I think that the matter of the ring times is not just as simple as it seems.
I do the porsche formula club in italy, and 3-4 times a year i'm at the ring with my 993.
in a circuit like the ring i really think that the set up of the car is more important than have horsepower.
my 993 is at the moment really low ( -30mm) and have a hard set up , in circuits like mugello in italy with this set up i gained around 1. - 1.5 sec a lap compared to the one i had before.my ring times is with the old set up around 8.40 with this last one i couldn't get faster than 8.55. that's meens 15 sec and the conditions where almost the same and i also newed the ring better( FAR AWAY TO DRIVE WELL IN THERE....).
we have to think that porsche is doing all the set up at the ring and they have the best ring pilot "walter rohrl"( we met him at the ring this year and he is really a super nice person ) to prepare the cars...
Just to say that maybe the 430 is much better in a normal track where it can use it's aerodinamic venturi effect, than at the ring where there are a lot different grounds..bumps..jumps..and so on.and maybe on normal tracks it is as fast as the porsches or even faster??????
this is the impressions that i have driving in "normal" circuits and then driving in the ring.
so another friend of mine which have a997s had my same impressions with a very track oriented set up.