STUTTGART, Germany — Porsche confirmed that its factory team will field two 991-based 911 RSR race cars in 2013's 24-hour race at Le Mans and the 2013 World Endurance Championship.
Porsche will team with Manthey Racing to field a factory team in the GTE category of the World Endurance Championship in 2013.
Porsche AG Team Manthey will be managed by Olaf Manthey, veteran driver and team manager who has scored five overall victories in the Nürburgring 24 Hours. The team will take on the GT class in the 24 Hours of Le Mans this year.
That will mark the first factory effort at Le Mans since the iconic marque won the overall victory at the Circuit de la Sarthe in 1998. The team will field a pair of Type 991 models of the Porsche 911 RSR in the WEC, which opens at Silverstone in April. Le Mans is the third race on the eight-race calendar.
"The new 911 RSR is currently being developed by our engineers and tested by our works drivers," said Hartmut Kristen, head of Porsche Motorsport. "What better time could there be to introduce the new car than in the 50th anniversary year of the Porsche 911."
The team will try to knock Ferrari off the top of the heap in the GT Manufacturers' World Cup competition. Ferrari defeated Porsche and Corvette last year, scoring five wins to three for Porsche and none for Corvette.
Last week's announcement did not include drivers or other details of the team's plans.
Just the Facts:
- Porsche will tackle Le Mans and the World Endurance Championship in 2013 with the 991-based 911 RSR, the automaker announced.
- Long-time Porsche standard-bearer Manthey Racing will campaign a pair of new-generation 991-model 911 RSR cars.
- The effort will be made to mark the 50th anniversary year of the 911.
