05 Dec 2014

Tuthill-built Porsche 911 scores at Spa 6 Hours Historic Race

A trio of Porsche 911 historic race cars built by Tuthill Porsche scored well at the Spa 6 Hours.

A trio of Porsche 911 historic race cars built by Tuthill Porsche scored a series of strong finishes at the recent Spa 6 Hours classic endurance racing weekend.

Run by EB Motorsport and driven by brothers Mark and James Bates, the team’s 1965 Porsche 911 scored a class win in FIA Masters Historic Pre-‘66 GT before starting the headline event.

As torrential rain soaked the Francorchamps circuit during the classic Spa 6 Hours endurance race, the brothers used their considerable experience to bring the 1965 911 race car home inside the top twenty overall. Only one other 911 from the extensive start group claimed a top twenty finish: the short wheelbase car of Le Mans winner, Raymond Narac.

“We set a much-reduced race calendar for 2014, and Spa was our target event,” said Mark, who finished the race under red flag conditions in P19 overall. “I made my 6 Hours debut last year sharing a short wheelbase 911, so was excited to race with James in our own car this year. Reaching the top twenty in atrocious conditions within sight of a winning Le Mans Porsche driver is a very special feeling.”

“It’s been a landmark year for me,” smiled James at the finish. “A hectic workload and the impending arrival of my first born shrunk our race schedule, but the EB Motorsport cars are very competitive. Mark put some amazing laps together in horrific conditions and showed established Spa regulars a clean set of heels. It’s a cracking finish to the 1965 911 race car’s debut season.”

EB’s other 911s – a 1973 Porsche 911 RSR and a 1974 Porsche 911 3.0 RS – enjoyed a great weekend, with the early RSR taking a class win in World Sportscar Masters. Reliability is essential when racing in historic endurance events, but of course you also need the right pilot keeping things together. It’s great to see our cars winning on and off-track: congratulations Mark and James!

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