Rennsport Collective Converges on Donington

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Chris Pollitt

On the 20th of July something magical happened. A gathering of some of the most powerful, most successful and most famous Porsche race cars came together at Donington Hall. The meeting was organised by purveyors of Porsche perfection, The Rennsport Collective, and it was a huge success for all involved.

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The Rennsport Collective is a Porsche members club, but one that takes a less traditional stance. The goal with this particular club is to celebrate the racers, the race inspired and the art of using one’s Porsche to its fullest. Founder Paul Geudon explained: ‘The Rennsport Collective is more of a movement than a club. It’s forged around a shared love for Porsche racing cars. Bringing the Collective’s cars to one fantastic location and sharing them with such passionate and like-minded fans was a real privilege.’

Porsche, Porsche 911, Rennsport Collective, Rennsport, classic Porsche. Race Porsche, Porsche motorsport

Cars came from all over the UK and Europe to be a part of this, the inaugural event. Highlights included the famous Playstation-liveried 911 GT1 Evo, the Skoal Bandit 956, James Hunt’s RHD Carrera RS 3.0, and a Gulf Porsche 917 – arguably the most famous racing Porsche of all time. Further standout vehicles included a Tour de France 911 S/T, and the very first Porsche 911 race car which won its Class in the 1965 Monte Carlo Rally.

Of course, Porsches intended for the road were there in big numbers, too, with everything from a 918 Spyder to a Carrera GT, 991 GT2 RS to a 993 Carrera RS on display. To the delight of the crowd, the cars were fired up at 11am and 2pm and demonstrated in a cavalcade around Donington Hall’s perimeter roads.

Porsche, Porsche 911, Rennsport Collective, Rennsport, classic Porsche. Race Porsche, Porsche motorsport

Being an event so heavily themed around motorsport and the associated Porsche, it would have been remiss of the Rennsport team to not capitalise on the closeness of the Donington race circuit. As such, the event was preceded by a private track day during which these amazing and iconic Porsches could really stretch their legs, weaving their way through famous sections such as the Craner Curves. And thanks to being completely unrestricted, the track day could be enjoyed by all, including cars such as a 991.2 GT3 Cup through to the Gulf Porsche 917.

Porsche, Porsche 911, Rennsport Collective, Rennsport, classic Porsche. Race Porsche, Porsche motorsport

Former editor of Evo and Motor Sport magazine Nick Trott, who has been assisting Geudon with The Rennsport Collective, commented: ‘I’m really proud of what the Collective has achieved today. Too many significant racing and road cars are tucked away in private collections but that’s not the spirit of this group. They like nothing more than getting their cars out and engaging with fans of the marque – I look forward to building on the success of this event with another in 2020.’

Porsche, Porsche 911, Rennsport Collective, Rennsport, classic Porsche. Race Porsche, Porsche motorsport

For us, meets like this are the way forward. It’s great to see cars with a motorsport background, but it’s even better to see them being used as their designers intended. Cars are, after all, built to move, and to cage these race-bred animals would be a hell of a shame. So with that in mind, let’s hope that this Rennsport Collective event is the first in a long line of events at which we can see, smell and hear these machines as intended.

Porsche, Porsche 911, Rennsport Collective, Rennsport, classic Porsche. Race Porsche, Porsche motorsport

 

 

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