Porsche 911 (997) gt3 rs 4.0 - 2017

Around 2011, FIA opened up rallying events to Grand Touring road cars and created the GT category, allowing sports cars based on production models to be homologated, provided they met certain conditions such as having only 2WD and a specific power-to-weight ratio. While these cars were allowed to participate in world and international rallies, their involvement remained sporadic as they lacked the advantage of four-wheel drive compared to WRC cars. As a result, in 2015, the R-GT Cup was created as a competition exclusively for these cars, which was dominated entirely by the Porsche GT3 during its first three years.

In the first edition of the R-GT Cup, the 911 GT3s are a pretty diverse bunch, including 996 and 997 models made for the road or as ‘Cup’ versions, the latter being prepared to compete in Porsche’s one-make series. The fairly short calendar until 2018 scheduled five events: as a rule, two chosen from events counting towards the World Rally Championship (mainly Monte Carlo and Tour de Corse); two from the European Championship; plus the Rallye du Valais in Switzerland and, occasionally, an event from the European Rally Tour. Only the Belgians Marc Duez and Snijers took part, along with the Frenchmen Romain Dumas and François Delecour, who competed at the wheel of a Porsche GT3 in a few events in the new category in 2014.

Delecour won the first edition with two category victories in world rallies, two second places and one withdrawal in Valais. The following year, the only participant was Frenchman Marc Valliccioni, who took part in the final event in Switzerland and, in the absence of any opponents, won the series.

For 2017, however, the list of candidates became more substantial thanks to the arrival of a new car, the Abarth 124. Six out of seven drivers, including Delecour (who will switch to the Alpine A110 in 2020), competed in this model, with the exception of Romain Dumas, who remained loyal to the 911 (997) GT3 RS 4.0 and who was the only driver to take part in all five events – winning four of them. He won at Monte Carlo, the Tour de Corse and the Barum Czech Rally Zlin in the Czech Republic, where he was the only driver in the R-GT category.

At the next event, the Rallye Roma Capitale, he had to settle for fourth place in his category behind the Abarth 124s driven by Italians Andolfi, Nucita and Modanesi, but at this stage, with 87 points, his victory was assured, a fact he confirmed by winning his category in the final event, once again in Valais. Later in 2017, he competed in the Rallye du Var and finished first in the GT category. In 2018, Dumas took part with a Porsche Cayman R-GT in the Rally Germany. At that time, Rally Germany represented a world-class event that was not part of the R-GT Cup calendar. Starting that year, Abarth dominated the competition for three years before being replaced in 2021 and 2022 by the new Alpine A110. The following year, a decision was made to discontinue the trophy. From 2019 to 2022, Dumas, with Denis Giraudet as his co-driver on most occasions, occasionally took part in other races, particularly the Cévennes and Sainte-Baume rallies in a 911 (997) GT3 RS 4.0, without achieving any noteworthy results and even experiencing several retirements. There was one exception at the 2021 Cévennes Race Track, where he finished second overall and first in the GT2 category.

The career of the Occitan driver, born in 1977, spanned both circuit racing and rallies, and his name was mainly associated with Porsche, but not always. In 2007, he competed in rallies at the wheel of a 996 GT3 entered in the GT category, winning several victories that counted for the French championship. But his most impressive and famous achievements were his four victories, three of them in a row, in the spectacular Pikes Peak International Hill Climb between 2014 and 2018, with the last victory being achieved in the electric Volkswagen ID.R prototype, setting a new track record. During this period, he also achieved significant success in endurance racing: in 2016, with the Porsche 919 Hybrid and as part of a team with Neel Jani and Marc Lieb, he won the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the second time (the first was in 2010 driving an Audi R 15 TDI Plus with Timo Bernhard and Mike Rockenfeller) and at the end of the season, he became World Endurance Champion (WEC).