Porsche’s plans to run a pair of works 991 GT3 RSRs in the World Endurance Championship and at this year’s Le Mans were confirmed today by the respective championship organisers: FIA and ACO.
Stuttgart is keeping us gagging for all-new RSR pics, but the drivers have been rubber stamped. Porsches number 91 and 92 will be run by Manthey and driven by six works pilots: Lieb and Lietz in the 91 car, partnered by Romain Dumas at Silverstone, Spa and Le Mans, while the 92 car goes to Bergmeister and Patrick Pilet, with support from Timo Bernhard at the same three races.
Everyone else will be battling it out in ALMS for the year, so I wonder what the chat is like at the Porsche drivers’ training camp in Tenerife right now (pic from today by Michael Christensen).
The works cars race in LM GTE Pro at Le Mans, while three customer cars fall into LM GTE Am. IMSA Performance Matmut and Proton return, both running 997 GT3 RSRs. Shame no Nic Armindo with the tri-coloured IMSA team, instead Raymond Narac will drive with Jean-Karl Vernay: reigning champion of Carrera Cup France.
Vernay has support from Porsche to race in Supercup this year, which should be interesting. IMSA will also run a second GT3 RSR featuring Pascal Gibon as lead driver. All we need now is Seb Loeb, and we’ll have most of France driving Porsches this year. Loeb Racing’s entered an ORECA-Nissan, but a lot can happen in 24 hours.
As for the second customer team, Mrs Glynn will be delighted to see newest ALMS GTC Porsche driver, Patrick Dempsey, popping up in Ferdinand posts from Le Mans this year. The Gray’s Anatomy heart throb and rather handy racing shoe will chalk up 24 hours in the number 77 Dempsey Racing-Proton Porsche RSR at Circuit de la Sarthe, along with topping Sarah’s list for the fifth or sixth year running. Patrick Dempsey & Ewan McGregor: nothing else matters to SG on TV. Apart from David Tennant.
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