Porsche Endurance Challenge announced for North America
With the overwhelming success of its one-make championships and the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid North America, Porsche Motorsport North America (PMNA) has announced the next evolution in one-make racing for the continent, the Porsche Endurance Challenge North America.
The four-event championship will include three 60-minute races and a single six-hour endurance race which will bring the inaugural season to a close. The new race series will debut at the Circuit of The Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas on May 26, 2024, and conclude at the Texas track on November 22, 2024.
Each round will feature a top category for the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race car (type 992 and 991.2) and a class for the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport. Cars 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 series will begin on Memorial Day weekend, May 26, with a 60-minute round at COTA. Being hosted on an established date for both the Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama and the Porsche Sprint Challenge USA West by Yokohama, the debut endurance round will be an exciting addition for teams, drivers and spectators looking for more single-brand competition.
Round two will follow on August 11 at “America’s National Park of Speed”, Road America. The Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin round – again one hour in length – will be a part of the weekend previously announced for Porsche Sprint Challenge North America and Porsche Sprint Challenge USA West. The penultimate race weekend will take place in the wine country of California, at Sonoma Raceway on September 29. The finale will crown the Porsche Endurance Championship’s inaugural victors in a stand-alone event at COTA.
The first three rounds, all 60 minutes in length, 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, and allow up to two drivers with a Bronze rating. Further technical details and regulations for the series will be announced at a later date.
The United States Auto Club, well known for decades as a leading motorsport sanctioning body, has overseen the Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama since the series debut in 2021. USAC conducted the United States Road Racing Championship from 1958 – 1962.
It was the organization behind Indy Car racing and the Indianapolis 500 for decades and, today, USAC is one of the leading motorsports organizations in the USA. The Speedway, Indiana-based organization has oversight of series on many racing fronts including circle track, rally, off-road, snowmobile, karting and youth racing in its portfolio.
Porsche Motorsport Pyramid North America
The Porsche Motorsport Pyramid North America provides the racing industry’s only clear path for drivers, teams and marketing partners to progress through the ranks of sports car racing. From novice instruction and track days with Porsche road cars through to full participation in professional open competition around the world with purpose-built Porsche racing machines, Porsche Motorsport North America (PMNA) provides a map, appropriate car and support throughout the journey. It is the perfect career pathway to move through the sports car racing echelons. At each step on the Pyramid, Porsche provides the appropriate tools, personnel and strategies to realistically model the career path for drivers, teams and partners.
Volker Holzmeyer, President and CEO, Porsche Motorsport North America
“The Porsche Motorsport Pyramid North America is designed to bridge the gaps through the ranks of racing in the United States and Canada. The Porsche Endurance Challenge North America will take this further. The series 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 Clubsport. 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. Initial interest has been very positive, and we look forward to our first event in Austin at the end of May.”
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