Ryan Gates Archives

Before posting our season in review update, we were curious to see how our season in SRO GT Sports Club GT2 Class looked “by the numbers”. It was a season of firsts for the team, so we added up the numbers to find out how it all came to be.

Cars: 1 – 2019 Porche 911 GT2RS Clubsport #85/200
Tracks: 4 – VIR, Sonoma, Road America, COTA
Races: 8
Pole positions: 8 (100%)
Avg. gap to P2 – Qualifying: 1.49 sec
Wins: 8 (100%)
Avg. gap to P2 – Race: 31.63 sec
Laps led: 158/159 (99.4%)
Fastest laps: 8 (100%)
Points: 200 (100%)
Avg. race pace: 95.91mph / 154.35kph
Race mileage: 518.67 miles / 834.71 kilometers
On-track mileage: 2,152 miles / 3,463.31 kilometers
Pirelli tires used – 72 tires, split equally 36 front & 36 rear
Total race fuel used: 491 gallons / 1,858.64 liters
Brembo brake rotor & pad sets used: 2
Motul 300V 0W-40 oil changes: 6 / 51qts total
Pro-Tint windshield tear offs – 1 of 4
Miles driven to & from races: 9,352 miles / 15,050.59 kilometers
Hours on the road: 154 hours
States driven through: 24
GT2 Class Championships: 1 (100%)

Ride onboard with Ryan Gates for a lap around Road Atlanta in the 2008 311RS Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 Cup #underthelights.

For the third year in a row, Driving Club RA has hosted track time for their members following the annual 10hr Petit LeMans race at Road Atlanta, complete with all the lighting equipment to allow for night lapping.

Adam and the rest of the crew at Driving Club RA put on an amazing event. This would be our second time attending but first time participating, and my goodness we could not have been happier to be there. A huge thank you to member Leh Keen for the invite.

With us for this trip was our 2008 997.1 GT3 Cup. Prior to heading on track, we made a pit stop with our partners at Goldcrest Motorsports. The car was due for a fluid flush and a once over after our test at BIR the weekend prior.

The stock rubber bushings in the suspension were found to be past their prime, which meant we had an opportunity to replace them with factory Porsche Motorsport solid mounts throughout. A significant upgrade that improves driver+car connection thus reducing lap times.

Fresh from service at Goldcrest, we arrived at Road Atlanta and were greeted by glorious Georgia fall weather, a welcome reprieve from the snow that was falling up north in MN when we left.

A pair of 997.1 GT3 cars – it doesn’t get much prettier than that for us. Leh Keen brought out his modified 2008 997.1 GT3RS for the event. The car is sick.

We were very much looking forward to seeing the Frog.0 light up the evening sessions.

It’d been years since we last run dry laps around Road Atlanta. In fact it was 2008, we were in town with the new Evo X running with NASA in the TT-A class. Good times!

With newfound sharpness to the car, it was only a few laps before we were up to speed. The car felt amazing, alive, and very quick. Lap times during the first day time sessions averaged in the mid-1:26s with traffic.

We’ll have to come back another time to make a run at a fast lap.

Before we knew it the sun had begun to set. The “modern classic” beauty of the 997.1 was on full display during golden hour. It seems 997.1s are hardly aging, still looking contemporary nearly 12 years on.

The purity of the 997.1 GT3 Cup is something special.

Leh’s 997.1 GT3RS takes it a step further. The widebody shell of the GT3RS becomes especially evident during golden hour. Look at how those GT2RS side skirts are soaking up every last bit of sun light.

We don’t have much in the form of photos from our time #underthelights, however this image does a nice job of conveying the serene nature of driving on track at night.

The headlights essentially force the driver to focus solely on what’s happening immediately in front of the car and nowhere else. With nothing more than a narrow path visible to the driver, it makes for an intense yet peaceful driving session.

We’ll have more footage from our time at Road Atlanta up on YouTube here soon. For now, turn down the lights and ride along for a lap around Road Atlanta #underthelights.

Ride along with Ryan Gates as he and his father, Bruce Gates, spend the final session of 2020 lapping BIR together.

Ryan is driving the 311RS Motorsport Porsche 997.1 GT3 Cup and Bruce is driving the 311RS Motorsport Porsche 991 GT2RS Clubsport.

Neither car was running fresh tires so this was all about having fun together and enjoying the gorgeous fall weather at BIR. By the 4th lap you’ll see Bruce fly past down the front straight in the GT2RS Clubsport. You can almost feel the power.

-Drivers: Ryan Gates & Bruce Gates

-Cars: Porsche 997.1 GT3 Cup & Porsche 991 GT2RS Clubsport – both prepared by 311RS Motorsport

-Track: Brainerd International Raceway

-Fastest Lap: 1:35.3 (997.1 GT3 Cup)

September 21st, 2020 – 311RS Motorsport celebrates a winning weekend at Round 4 of the SRO GT Sports Club America series at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, TX. Ryan Gates drove the #311 Porsche 911 GT2RS Clubsport to GT2 Class pole with a 2:10.48 lap time and secured GT2 Class wins in each of the two races during the weekend.

