Porsche Motorsport will end its factory involvement with the 911 RSR in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship at the conclusion of the 2020 season.
Citing economic pressures from the coronavirus pandemic, Porsche Motorsport vice president Fritz Enzinger confirmed the move. This comes despite the fact that the Porsche Motorsport 911 RSR program secured the drivers’, team and manufacturers’ championships in the IMSA GTLM class last year.
Read Also: Porsche Brings Electric 99X Racer To LA Ahead Of Formula E Debut
“The decision to halt our factory involvement in the IMSA series was not an easy one for us,” Enzinger said in a statement. “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.”
While the current championship is on hold, the Porsche team finished second and third in the GTLM class at this year’s Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona behind the BMW Team RLL and currently ranks second in the championship, Autoweek reports. IMSA plans to resume the season on July 3-4 at the Daytona International Speedway.
Porsche Motorsport has been working with COPE Autosport since 2014 in the GTLM class, securing 18 wins, 17 poles, 48 podiums, three manufacturers’ championships, two team championships and two drivers’ championships.
