The Rennsport Reunion V kicks off September 25, 2015, and as you can expect, a steady stream of classic and modern Porsche->ke1 race cars->ke148 have begun to converge at the Mazda Laguna Seca->ke981 raceway to take part in the three-day festival. The legendary Porsche 917 has already booked its attendance for the event and a new video->ke278 from Porsche confirms the participation of another iconic Porsche racer: the 1998 Porsche 911 GT1.

Just like the 917, the 911 GT1 took top honors at the 24 Hours of Le Mans->ke1591, securing Porsche’s 16th win at Le Mans despite being an underdog against the likes of the Toyota->ke88 GT-One and the Mercedes->ke187 CLK-LM. The 911 GT1’s out-of-nowhere Le Mans victory elevated its status as a true Stuttgart racing icon, making it one of the most important race cars to take part in Rennsport Reunion V.

Porsche race car driver David Donohue and Porsche Works driver Derek Bell feature prominently in this new video, describing the significance of the event to Porsche racing enthusiasts. Both Donohue and Bell are well aware of the significance of Rennsport Reunion V in that it serves as the perfect setting for all the Porsche race cars to come together and share the Laguna Seca race track with each other.

The 911 GT1 and the 917 are just two of the many Porsche racers that will be at the event. Fellow classics like the Porsche 956 and modern day versions of the 911 GT3->ke617 will also be in attendance at the event. Bell said it best when he described Rennsport Reunion V as the “greatest coming together of Porsche racing fans, Porsche owners, and everybody that’s contributed to Porsche’s history.”

Porsche GT1

Launched in 1996, the GT1 had immediate success at Le Mans, winning the GT1 class in its first race before ultimately falling short to another Porsche, the WSC-95, in the overall standings. Wins at Spa, Zhuai, and the Brands Hatch 4 Hours elevated the 911 GT1's racing credentials.

But just as the car experienced early success, it had a difficult time sustaining it in succeeding years, especially in endurance races and the FIA GT Championship. 1997 was a particularly disappointing year for the 911 GT1. It failed to win a singe race in the FIA series because it was getting out-classed by the likes of the Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR and the 1995-1997 McLaren F1 GTR.

That trend continued in 1998 even with the development of a new car, dubbed the 911 GT1-98. This time, it was the CLK-GTR and Toyota’s GT-One race car that were giving the GT1-98 fits. It wasn’t until the 1998 24 Hours of Le Mans that the Porsche finally pushed back, albeit by taking advantage of the misfortunes of its rivals. It may not have been the most convincing way to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but history still says that the 911 GT1-98 won it for Porsche despite not being the fastest and most powerful car on the grid.

You can read more about the GT1 here.