Porsche has decided to support Porsche customer teams during all four rounds of the 2017 Intercontinental GT Challenge. After the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour, teams of the German sportscar manufacturer will also be competing in the Total 24 Hours of Spa, the Mazda Raceway California 8 Hours and the Sepang 12 Hours. One of its works drivers, Laurens Vanthoor, is the defending Intercontinental GT Challenge driver champion.
The Intercontinental GT Challenge, the only global series exclusively for GT cars, is aimed at manufacturers, who are encouraged to use local teams to represent them in four of the most important GT3 races on the motorsports planet. Last year, during the inaugural season, this concept won over several brands, and Porsche is joining them in 2017.
At the opening round – the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour – Porsche supported two teams: Walkinshaw GT3 and Competition Motorsports. While the former was particularly unlucky and had to retire its car early in the race, the #12 Porsche 911 GT3 R of Calvert-Jones, Long, Lieb and Campbell crossed the finish line in second position.
This means that Porsche heads to the Total 24 Hours of Spa second in the manufacturers standings of the Intercontinental GT Challenge, seven points behind leader Ferrari. In the Belgian Ardennes Porsche will support two squads entering Porsche 911 GT3 R, KÜS Team75 Bernhard and Herberth Motorsport.
For the final two rounds of the 2017 Intercontinental GT Challenge, the Mazda Raceway California 8 Hours and the Motul Sepang 12 Hours, yet to be determined local specialists will be chosen to defend the famous Porsche colours, in their bid to become this year’s manufacturers champion of the Intercontinental GT Challenge.
