Vanthoor, Werner Confirmed as Porsche GT Factory Drivers

Photo: Vision Sport Agency

Laurens Vanthoor and Dirk Werner will make the switch to Porsche, with both having been named GT factory drivers for the German manufacturer beginning next year.

As first revealed by Sportscar365 last month, ex-Audi GT factory ace Vanthoor and BMW works driver Werner join the previously announced Sven Mueller as additions to Porsche’s lineup, largely due to the promotions of both Nick Tandy and Earl Bamber to Porsche’s LMP1 program.

Vanthoor, the newly crowned FIA GT World Champion, will join Kevin Estre in the No. 912 Porsche North America entry in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, with Werner teaming with Patrick Pilet in the No. 911 car for the full season.

Fred Makowiecki (No. 911) and Richard Lietz (No. 912) will complete the lineup for the Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup races in the new mid-engined Porsche 911 RSRs.

Lietz, Makowiecki and Michael Christensen, meanwhile, have been confirmed as three of the expected four full-season drivers that will make up the returning Manthey-run Porsche Motorsport team in the FIA World Endurance Championship GTE-Pro class.

Porsche has yet to name the remainder of its WEC lineup, but is expected to consist of some combination of Mueller, Wolf Henzler and Romain Dumas, who returns to becoming a GT factory driver after a three-year stint in LMP1.

Both Patrick Long and Joerg Bergmeister, meanwhile, are expected to be focused in North American racing, with Long having been confirmed to return to Pirelli World Challenge with Wright Motorsports and Bergmeister poised to be back with Park Place Motorsports in the WeatherTech Championship.

The German manufacturer now boasts a 12-strong works GT driver lineup, not counting LMP1 refugee Marc Lieb, who has also been retained by Porsche, but in a yet-to-be-defined customer racing role.

Confirmation of Porsche’s new additions came Saturday evening during its “Night of Champions” awards ceremony in Weissach.

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John