Citing the financial problems caused by the ongoing health crisis, German carmaker Porsche announced this week it is ending its factory involvement in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IWSC) after the end of the current season.
The decision will affect only the carmaker’s factory involvement with the GTLM series, a competition whose reigning champion Porsche currently is in the manufacturers, team and drivers classification categories. In the current season, of which only the 24 Hours of Daytona was raced because of the lockdowns, the carmaker ranks second.
Customer teams currently racing Porsche cars in the GTD class, Michelin Pilot Challenge (GT4) and the GT3 Cup Challenge USA will continue to be backed by the German carmaker.
“The decision to halt our factory involvement in the IMSA series was not an easy one for us,” said in a statement Fritz Enzinger, Vice President Porsche Motorsport. “With a view to the current corporate situation in connection with the Coronavirus pandemic, it is only logical for Porsche Motorsport to make a contribution to coping with the economic fallout.
"At this point, we’d like to convey our sincere thanks to Jim France and the colleagues at IMSA for their understanding. Porsche belongs in endurance racing. We will work hard to ensure that this is only a temporary Auf Wiedersehen.”
The surprising decision comes after the carmaker’s new Porsche 911 RSR managed to take second and third positions at the end of the January Daytona race.
GTLM, which is short for GT Le Mans, is a continuation series for the ALMS GT class. The cars racing there are based on production models and must follow the rules of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Since its inaugural season in 2014, the series comprised a number of carmakers lining up on the grid, including Chevrolet, Cadillac, Acura, Ford, Lamborghini, Audi and Ferrari.
Customer teams currently racing Porsche cars in the GTD class, Michelin Pilot Challenge (GT4) and the GT3 Cup Challenge USA will continue to be backed by the German carmaker.
“The decision to halt our factory involvement in the IMSA series was not an easy one for us,” said in a statement Fritz Enzinger, Vice President Porsche Motorsport. “With a view to the current corporate situation in connection with the Coronavirus pandemic, it is only logical for Porsche Motorsport to make a contribution to coping with the economic fallout.
"At this point, we’d like to convey our sincere thanks to Jim France and the colleagues at IMSA for their understanding. Porsche belongs in endurance racing. We will work hard to ensure that this is only a temporary Auf Wiedersehen.”
The surprising decision comes after the carmaker’s new Porsche 911 RSR managed to take second and third positions at the end of the January Daytona race.
GTLM, which is short for GT Le Mans, is a continuation series for the ALMS GT class. The cars racing there are based on production models and must follow the rules of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Since its inaugural season in 2014, the series comprised a number of carmakers lining up on the grid, including Chevrolet, Cadillac, Acura, Ford, Lamborghini, Audi and Ferrari.
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