Porsche GT4 e-Performance 1,088 PS. From zero to 200 in 5.6 seconds, purely electric: Klaus Bachler drives the Porsche GT4 e-Performance.
Klaus Bachler is right at home in the land by the river – which is what Austria calls itself in the second line of its national anthem. And currents in their electrified form have had a part in fueling his professional life since 2020. As a race driver, the Austrian native of Styria races up to twenty-five weekends a year in petrol-powered GT Porsches. But when he talks about being one of the development drivers of the Porsche GT4 e-Performance, he especially likes to emphasize the word ‘privilege’.
This car made history one spring day almost three years ago, when Bachler drove the first few meters in this historic race car for Porsche. It is the first all-electric racing car to be built in-house, and it represents the future of racing – or rather, drives it.
Open to new technologies
Bachler is 31 – old enough to have been socialized as a classic petrol head, and yet young enough that when asked whether he has ever had any prejudices against electric mobility, he replies indignantly, “I have never had any. I am always very open to new technologies.”
A clear run. Since the spring of 2020, this electric powerhouse has been intensively tested.
Especially when they unleash so much power. “1,088 PS – from zero to 200 km/h in 5.6 seconds, you are already at 100 in 2.3 seconds. Those numbers say everything.” Almost everything – the rest is for Klaus Bachler to tell us, the man who works inside this prototype.
Ποια είναι η μεγαλύτερη διαφορά σε σύγκριση με τον κινητήρα εσωτερικής καύσης της Porsche; "Αυτό είναι ξεκάθαρο - οι επιδόσεις. Είναι πρωτοφανής. Και στη συνέχεια υπάρχει αυτή η απόκριση. Φυσικά, ο ηλεκτροκινητήρας αναδύεται αμέσως από χαμηλές στροφές του κινητήρα, έχει εξαιρετικά υψηλή ροπή έλξης. Με όλη αυτή την ισχύ σε συνδυασμό με την τετρακίνηση - πρέπει επίσης να προσαρμόσετε το στυλ οδήγησής σας".
Einblicke und Ausblicke: „Trotz der intensiven Beschleunigung wird der Fahrer nicht überfordert.“
So, we asked the pilot more on the style. How do you drive this electric machine? “You must make a clear distinction here. Are you doing a timed lap at maximum power, i.e. with all 1,088 PS – or is it a race? On a qualifying run with that much power, it is important to get the car straight as quickly as possible – it has to already be at the apex to really accelerate. You always get a good lap time at the exit. In other words, the time before the car turns into the curve must be as low as possible.”
That is why you can be and have to be very aggressive in your setup to get the car turning on the brakes as quickly as possible in qualifying mode. “But in race trim we clearly have less power, but still a lot – 450 kilowatts. But in this phase, both the driving style and the setup are much closer to what you have with a combustion engine.”
"Πρέπει να συνηθίσεις την απόδοση"
What do talented amateurs have to keep in mind with these race cars? “The first thing is straightforward – you must get used to the performance. We have an acceleration – one that is so impressive that professionals are more than impressed. But the good news is, once you have done it and experienced it often enough, this GT4 e-Performance is relatively easy to drive and control.”
Η ομάδα δοκιμών της Porsche. Δουλεύει σε ένα αυτοκίνητο που γράφει ιστορία στην Porsche.
Also, during races. But how will their character change if all cars are charged instead of fueled? “There is no definitive answer to that at the moment,” Bachler admits, “So far we have only been working with this one prototype. We have not been able to drive two GT4 e-Performance closely and in a two-person race yet to experience the specific effects in detail. But I do not think there will be a big difference in racing when compared to races with petrol-powered GT race cars like the RSR.” Why? “The truth is simple. Everyone either wants to be first into the corner or first out. The type of drive will not change the nature of the two-person race dramatically. Everything boils down to the basic essence of that of a race driver.”
When will we see this car in action?
The development driver is not the one who is able or even wants to be the judge of that. “It was our job to get a prototype onto the racetrack that works. Now we will have to wait and see what can be done with these cars in the future.
Customer feedback: Acceleration, performance, road holding are all fantastic.
Είτε θα δημιουργήσετε ένα Κύπελλο Κατασκευαστών στο στυλ των επιτυχημένων παραδειγμάτων του Supercup και του Carrera Cup, είτε σύντομα θα υπάρξουν πολλοί άλλοι κατασκευαστές που θα αναπτύξουν παρόμοια αγωνιστικά αυτοκίνητα. Αυτό θα μας έδινε την ευκαιρία να αγωνιστούμε και με άλλα πρωτότυπα".
The possibilities of the race car also extend beyond the circuit. Who would not want to see a powerhouse like the GT4 e-Performance in hill climbs?
Stirs up all racing senses
It is important, especially for customer racing, to build a car that is also user-friendly. “I was involved in the development from the start, and it was extremely intense. But also, extremely interesting – highly complex as well as very different from testing a race car with a conventional drive.”
But it was worth it. “Now we have a car that on the one hand drives well and on the other hand is easy to drive – which is important for those who will be driving cars like these in the future and who will want to enjoy racing with them. A car that stirs up all your racing senses with its intense acceleration, but that also does not overwhelm you.”
Ο Bachler έχει τώρα τους πρώτους μάρτυρες που υποστηρίζουν αυτό το γεγονός. Στο πλαίσιο της Ακαδημίας Μηχανοκίνητων Αγώνων στο Red Bull Ring, οι συμμετέχοντες, όλοι υποψήφιοι οδηγοί αγώνων, είχαν την ευκαιρία να οδηγήσουν το GT4 e-Performance του Bachler. Τα σχόλια: "Ήταν απόλυτα ενθουσιασμένοι, ειδικά με την επιτάχυνση και τις επιδόσεις. Δεν εντυπωσιάστηκαν μόνο από την απόλυτη ισχύ του, αλλά και από το πόσο καλά χειρίζεται τον δρόμο. Παρά το πρόσθετο βάρος από τις μπαταρίες, οι στροφές είναι εξαιρετικές και ο χειρισμός στις σικάνες είναι πραγματικά εντυπωσιακός".
That is what the race driver who held the VLN lap record on the Nordschleife for years, who was victorious in Spa and who, from Le Mans to Daytona, has circled the most beautiful and historic racetracks in the world had to say. And who is now one of the first to know just how dynamically this race is accelerating into the future. With 1,088 PS and electrically charged.
Author: Gerald Enzinger
Πίστωση εικόνας: Porsche Media
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