Magnus Racing Finalizing 2015 Program

Photo: IMSA

While having evaluated a possible FIA World Endurance Championship effort, it appears Magnus Racing will return to the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship next year, quite possibly as an expanded effort, as the team works to finalize its program for 2015.

“At this time nothing is confirmed, but I would like to make it very clear that we’re happy with IMSA and the TUDOR Championship,” team owner John Potter told Sportscar365.

“No doubt the series has had it’s struggles, but we’d be happy to return and we’re just doing our due diligence right now to ensure it’s our best option, the principle concern being the BoP and verifying our car can be competitive.”

The team’s Porsche 911 GT America saw no fewer than two transformations over the course of the 2014 season, with Balance of Performance changes making the 991-model car more competitive by seasons’ end.

Proof of that came late in the year, when Potter and co-driver Andy Lally scored podium finishes at Circuit of The Americas and Petit Le Mans, including being joined by Marco Seefried for a third place result in class at Road Atlanta.

With a further update package reportedly being proposed by Porsche Motorsport North America for next year, it could result in further gains for Cup-based package, although Potter has yet to officially commit to returning with the GT America just yet.

“There’s obviously a lot of questions marks when it comes to Porsche and the specifics of a GT3-spec car for 2016, and no doubt that’s part of the consideration for not only 2015, but really the next several years due to the investment,” he said.

“Having said that, Magnus has a long-standing relationship with Porsche since the team began in 2010, in fact I believe we share the mantle with Falken as the longest-running active customer team at this level, and we do enjoy that heritage.

“We’ve seen in 2014 how easy it is to change the outcome of a season with just a few BoP changes, so we’re looking at long-term viability as well BoP concerns.”

Magnus, however, is laying a foundation for the future, having recently hired former Dempsey Racing team manager Greg Cates to lead the team’s efforts in 2015.

Whether that ends up being with just the No. 44 entry, or potentially as a two-car team, also has yet to be determined, with Potter confirming talks with interested parties.

“There’s obviously a lot of benefits with the right two-car program, and this is always a source of discussion at this point of the year,” Potter said.

“We maintain a very high level of expectation in how we operate our program, and in such there’s only a few options out there that really match our quality requirements, but certainly we’re exploring the potential.”

A final decision on the team’s 2015 program is expected to be made by the end of the month.

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