The 27th publishing of this superb edition of Porsche Sport 2019 by Gruppe C Verlag, opens with this paragraph, “The year 2019 marked exactly half a century since a new competition sports car from Porsche was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show. It ranks among Porsche’s most legendary sports cars ever. Of course, we are talking about the Porsche 917, the car that gave the brand its coveted maiden overall win at Le Mans and also won the endurance classics at Daytona and Sebring.”
In the 917’s 50th anniversary year, the opening pages are justifiably given over to this magnificent sports car, illustrating through superb photography, both contemporary and current, the illustrious heritage of this iconic racer. In fact, if truth be told, Porsche would not be in the position it is in today had it not been for that first overall victory at Le Mans, back in 1970, that win surely ranking as its entry into that elite club of world class racers.
We have had the pleasure previously of reviewing several of the Porsche annual publications put out by Gruppe C, and this latest publication continues their very high standards both in terms of presentation and production. Its 336 pages are packed full of superb images (almost 1000 images) and content, covering Porsche’s motorsport activities on every continent around the world. Specifically, the annual tells the stories about the victories and achievements of all Porsche race cars in: America, Asia, Australia, Africa and Europe, as well as the famous endurance races at Dubai, Daytona, the Nürburgring, Le Mans and Spa-Francorchamps. This year, Porsche Sport 2019 also covers the brand’s entry into the world of Formula E. In addition, many significant international sports car championships and the thrilling battles such as Carrera Cups, GT3 Cup and Sprint Challenges and GT3 Cup Trophies are covered in their now familiar top quality style.
The racing heritage of the 911 has been built on its achievements in the world of endurance racing, and here the sections covering the long-distance races such as the Le Mans 24 Hours and the 24 Hours of Nürburgring, must rank as the most famous. But fear not, all the current 24-hour races are covered so there is much to read. In addition, the FIA World Endurance Championship and the Intercontinental GT Championship and many other important series are also covered.
The Le Mans 24 Hours was a notable race for the two 911 RSRs which finished second and third in the GTE Pro class, in fact the three top in this class all finished on the winning lap after 24 hours of hard racing. The GTE Am class was won by a 911. All the drama of the 24 Hours of Nürburgring from 2019 is illustrated here too, which saw the #911 Manthey Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R lead for most of the race, only for it to lose out on victory due to a speeding infringement. And then to add insult to injury, the car was subsequently banned due to an engine irregularity, so 2019 was indeed a memorable year, sometimes for the right reasons and sometimes for the wrong reasons.
Published annually since 1993, over the past three decades Porsche Sport has become the ‘must have’ annual publication for every Porsche enthusiast to enjoy. Just as with previous editions of this fine publication, it comes in dual language format with German/English text, an increasingly common trend these days. Included in the book is a comprehensive results and statistics table at the end of each section, giving the reader the whole picture of each championship right there with the text and images, making this annual a unique and valuable reference book. This is a sizeable volume, with the page count being increased from 304 to 336 pages in length, so there is a lot of material to be offered within its pages.
Would I buy this publication? Just as I said last year, without hesitation. Firstly, because it offers the reader a complete reference of Porsche’s racing activities for the year, in a convenient and well-presented volume. Secondly, it allows the reader to build a complete collection of Porsche motorsport achievements over the years, providing an excellent and valuable resource. Get your copy while you can!
