Yahoo Autos Porsche Endurance Challenge North America opens with star-studded field
The Porsche Endurance Challenge North America will launch May 26 at the Circuit of The Americas (COTA) with a star-studded field unique to one-make racing.
The 60-minute feature will see movie and television star Patrick Dempsey, sports car and open wheel champion Jan Magnussen, 2023 Porsche Carrera Cup North America champion Riley Dickinson, current prototype racer and IndyCar driver Tristian Vautier and 24 Hours of Daytona winner Ryan Dalziel going against many of the continent’s current crop of top Porsche one-make drivers including current Porsche Carrera Cup North America Pro class points leader Loek Hartog, 2023 Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama 991 class champion Ashley Freiberg and the most recent Carrera Cup race winner, Zach Vanier.
The initial pre-event entry list includes more than 40 entries – with more expected before the weekend gets under way. The large field, a hallmark of the single-make race series Porsche Motorsport North America (PMNA) operates on the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid North America, will include two classes, one for Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (type 992 and 991.2) race cars and a second for the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport.
One-make races are typically sprint events with no pit stop element. This transition from the norm is a first for Porsche in North America and has been met with great interest from a broad range of competitors. The enticement of more wheel-to-wheel race time, and the opportunity to share a familiar race car on some of the top tracks in the United States with another driver – including drivers ranging up to factory drivers – has proven more popular in the build-up to its first race than even Porsche Motorsport and United States Auto Club (USAC) anticipated.
The Memorial Day weekend event, which runs in conjunction with the Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama and the Porsche Sprint Challenge USA West by Yokohama, is the first of four events scheduled for the series’ inaugural season. The championship will include three 60-minute races and a single six-hour endurance race to close the season. In addition to the first COTA date of May 24 – 26, the new series will race at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin (August 11) and Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California (September 29) before returning to COTA for the six-hour event to crown its 2024 champions.
Cars which are currently authorized to race in either the United States Auto Club (USAC) sanctioned Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama or the Porsche Sprint Challenge USA West by Yokohama are eligible to enter the Porsche Endurance Challenge North America.
The first three rounds, all 60 minutes long, will mandate a single pit stop. Regulations for the six-hour endurance round, with its added drivers and consumables, will require a minimum of four stops for fuel. The three opening rounds will allow a single driver format with a maximum of two drivers per car, with one of the drivers holding no more than a Bronze rating. The six-hour finale will require three drivers, with opportunity for teams with either one or two Bronze drivers.
Where to watch:
The Porsche Endurance Challenge North America, as well as the entire COTA weekend for the Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama, will enjoy live coverage on YouTube. The stream can be found on the official Porsche Motorsport North America YouTube channel.
“When we began planning the Porsche Endurance Challenge North America, we anticipated interest from the teams and drivers already competing in the Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama. And that has proven true. But the interest from teams and drivers outside our one-make platform has been a satisfying surprise,” said Volker Holzmeyer, President and CEO, Porsche Motorsport North America.
“This is a perfect opportunity for drivers to get more racing time in Porsche equipment they already own; to gain endurance racing experience without most of the cost, and stresses, associated with other series. Here, the driver is the focus and that allows the greatest opportunity to learn the skills needed to race at Daytona or Sebring. This is true for upcoming drivers as well as drivers who are starting their careers later in life. We see this in many of the lineups we have including Patrick Dempsey returning to racing in the Cayman class with Patrick Long as his driving coach. We are very pleased with this first entry list. It is an excellent balance of drivers, teams, Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars and Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport race cars.”
2024 Porsche Endurance Challenge North America schedule:
May 26: Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas – 60 minutes
August 11: Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin – 60 minutes
September 29: Sonoma Raceway, Sonoma, California – 60 minutes
November 22 – 23: Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas – Six hours