We would like to extend a special thank you to the entire 311RS Motorsport team for a great team effort during our trip to Circuit of the Americas. The car was setup with precision which allowed us to execute our program with efficiency on and off track. We look forward to finishing this season together on a high note at the 2020 season finale in Indianapolis.

In addition, 311RS Motorsport would like to thank Porsche Motorsport for the reliable 911 GT2RS Clubsport platform and on-site factory support throughout the weekend. SRO America deserves a thank you as well for hosting a safe and fun event, and finally Circuit of the Americas for providing all of us a pristine & safe facility for us all to race at.

Upcoming schedule – Ryan Gates is to campaign the 311RS Motorsport Porsche 911 GT2RS Clubsport at the season finale of the 2020 SRO America GT Sports Club at Indianapolis on October 2-4, 2020.

About 311RS Motorsport: Founded in 2011, 311RS Motorsport is a Porsche racing team and Porsche specialty workshop based in Minneapolis, MN USA. 311RS Motorsport prepares & supports factory Porsche race cars and delivers track developed, street prepared Porsche 911s for road and track use.

Official Press Release

Images courtesy of Peter Lapinski

July 13th, 2020 – 311RS Motorsport wins GT2 Class at the inaugural SRO GT Sports Club America race at Virginia International Raceway in the 311RS Motorsport Porsche 911 GT2RS Clubsport driven by Ryan Gates.

Link to series website – Gates sweeps SRO GT2 Class at VIR

We would like to thank the entire 311RS Motorsport team and Goldcrest Motorsports for all the hard work and preparation to make this weekend a reality. We should all be proud of the team’s near-flawless execution leading up to and during this race weekend at VIR.

In addition, we would like to thank Porsche Motorsport for the reliable GT2RS Clubsport platform and factory on-site support, SRO America for hosting a safe and fun event, and finally VIR for providing all of us a beautiful facility to race at.

More information to follow.

Photos: Peter Lapinski

“Win on Sunday, sell on Monday.” The saying that has driven race programs since the 1950s still drives us today.

We race using components from the same technical partners we offer to our customers. Below are a few examples on the 311RS Porsche 997 GT3 Cup.

We’ve ran with Girodisc since 2006 and proud to continue this with a set of their lightweight two-piece brake rotors, seen here though a set of our gold BBS Motorsport E88s.

We’ve ran JRZ Suspension single, 2-way, and 3-way adjustable dampers throughout our 11 year partnership with JRZ. For the first time however, we’re running a set of 4-way JRZ Motorsports on our 997 GT3 Cup.

We’ve got them dialed in with support from Goldcrest Motorsports and engineer Bryan Hise.

There are no words to describe how proud we are to see the 311RS logo inside a factory Porsche 911 race car.

Look further inside the 311RS Porsche 997 GT3 Cup and you’ll find our signature Black Watch Tartan covering the cushions of the driver’s seat.

We took delivery of the 2008 GT3 Cup earlier last year, with the original 2008-dated seat still intact.

To comply with PCA Club Racing rules, we installed a 2019-dated Recaro Pro Racer HANS – an affordable option from Recaro to get us going before upgrading to their 1300 GT seat in 2021.

Schroth Racing provides every factory Porsche 911 race car that leaves the factory with 6 point harnesses. And it’s easy to see why, they are lightweight, durable, and easy to operate.

We upgraded to 2019-dated Profi II harnesses in black with custom silver patches for a clean look.

Overseeing day to day operations, Lucia continues to run a tight ship for us here at 311RS. Below are a list of products featured in this week’s round up.

–BBS E88 wheels

–Girodisc brake rotors

–JRZ Suspension dampers

–Recaro seats

–Schroth Racing harnesses

The 2019 season came to a close for us at Nord Stern PCA Last Fling on October 4th-5th. Enjoy a few laps around BIR with Ryan during a race simulation in the 2008 311RS Porsche 997 GT3 Cup.

Driver: Ryan Gates

Car: 2008 311RS Porsche 997.1 GT3 Cup

Class: GTC4

Lap times: 1:36.7, 1:36.9, & 1:36.2

On July 27th, 2019, Ryan Gates drove the 2008 311RS Porsche GT3 Cup to Overall victory in both Sprint races of the PCA Club Race at BIR, setting two GTC4 class records in the process.

A huge thank you is in order to all who played a role in the team during our first outing together, great teamwork everyone!

-GTC4 Qualifying Record – 1:40.0

-GT4 Sprint Race Record – 1:39.3

Our next race is in four weeks at Road America for another PCA Club Race. With over 150 drivers already registered, we are not taking any chances in preparation of the car – we are working on an upgrade package leading up to the event.

Thank you once more to all those who have helped us make this weekend a reality, here’s to many more just like it.

Photos courtesy of Peter Lapinski

We are proud to announce that 311RS will be racing with Porsche in 2019 with a 2008 911 GT3 Cup.

