Porsche's Factory Involvement In GTE-Pro Program Could Come To An End

Porsche’s factory involvement in the GTE-Pro class of the FIA World Endurance Championship "could come to an end following this season, with multiple reports linking to the demise of the Porsche Team Manthey program," according to John Dagys of SPORTSCAR 365. German publication Motorsport-Total reports that it "received confirmation that the manufacturer will pull the plug on its two-car factory Porsche 911 RSR program in the WEC, amid the ongoing Volkswagen emissions scandal crisis," with Team Principal Olaf Manthey expected to retire from motorsports due to the group’s decision. Porsche owns a 51% stake "in the Manthey squad." While Porsche "will continue its factory GT Le Mans class effort in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship next year, its withdrawal from WEC competition would leave a significant gap in its global GT racing program." Porsche’s alleged pullout from WEC competition "may only be for one year." An all-new Porsche GTE car "is currently under development for 2017, with track testing set to begin in the spring" (SPORTSCAR 365, 11/4).