VIN: the Martini Racing Porsche 935 chassis 005 R19
History of chassis 005 R19
After Porsche pipped BMW to the 1976 World Championship of Makes, an uprated 935 was created for the 1977 season. Most notably, the engine was switched from a single to twin turbos while there were a host of aerodynamic and handling improvements as well.
1977 would also see Porsche begin to supply customers with 935s although these off-the-shelf cars did not come with the latest updates nor the twin turbo engine.
The first twin turbo 935 wasn’t ready until round two of the 1977 season at Mugello. Unfortunately, Jurgen Barth heavily crashed the new car (chassis 004 R18) and it was not raced again.
Chassis 005 R19 was hurriedly built up as a replacement.
005 R19 made its debut at the Silverstone 6 Hour race where it took pole, set the fastest lap and claimed a comfortable win despite higher than expected brake wear and an extra stop for an alternator belt change.
At the Nurburgring 1000km two weeks later, Jochen Mass and Jacky Ickx were behind the wheel again.
Although Mass had a crash in practice, 005 R19 once again started from pole.
However, the car proved troublesome in the race; it would not rev freely and, despite the best attention of the Bosch technicians, the 935 dropped out of the reckoning. 005 R19 officially retired with fuel-injection trouble at quarter distance.
Rolf Stommelen and Manfred Schurti then took the reins for the Le Mans 24 Hours after another two week break. They qualified sixth and were expected to be the fastest Group 5 car in the race.
More reliability problems meant the car posted a second consecutive DNF. Stommelen had found himself in the pits with just eight laps gone; a loose rocker shaft was diagnosed and the car had lost oil. The rules stipulated that oil could not be added until lap 16 which meant Stommelen gingerly headed back out until the top up was permitted.
By the third hour, 005 R1 had recovered to tenth position, but it ultimately retired after 45 laps with terminal engine problems.
At the annual Norisring weekend of racing in Germany, Porsche debuted a 1.5-litre 935/2 to contest the Division 2 class of the DRM event. 005 R19 was also taken along as a back up.
After Bob Wollek’s engine blew in his Kremer 935 during the DRM race, the Frenchman was invited to drive 005 R19 for the big money 200 mile Trophy event that followed.
Despite being troubled with brake problems, Wollek came home in second place behind the Max Moritz 935 of Manfred Schurti.
Porsche were back to winning ways at the Watkins Glen 6 Hours just six days later. Ickx and Mass were pipped to pole by the new BMW 320 Turbo but the Bavarian machine lasted just 30 laps into the race. Meanwhile, during the first hour, 005 R19 lost twelve minutes in the pits; a valve cover gasket had chafed through and oil was leaking onto an exhaust pipe.
Mass and Ickx pressed on. They regained the lead around the five hour mark to take 005 R19’s second victory of the year.
Back-to-back wins were not on the cards though. Ickx / Mass subsequently started from pole at the Mosport 6 Hours but, when one of the engine’s pistons broke within the first hour, 005 R19 was forced to retire.
An early challenge from the BMW 320 Turbo at Brands Hatch ended when it was crashed early on in wet conditions. The race was stopped for a while but, once resumed, Mass motored off into the distance. Mass and Ickx cruised home to take their third World Championship win of the year.
The season-finale at Hockenheim comprised two three hour races. In qualifying, the Martini crew were beaten to pole by Kremer.
During the opening race, Ickx and Schurti looked set for another win. However, with 25 minutes to go, the cylinder head gasket blew (a legacy of turning the boost up too high).
Having posted a DNF in race one, 005 R19 was back the next day for the second contest. It led from the off and, at the two hour mark, had a two lap advantage over the rest of the field. Gearbox trouble then caused the car to slow dramatically – Schurti had only fourth at his disposal. The Kremer 935 began to close rapidly, but when it suffered a broken throttle linkage, 005 R19 was able to hang on for victory.
As a result of its earlier DNF though, the car was not classified as a finisher in the aggregate positions.
Unlike in 1976, when the championship was a hard fought affair, 1977 saw Porsche accumulate three times as many points as BMW to easily claim the title.
005 R19 was subsequently retired from active duty. It can today be found on display in the Porsche Museum.
Notable History
Martini Racing
15/05/1977 WCM Silverstone 6 Hours (J. Ickx / J. Mass) 1st oa, 1st Gr.5 class (#1)
29/05/1977 WCM Nurburgring 1000km (J. Ickx / J. Mass) DNF (#1)
12/06/1977 IND Le Mans 24 Hours (R. Stommelen / M. Schurti) DNF (#41)
03/07/1977 IND Norisring Trophy (B. Wollek) 2nd oa, 2nd Div.1 class (#50)
09/07/1977 WCM Watkins Glen 6 Hours (J. Ickx / J. Mass) 1st oa, 1st Gr.5 class (#1)
20/08/1977 WCM Mosport 6 Hours (J. Ickx / M. Schurti) DNF (#1)
25/09/1977 WCM Brands Hatch 6 Hours (J. Ickx / J. Mass) 1st oa, 1st Gr.5 class (#1)
09/10/1977 WCM Hockenheim 6 Hours (J. Ickx / M. Schurti) Race 1 DNF. Race 2 1st oa, 1st Gr.5 class. OA: DNF (#1)
Retained by Porsche
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Porsche - https://www.porsche.com