Our company was founded in 2011 on the back of a successful Evo X Time Attack campaign – 3 championships in 3 seasons. Racing is in our DNA, it’s racing that drives our “Track developed, street prepared” philosophy each day.

Since 2015, 311RS has worked solely with the Porsche brand with the goal to one day compete in a Porsche 911 of our own. We are set to make that goal a reality in 2019.

The annual Nord Stern “Fast Fling” PCA Club race at BIR will be the scene of our first race with the GT3 Cup – July 26-28th, 2019. This PCA race will be a great first test for us as we understand how to efficiently run our team and the GT3 Cup.

We plan one additional PCA Club race for 2019, with our focus set on preparing for the 2020 season.

The 997.1 GT3 Cup is now over 10yrs old, qualifying as a “historic” race car. Beginning in 2020, we plan to campaign the car at major historic events including, but not limited to, The WeatherTech International Challenge with Brian Redman at Road America, Rennsport Reunion VII, The Classic 12hr at Sebring, and more.

Leading up to our first race in July, we’ve got a few test days planned along with some updates to the car. We’ll be preparing the car consistent with all other 311RS Porsche units. This means fitting the car with components from our technical partners, such as Girodisc, JRZ, BBS, and more.

We’ll keep this section up to date as the car progresses towards it’s first race as a 311RS. See you on track in April for Nord Stern PCA First Fling!

Photos: Peter Lapinski

Porsche season has officially arrived in Minnesota.

For 2017, Nord Stern hosted it’s annual Spring Fling event on April 28-30th at Brainerd International Raceway. PCA wisely runs the 3.1 mile Donnybrooke layout – nearly 50 years after the facility opened in 1968, “Donnybrooke Speedway” still makes for a great proving ground.

A 1 mile straightaway to start the season? We’ll take it.

We have a few fresh faces in the crew for 2017 – including Tom’s 2008 997.1 GT3. This weekend would be it’s first outing after our preparation during winter break – click to see before & after. These GT3s in particular (2007-2008) have a special place in our hearts, so it was a real treat to see it through the process and onto the track.

Ryan’s 1987 930 was on hand to start the year. Sadly, no track time for this one – it’s been relegated to cheerleading duty for 2017. It does a great job of looking pretty, however. So all is not lost.

The #69 311RS makes a return for 2017, this time on a Polar Silver 1996 993 C2. John sent his Forest Green metallic 964 packing just before winter and emerged with this 3.8L beauty. What a stud.

Rich added a 2009 997 Turbo to his garage late-summer 2016. It’s a great driver for him, and and as he would soon find out, real quick on track. The car received a full set of two-piece Girodisc rotors along with fresh pads all around prior being introduced to BIR.

Friday’s schedule is built around PCA’s Driver Education course – a must for any new member to PCA who plans to enjoy their Porsche on track. We introduced two new members to the club for 2017 and it’s safe to say they are hooked. Sorry guys!

Each driver is assigned a PCA-certified instructor to guide them through the process. The day’s schedule begins in the class, then moves to the skidpad for cone drills. The part everyone is here for, track time, runs for the rest of the day with the instructor by the driver’s side. It’s an awesome experience for new drivers.

Those drivers that have taken the course previously enjoy a relaxing Friday.

Saturday is a different story. We hit it hard and get to work sorting the cars.

The 3.8lL engine in John’s 993 is a gem. It’s built using 993 RS engine & drivetrain components, which in combination with a gearing change, makes for one hell of a drive.

The 993 RS trend continues with brakes, wheels, and aero pieces each from the European-market 993. This setup is bound to evolve in time, however it’s in a great place to begin the season. It’s so fun.

Saturday ends with some good old fashioned team work. Turn 1 at BIR is really tough on the left hand tires, it’s nearly flat out at 150mph+. A quick swap side to side and the tires wear very nicely.

A close up look at tire wear of a fresh Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2.

Lots of arms crossed fellas…

Sundays at the track, nothing else like it.

Rich was crushing it during his first weekend at the track. The 997 Turbo ate up BIR’s long, flowing Donnybrooke layout with Rich attacking out of the box. It was awesome to watch.

Tom and his 311RS-prepared 997 GT3 ran smoothly all weekend. The car is nicely setup for a mix of street & track use – not too much, and not too little of anything. I think we all fell for the car during the course of the weekend.

Our initial setup for the car produced nice, flat cornering and took advantage of the extra grip of the meaty Sport Cup 2s all around.

Part of the fun is getting to know the car. Here, Ryan explains to Tom how to properly engage 6th gear before entering Turn 1.

993s are just perfect – they are just the right balance between vintage and modern. They feel good, sound good, and they’re fast. John’s especially.

Heading into May it looks we’ve got a bunch more driving to look forward to. A thank you to the folks at Nord Stern for hosting the event. We had a great time, see you at Road America.

Summer is around the corner, is your Porsche ready? Make it a point to get it right, contact us to book your time with 311RS. Imported from Stuttgart, refined in Minneapolis.

Photos courtesy of Peter Lapinski.