Porsche Reducing 2016 FIA GTE Pro Factory Program

Despite a successful 2015 racing season capped off with a win in the LMP1 class of the World Endurance Championship, Porsche has announced it will reduce its GTE Pro campaign throughout the 2016 season.

It isn’t yet clear just how many races of the GTE Pro championship Porsche plans on skipping next year. This, inadvertently, will result in it forfeiting its teams’ and manufacturers’ titles it took home this year.

While Porsche won’t be present at all GTE Pro races in 2016, it is attempting to gain two GTE Pro entries into the most famous endurance race of them all, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. While speaking with Autosport, Frank-Steffan Walliser, the head of Porsche Motorsport’s GT division, revealed the company’s reduced presence next year will allow it to develop its 2017 racer.

“This is mainly a result of what we are doing in GT racing at the moment with the new 911 GT3-R and in GTE for 2017. We need to step back for 2016 to be able to go full power for 2017. But it is important that we continue to support the GTE class in the WEC; we have a responsibility to keep the class interesting next year.”

For 2016, reigning WEC GT champion Richard Lietz will drive a Porsche 911 RSR from the Proton squad in the GTE Pro class alongside Michael Christensen. A sister car will then compete in the GTE AM class.