Porsche RS Spyder: A Tribute to the Greatest of LMP2
1,586 views · Published 6 June 2011 · 4:35 · Indexed 5 October 2026
Channel: Deshi Blacksheep · 2011 · Autos & Vehicles
This is a tribute the greatest car to ever compete in the LMP2 class. The Porsche RS Spyder made its racing debut in 2005 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and won its class in the race, finishing 5th overall. The car began running full time in 2006. It would go on to win the American Le Mans Series LMP2 Constructor's and Driver's championships for three straight years (2006-2008) and the 2008 Le Mans Series Constructor's and Driver's championships in the car's first and only year of competing full time. Including the RS Spyder's huge success in both the ALMS and LMS, it also won the LMP2 class in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in its only two years of competing in the storied race. (2008 and 2009) Not only did the car dominate its own class, it also took it to the more powerful LMP1 cars. Using its lightweight and nimbleness, the RS Spyder was able to take 11 overall victories against the LMP1 cars. This includes the 1-2 overall finish at Mid-Ohio against the legendary Audi R8 racecar, its 8 overall wins against the innovative and mighty Audi R10 TDI, and its unprecedented 1-2-4 finish at the 2008 12 Hours of Sebring, beating the Audis AND the Peugeots. Sadly in 2010, almost all of the teams that ran the Porsche RS Spyder, including the factory team ran by Penske Racing, in previous years stopped running the car. Despite this, a small team called Cytosport, which bought a RS Spyder from Dyson Racing, won the LMP2 class in the 2010 12 Hours of Sebring, finishing 4th overall. With the 2011 LMP2 regulations, the Porsche RS Spyder has been rendered obsolete due to the car's costs exceeding the newly introduced LMP2 budget limit. The RS Spyder could still be entered under the new LMP1 rules if only Porsche had chosen to do so.
