Porsche announced this morning that they are ending their factor involvement in the 911 RSR, which currently races in IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
The current 2020 season is not impacted by the decision. Additionally customer teams in the GT3 and GT4 classes are not impacted by the decision, only the factor backed GTLM involvement.
Porsche notes the move was driven by the economic conditions created by Coronavirus.
The decision to halt our factory involvement in the IMSA series was not an easy one for us,” emphasises 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. We’ve openly discussed our exit with all involved. 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.”
No word on whether “customer” teams may attempt to run the GTLM cars next year. Its not entirely uncommon for well financed teams to purchase the equipment and run as non-factor teams. However, given the high costs of the GTLM class and the economic conditions, it remains to be seen if that is the case
This announcement means this years rescheduled Petit Le Mans is the last opportunity in the Atlanta area to see the GTLM cars race with factory backing.
