Porsche to race 991-based 911 RSR in 2013

Just a few weeks after telling us we’d need to wait until 2014 to see a new Porsche 911 RSR, Stuttgart has announced they’ll be racing two new factory-backed 991-based 911 RSR machines in the 2013 World Endurance Championship. Of course, this also includes the 2013 Le Mans 24 hour race (22–23 June).

It will be the first time a Porsche works team has raced at La Sarthe since 1998.

Olaf Manthey will head the Porsche team. He’ll no doubt use his extensive experience gained from racking up an impressive total of five outright victories in the Nürburgring 24 hour race, all with Porsche.

“The new 911 RSR is currently being developed by our engineers and tested by our works drivers,” says Porsche Head of Motorsport, Hartmut Kristen. “What better time could there be to introduce the new car than the Porsche 911’s 50th anniversary.”

We suspect the 2013 effort will be a silent introduction for many of those who will be back at Le Mans in 2014, when Porsche will be racing for outright success in the LMP1 category. Who knows the driving talent may even be led by our own Mark Webber.

Le Mans 24 Hours / World Endurance Championship

Porsche works team fields two 911 RSR in 2013

Stuttgart. For the 2013 racing season, Porsche AG will field two new GT racecars based on the newest generation of the Porsche 911 at the Le Mans 24 hour race and in the World Endurance Championship (WEC). For the first time since the overall victory in 1998, a factory team from Porsche will tackle the famed long distance classic in France.

The two new Porsche 911 RSR, which race in the GTE category, will be run by the Porsche AG Team Manthey. The role of team manager goes to the experienced endurance specialist Olaf Manthey, who has celebrated five overall wins with Porsche at the Nürburgring 24 hour race and recently fielded a 911 GT3 RSR in the International GT Open.

“The new 911 RSR is currently being developed by our engineers and tested by our works drivers,” says Porsche Head of Motorsport, Hartmut Kristen. “What better time could there be to introduce the new car than the Porsche 911’s 50th anniversary.”