The era of the GTE Pro class ends at the 8h of Bahrain, the 2022 WEC final. Porsche, which has had a factory connection to the category since 2013, is having its two 911 RSR compete in a special paint finish for the occasion.
The basic color white remains, and a stripe creation in the colors red, blue, pink, black, gold and gray is added. Porsche wants to use this to commemorate all the paint finishes that have been used in the GTE Pro category over the past ten seasons.
The lettering “Goodbye” is also emblazoned on the windscreen. The 16 class victories achieved so far since 2013 are immortalized on the fenders. On the roof are the names of all drivers from ten years of factory service, along with “Goodbye” in the national languages of the World Championship venues where the 911 RSR started.
Porsche boss: Victory and title should come
“The GTE-Pro class in the Endurance World Championship will be phased out at the end of the 2022 season. It will therefore be our last appearance with the 911 RSR from the works team,” says Thomas Laudenbach, Head of Motorsport at Porsche. “For this very special occasion, our designers created a wrap that I think beautifully represents the history and achievements of ten years.”
WEC Head of Operations Alexander Stehlig adds: “Our Porsche 911 RSR has always been one of the most eye-catching, popular and successful racing cars in the highly competitive category for manufacturer teams. At the end of this great program, we would like to add another highlight – in terms of sport and looks.”
Laudenbach unequivocally announces what the sporting highlight should look like: “We are aiming for race victory and winning the manufacturers’ and drivers’ titles.” That would be a fitting end to a success story. In the ten years and in a total of 62 WEC races in the GTE Pro class, Porsche has celebrated numerous successes.
Successful GTE-Pro time with Manthey Racing
Highlights include winning drivers’ and manufacturers’ titles in the 2015 seasons with Richard Lietz and in 2018/19 with Michael Christensen and Kevin Estre. At the WEC highlight, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Porsche won the GTE Pro class three times during this period: 2013 (Lieb/Lietz/Dumas), 2018 (Christensen/Estre/Vanthoor) and 2022 (Bruni/Lietz/Makowiecki ).
Manthey Racing was commissioned to oversee the GTE-Pro works event from the outset. It is not yet clear how the team will continue. Manthey Racing is currently associated with an engagement in the DTM.
Porsche relies on the expertise of Team Penske for the LMDh program, which begins in 2023. The LMP2 program with the Porsche RS Spyder was already successfully completed with the US team in the 2000s.