Rohr, Pilgrim receive Porsche 911 GT1

GTS-1 POINTS LEADERS ROHR, PILGRIM STEP UP TO PORSCHE 911 GT1

Cincinnati, Ohio -- The first Porsche 911 GT1 to be owned by an American team will be delivered Aug. 15 to Jochen Rohr, owner of the Rohr Motorsport Porsche team in Professional SportsCar Racing's Exxon Supreme GTS-1 class. The 630hp Porsche 911 GT1 will make its racing debut Aug. 30 at Mosport Park. It will receive its first track test on Aug. 20 at Putnam Park, near Indianapolis. Rohr and Pilgrim have shared the GTS-1 class points lead since the season began at the Daytona 24-Hour -- which they won -- despite recent pressure from Panoz, Camaro and Mustang teams. Racing their Porsche 911 GT2 EVO, Rohr and Pilgrim now hold a 25-point lead over Camaro teammates Roger Schramm and Stu Hayner. "This is the first of what we expect to be several European GT cars to enter the series this season," said Doug Robinson, SportsCar's vice president of race operations. "We are pleased that Jochen (Rohr) has made the commitment to SportsCar and we look forward to seeing the car compete at Mosport Park." "The 911 EVO was Porsche's greatest technology on that platform," Rohr said, "but its strongest points were on tracks with extensive top-gear, full-throttle running. At tracks like Sears Point or Lime Rock, with so many transitions, we weren't competitive. The GT1 should correct those deficiencies. "It is simply a case of sink or swim. It's the same thing both Andy and I would do in our business lives," he added. Rohr owns the Cincinnati-based Rohr Corporation, the American arm of his family's business in Germany. The Rohr Corporation is one of the world's foremost designers and builders of sand and gravel dredges for lake and river bottoms. Pilgrim owns Electronic Computer Services Inc., in Aventura, Fla., a custom corporate computer programming firm. "Even though the 911 GT1 has a smaller engine than our old car, the horsepower is there' because of improved design. But the chief advantages are that it is a mid-engine car, it is well-balanced, and the aerodynamics give it awesome ground effects," said Pilgrim. "I first saw the factory GT1 at Le Mans last year," Pilgrim added, "and as a racer, I told myself I wanted to drive one of those cars someday. Anything that is new technology appeals to me, both in business or racing, and I'm very appreciative that Jochen has given me chance to achieve a goal. It is my assignment to help him achieve one of his -- the GTS-1 championship." Rohr added, "When I started my racing in 1992, winning something as prestigious as the GTS-1 championship wasn't a goal. I didn't consider it possible. Just doing well in a race was enough. Now the goal is within sight and we either have to take the steps to win or just give up. Neither Andy nor I are give up' kinds of people." Pilgrim speculated that the superiority of the GT1, compared to the team's 911 GT2 EVO, will not only level the playing field, "but it will force the Panoz and the Camaro to run harder, and it is when they have to work hard, that they start to fail," he said. "I saw that at Le Mans; the Panozs were not a threat. They haven't had to run hard in the Exxon series." At Mosport, Pilgrim will also be going for his 99th and 100th consecutive race finishes in Professional SportsCar Racing-sanctioned races, a streak which started in July 1992. The Exxon Supreme GT race will be opportunity #99, and the two-hour, 30-minute Speedvision Cup for Stock SportsCars later that day will be #100. "The streak is fun, but the only consequence of breaking it will be that I lost ground toward my goals of helping the teams I drive for to win championships," he said. "The season was becoming frustrating," Rohr concluded. "Now, our competition needs to know the whole Rohr Motorsport team is back ... and ready to win." - end -