Black Swan Commits to IMSA Endurance Cup, IGTC

Photo: Jake Galstad/IMSA

Black Swan Racing will take on two of the premiere endurance racing championships this year, having confirmed a dual IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup and Intercontinental GT Challenge program with the new Porsche 911 GT3 R.

The team is set for nine races across five countries, combining for a potential of 115 hours of racing.

Porsche factory driver Dirk Werner will join Marco Seefried and team owner/driver Tim Pappas in the No. 540 Porsche for the four-round IMSA Endurance Cup, with Porsche Young Professional Matteo Cairoli completing the lineup in next weekend’s season-opening Rolex 24 at Daytona.

Pappas and longtime co-driver Jeroen Bleekemolen, meanwhile, will again team up for the full IGTC season, which expands to five rounds for 2019, with Marc Lieb completing the lineup for the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour and Total 24 Hours of Spa.

Werner has been named the third driver for the California 8 Hours, Suzuka 10 Hours and season-ending Kyalami 9 Hours.

“I couldn’t be more excited to embark on our 2019 adventure,” Pappas said. “We’re taking in the two premier endurance categories for GT3 racing, but feel as prepared as we can.

“The all-new Porsche 911 GT3 R has proven incredible in testing so far, and when combined with their heritage in endurance racing, we’re set for a strong season.”

Black Swan, which has underwent a number of key staff additions, including the recruitment of Owen Hayes as engineer, makes its return to Daytona for the first time since narrowly missing out on the GT Daytona class victory in 2016.

It will come in the official debut race of Porsche’s all-new GT3 contender, which the team will debut in IGTC competition from the second round of the season at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in March.

The team steps up to GT3 Pro for the IGTC season after having run as a Pro-Am class entry for the majority of the season last year.

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