Toksport WRT’s Porsche Transition “Going Smoothly”

Toksport WRT’s transition to Porsche after its split from Mercedes-AMG is “going smoothly” despite the deal coming together very recently, according to team principal Seyhun Duru.

The German squad parted ways with Mercedes-AMG earlier this year after what Duru described as a “lack of understanding” between the two parties that had been linked since 2019.

In March, Toksport finalized the purchase of a Porsche 911 GT3 R. It will make its Nürburgring 24 debut this weekend, supported by Porsche star drivers Matt Campbell, Mathieu Jaminet and Julien Andlauer.

“The Nürburgring 24 project comes quite late to us, but the team prepared well,” Duru told Sportscar365.

“We managed to catch the NLS 2 race, but it was [postponed] because of the weather conditions so we switched to NLS 3. The official confirmation was just before NLS 2.

“The car is a well-built car from Porsche Motorsport and we are quite happy with it.

“We are a team which is not far from the Porsche brand, so we got used to the systems six or seven years ago [in Carrera Cup].

“Understanding the car was not so hard for us. Porsche Motorsport has helped us a lot to understand the GT3 car, setup-wise, so everything is going smoothly.”

Duru explained that Toksport’s previous affinity with Porsche in Carrera Cup racing was the main reason why it chose the Stuttgart manufacturer after leaving Mercedes-AMG.

Toksport plans to remain with Porsche when the brand introduces its new GT3 car next year and can be expected to increase its stable beyond the present single-car setup.

Despite only having the current-generation 911 GT3 R for one year until its homologation expires, Duru is confident that there will be enough demand from customers for his team to keep it maintained and ready for specialist series such as the Porsche Sports Cup.

Achieving a high finish at the N24 is Toksport WRT’s immediate priority and Duru believes that this is a realistic target despite a relative lack of preparation and event experience.

The team’s first race with Porsche in the Adenauer Trophy NLS round yielded a fourth-place finish. It was also the top Porsche team in the first N24 Qualifier.

“For Toksport the main philosophy is that we are concentrated on the sporting side,” Duru said.

“To attain the sporting targets, you first need good drivers. So many thanks to Porsche Motorsport that they had the opportunity for us to run one of the strongest lineups that there could be. We are happy with our drivers and the support from Porsche’s side.

“At the end, Toksport is in this project because of sporting success. If you don’t believe there will be sporting success, we will not push for it.

“It looks like there is a chance for us to be on the top, so we are working on it.”

Team Pleased with Results During AMG Spell

Duru added that Toksport WRT can be satisfied with the results it accrued during its stint with Mercedes-AMG that started in the summer of 2019, before splitting with the brand.

Toksport ran AMG factory aces Maro Engel and Luca Stolz in both ADAC GT Masters and Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Sprint Cup, winning races in each series.

The team also fielded Silver Cup cars in GTWC Europe Sprint and Endurance, finishing fourth in the combined class standings last year.

“We had a very good relation and working environment with the drivers; it was pleasure to work and share many good memories with them,” Duru said.

“Ultimately, ours and Mercedes-AMG’s management expectations didn’t align.

“We decided to move on to another manufacturer where we can focus on the sporting side of the business in the arenas that serve both us and Porsche.”