Porsche Team Manthey has reshuffled its factory driver lineup in its two Porsche 911 RSR entries in the FIA World Endurance Championship and at the 24 Hours of Le Mans after the confirmation earlier today of Nick Tandy ad Earl Bamber’s appointment to the driving strength for the Factory team’s third Porsche 919 Hybrid for Spa and Le Mans.
From the season-opening round at Silverstone on April 12, Michael Christensen and Richard Lietz will join forces in the #91 911 RSR.
Sharing driving duties in the #92 911 RSR once again are Frédéric Makowiecki and Patrick Pilet.
Wolf Henzler (#92) and Jörg Bergmeister (#91) will support the pairings as the third drivers to contest the 24 hour classic at Le Mans.
“I’m thrilled for Earl and Nick. They’ve earned this chance with their impressive performances,” says Porsche Head of Motorsport Dr. Frank-Steffen Walliser. “Their rise into the premier class of long distance racing not only confirms the effectiveness of the Porsche youth development concept. It also underlines the importance of Porsche’s brand trophy series as a career stepping stone for young race drivers who bring the necessary talent, a great willingness to learn and the critical will to succeed. Porsche opens all doors to those who are really fast.”
Four pilots contesting this year’s WEC season as part of the LMP1 driver lineup began their careers in Porsche’s one-make race series. In addition to Earl Bamber and Nick Tandy, Timo Bernhard and Marc Lieb climbed the ranks via the Porsche youth development program to join the circle of the world’s best sports car pilots. These four have one thing in common: Over the course of their careers, they have all won either the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup or the Carrera Cup Deutschland: Timo Bernhard clinched the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland title in 2001 as a Porsche junior, Marc Lieb the following year, also as a Porsche junior. Nick Tandy achieved this feat in 2011, with Earl Bamber taking home the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup trophy in 2014.
