Rutronik Drops GT Masters Plans to Join Endurance Cup

Porsche squad Rutronik Racing has joined the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Endurance Cup, abandoning its initial plans to stay in ADAC GT Masters.

The German team announced back in October that it would continue in GT Masters for a fifth season and switch fully to Porsche after previously running Audi machinery.

However, Rutronik on Friday confirmed that it will instead race in GTWC Europe Endurance Cup, making its full-time debut in the SRO Motorsports Group series.

The drivers for the single-car entry with a new Porsche 911 GT3 R are yet to be announced.

Rutronik made its GTWC debut in 2021 when it made a cameo appearance at the 24 Hours of Spa, however its Pro-class Porsche was eliminated in a huge multi-car accident at Raidillon in the first hour.

The team will also make its Nürburgring 24 return with Porsche this year after skipping last year’s edition of the Nordschleife enduro.

“I am pleased that we were able to put together an extremely competitive program for the 2023 season together with Porsche Motorsport,” said team principal Fabian Plentz.

“Above all, the switch to Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS brings a new challenge that the entire team is ready for.”

Rutronik’s move to SRO competition in GTWC Europe comes amid changes to the ADAC racing landscape, as the German motorsport body takes over the DTM.

The ADAC’s former flagship GT3 series, GT Masters, will retain its traditional two-driver format this year and won’t integrate LMP3 cars as initially proposed, however each pairing must include a Silver or Bronze-rated driver.

“Being able to start with the new Porsche 911 GT3 R in the extremely competitive Endurance Cup is a great sign of trust from our partners and sponsors for Rutronik Racing,” said Rutronik sporting director Klaus Graf.

“We restructured the team during the winter months and spared no expense or effort to meet the requirements of long-distance racing with today’s GT3 cars.”