Among the various one-make racing series offered by different manufacturers, the Porsche Cup is king. Now, Porsche Motorsport North America (PMNA), the body behind that branch of Cup racing held here in the United States, has announced a new, four-race series aimed more at the endurance side of sports car competition.
The Porsche Endurance Challenge North America will consist of four races: three 60-minute battles and a culminating six-hour endurance race. Drivers of 911 GT3 Cup cars (the newer 992-gen cars and the slightly older 991.2-gen cars are both eligible) and those piloting 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport models can duke it out in this two-class, one-marque series.
The United States Auto Club, the sanctioning body behind the Porsche Cup races (known here as either the Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama or the Porsche Spring Challenge USA West), will handle sanctioning duties for the new endurance racing series as well.
The series begins on Memorial Day Weekend, May 26, with a 60-minute battle at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas. Round two will take place on August 11 at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. The final 60-minute duel will happen at Sonoma Raceway in California on September 29. Then, the series returns to COTA for the final six-hour mega battle.
Each of the shorter races will require one pit stop, while the longer six-hour race will require a minimum of four stops for fuel and other consumables like tires. The shorter races will allow a single driver to run the whole thing, with two drivers per car as an option. For the big finale, each car will require three drivers.
“The [Porsche Endurance Challenge North America] is designed to provide our one-make drivers—particularly those who don’t make racing their livelihood—and teams an endurance racing alternative with cars they know well: The Porsche 911 GT3 Cup and Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Club Sport,” said Volker Holzmeyer, president and CEO of Porsche motorsport North America. “We have focused on cost-efficient ways to go endurance racing and, as all cars are the same, a very equal competition between the drivers participating.”
If you’re looking to test your mettle in a longer race format, and especially if you already own an eligible car, the Endurance Cup may be exactly the challenge you’ve been hoping for.
Report by Nathan Petroelje
