The final episode about the debut year of Group 5 racing in Germany’s, the 1977 DRM season, we pay homage to the perhaps best Group 5 car ever, the Porsche 935. In close fight Rolf Stommelen won the title, but far from being an easy run to glory.
The 935 version Porsche developed for Group 5 racing featured a 590 bhp 2.86 liter turbo engine to stay in the under 4 liter class (1.4 turbo multiplication factor) and was 90 kg below the 970 kg minimum weight, so additional lead ballast could be placed at the rather light front end. During the winter of 1976/1977 thirteen customers cars were built of which the GeLo Racing Team of Cologne based real estate magnate Georg Loos alone received two units, his designated number one being ex-Formula 1 driver Rolf Stommelen, Australian Tim Schenken would drive the other 935. Despite the highest budget in the paddock GeLo wouldn’t have an easy run throughout as the toughest opposition came from Bob Wollek at the wheel of a Vaillant-Porsche 935K2, built and prepared on private initiative by Cologne based Kremer brothers.
As it became obvious that the combined points table of the Divison 1 (up to 4000cc) and Division 2 (up to 2000cc) could end up favoring one of the three equally quick BMW-Juniors, Porsche came up with a surprise. Entering a so called “Baby”-935 based on the latest works-team version used in World Championship with the 935/77 body, but weighing only 750kg and featuring a 370 bhp from its tiny 1425 cc engine in the Division 2, the works-outfit would take points away from Division 2 rivals and favor their clients in Division 1.
Porsche showed off the 935/2-001 for the first time at the Norisring round on 3r of July, but Jacky Ickx was forced to retire on lap 38 due to an electric problem. However, the Belgian won the DRM round at Hockenheim, the preliminary race to the German Formula 1 Grand Prix, with a massive 52 seconds lead. I remember well watching that race as a teenager from the grandstands. It started in damp conditions and a drying up track made things even trickier. Little did I know that I had the privilege to witness the one and only victory of the Baby-935. Porsche pulled the car out of the DRM as they claimed only wanting to prove they could win in this class against BMW and Ford, too. Having proved the 935 was capable to be the best of both Divisions, the Baby-Porsche was retired to the Porsche Museum after that race.
Stommelen and Wollek dominated the season in Division 1, each scoring four wins up until the final round at the Nürburgring, where Stommelen would beat his rival from the Alsace region of France to the flag and take the title. With Schnitzer’s Toyota Celica showing potential, it was clear the Porsche teams would have to raise their game for 1978 and go for the works-team’s biturbo version. I’ll be continuing this little series next year, so hang on in there for the review of the 1978 DRM season 30 years after.
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