New Porsche Prototype Racing Program Announced for North America

The fabulous 1998 911 GT1 literally stretched everything a 911 had ever been up to that point. (Photo: Porsche Cars North America)

PCNA and PMNA have commissioned their parent company, Porsche AG, to design and construct a racecar to be eligible for competition in the LMP2 (Le Mans Prototype 2) class of the ALMS.

Aligning with one of the most successful teams in motorsport history, Penske Motorsports, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Penske Racing,

Roger Penske, just before his TV interview at Road Atlanta. (Photo: Porsche Cars North America)

How successful is Penske? Not only has Roger Penske had a winning personal driving career, but Penske Motorsports has enjoyed championship winning campaigns in the 1972 and 1973 SCCA Can-Am series powering Porsche 917/10 and 917/30 racecars. The Penske name is also associated with a leading IRL team, and previously, a highly successful CART team.

Penske Motorsports is

The cars used for ALMS customer teams are primarily racing versions of Porsches production-based 911 GT3. (Photo: Porsche Cars North America)

"Our American racing customers have made it clear to us that they would like to move up several levels in ALMS competition, as would we," commented Peter Schwarzenbauer, PCNA President and CEO. "We believe this new Porsche prototype program will provide the perfect means to do so and will generate added enthusiasm for sports car racing in America, especially with Penske Motorsports as our partner and initial entrant."

PMNA has campaigned sports cars for more than 30 years. (Photo: Porsche Cars North America) align="justify">PMNA will continue to support its ALMS customer teams in the GT2 (formerly GT) class, a program that has resulted in an unprecedented 47 victories and five Manufacturers Championships within the past six seasons. The cars used are primarily racing versions of Porsches production-based 911 GT3.