FIA World Endurance champ drives the Porsche 911 GT3 RS around Europe.
Believe it or not, retirement is not for everyone. There have been lottery winners who continue to work at their day jobs. Some people retire from their jobs, only to rehire with a different company so they can add another check to their monthly pension payment. According to champion racer Mark Webber’s website, he retired at the end of the 2016 World Endurance Championship season. However, it must not be for him because he’s still employed. That is, if you consider being a brand ambassador for Porsche and zooming around in a GT3 RS work.
In the video above, Webber gives us a short tour of the most focused and honed naturally aspirated 911 in the Porsche portfolio: the new GT3 RS. He makes sure to mention that its 4.0-liter flat-six pumps out a stratospheric 520 horsepower. Webber also points out the lightweight door panels and supportive bucket seats. Of course, he doesn’t forget the GT3 RS’s massive rear wing (who could?).
Other than the horsepower figure, Webber doesn’t throw out much in the way of hard numbers or figures. It’s almost as if he’s preoccupied. If he is, we know why. Webber reveals he’s going to take the RS for a weekend trip around Europe that will probably last about 2,000 kilometers (1,243 miles). No race suit to jump into. No lap times to set. No other drivers to beat. No sponsors to keep happy. Just driving. If you ask us, that sure as hell beats punching in or playing golf. We’d say retirement – and we use that term loosely – is a great fit for Webber.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
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