The Porsche race team is one of the most recognizable names in motor sports and racing. Since its inception in Germany, the Porsche Racing Team has won many world championship titles including the World Endurance Championship, the 24 Hours Of Le Mans and the European Le Mans Series. Every Porsche race car is designed with speed and power in mind. However, in a sport as competitive as motor racing, the drivers must also have the skill to control their car and perform under pressure.
The first official Porsche Racing driver was the 356 SC in 1951, a specially designed custom model of the first production car, the Porsche 356. At the first 24 Hours Of Le Mans, however, Porsche lost out to BMW for the second time in a row, this time to Audi by one point.
Although, by this time, the Porsche racing team had begun to gain popularity in Europe, the company itself was struggling financially and the Porsche 911 was not selling like it used to. The new sports cars weren't selling well on the streets either, despite the great publicity and advertising. This led to some changes in the way the company raced, making it possible for the new sports cars to get a chance to run at the prestigious Le Mans races. Porsche Racing became an important sponsor of the race and helped to grow the sport.
In order to increase speed, some parts were modified on the car's engine, like adding a larger radiator. Other parts such as the tires, brakes and suspension were changed, but many of these changes did not suit the Porsche's engine, leading to a lot of controversy. Eventually, with the help of the factory team, Porsche's racing engineers found ways to work around the problems with the engine.
Porsche's racing team, with the assistance of Mercedes, began the development of the 912. After careful testing, they found ways to improve on the basic design, creating the new 912. After winning the endurance title for the first time with the new 912, Porsche was ready to fight for the world championship again and so it decided to introduce a brand new vehicle, the 914.
With the new car and the help of the factory team, the Porsche Racing Team, the Porsche 914 soon became the fastest and most successful racing car in the world. A record number of 5 consecutive victories soon followed, giving Porsche the recognition and popularity it needed to become an official team member of the WRC (World Rally Championship, now renamed as the Le Mans Series). Porsche soon became a main competitor in endurance racing and endurance driving.
