revival Series, created as part of a joint venture between Peter Auto and SRO, was set up to mark the 20th anniversary of the creation of the GT3 ruleset. Since then, it’s become a global benchmark in endurance racing, as well as a competitive home for Lionspeed.
The championship, consisting of five rounds, will race at some of Europe’s most iconic venues. It kicks off in April at Circuit Paul Ricard, racing as a support race for GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS, with a similar arrangement at the Nürburgring (August) and Barcelona (October). In addition to that, GT3 Revival will feature at two of Europe’s most high-profile historic racing events: Le Mans Classic and Spa Classic.
The series is open to drivers with a Gold, Silver or Bronze FIA categorisation. Cars are grouped into two categories: Gen I for cars from 2006 and 2009 and Gen II for machinery from 2010 to 2013.
Lionspeed will compete in the latter class with a pair of Porsche 997 GT3 Rs, headlined by an entry for longtime team drivers Jose Garcia and Tim Mol. The duo will pilot the No. 80 car, which has been decked out in a livery paying tribute to Lionspeed’s formative years. The asymmetrical red and black livery is a reminiscence to the teams first move to GT3 racing in 2020, whereby it took an SP9 Pro-Am victory during the Nürburgring 24h race.
Garcia: “The GT3 Revival Series brings back the first generation GT3 models. We’re going to be racing with a Porsche 997 GT3R. Thanks to Porsche and to Lionspeed for making this possible. We very much look forward to all tracks, all the championships, and we hope to see you on the podium.”
Mol: “It will be my first time racing in a 997 GT3 R. It’s really different, it’s super fast. As I step up from historic racing, it will be a first racing on slick tyres and electronics. The first races will be a lot of getting used to the car and building it up step by step, but it’s a lot of fun.”
The second car will be driven by David Harrison, who is new to Lionspeed GP but brings experience from Porsche Cup racing.
Harrison: “I followed the team and it’s gone from strength to strength, so it’s exciting to join this professional setup. I like the idea of stepping back into something that’s not quite as frantic as the current modern stuff. We’re taking it back a few years to see and run in cars that have more drama and noise. What I might call real race cars. The series looks like it’s had very good interest, so it should have a very large grid. To me, that’s one of the most important parts about racing: knowing that there’s a large field.”
“We have added two 997 GT3 Rs to the Lionspeed stable and spent the winter fully rebuilding them to bring them back to their former glory. This marks Lionspeed’s first bare shell restorations, and the cars look even better than when they left the factory,” says Patrick Kolb, CEO of Lionspeed. “The first generation of GT3 cars is what got many of us excited about endurance racing in the form we know today. We are thankful to Patrick Peter and Stéphane Ratel for creating such a great opportunity that allows these cars to be raced again.”
