Walliser Promoted; Enzinger New Porsche Motorsport Boss

Photo: Porsche

Dr. Frank-Steffen Walliser will leave his post as Head of Porsche Motorsport, having been named the new boss of the German manufacturer’s sports car division.

Walliser will replace the retiring August Achleitner, who has been in charge of the 911 and 718 model series for nearly two decades.

Former Porsche LMP1 Vice President Fritz Enzinger, who took over as the Volkswagen Group motorsports boss earlier this year, meanwhile, has been named the new Head of Porsche Motorsport, effective Jan. 1.

Walliser’s promotion, which focuses largely on the production side, where he will report directly to Porsche AG CEO Oliver Blume, comes after his latest four-year stint in motorsports that began in October 2014.

As the successor to Hartmut Kristen, Walliser helped lead Porsche to numerous key victories and championships in the GT racing world, including class victory in this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans and overall honors in the Nürburgring 24.

Walliser will retain his role as head of development for GT road cars based on the 911.

“The integration of the GT road vehicles into the 911 and 718 model series enables us to take into account significantly earlier the special features that are necessary for our uncompromising road sports cars,” he said.

“It also means there will be no change to the close linking with motorsport. It’s still true for our GT vehicles: they’re born in Flacht.”

Sportscar365 understands that Enzinger’s appointment may only be on an interim basis, as the 62-year-old is nearing the company’s retirement age. 

Ex-Porsche LMP1 team principal Andreas Seidl is understood to have been offered the position prior to his abrupt departure from the German manufacturer earlier this 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