Nick Tandy and Earl Bamber have been confirmed in returning to Porsche’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship program, rejoining the CORE autosport-run operation on a full-time basis following their stints in LMP1.
As reported by Sportscar365, Head of Porsche Motorsport Dr. Frank-Steffen Walliser indicated that both drivers would likely be back behind the wheel of Porsche 911 RSRs in the WeatherTech Championship next year, having said it “sounds logical” at the time.
Tandy will rejoin Patrick Pilet in the No. 911 car, rekindling one of the most successful driver pairings in the class, with reigning 24 Hours of Le Mans winner and FIA World Endurance Champion Bamber teaming up with Laurens Vanthoor in the No. 912 entry.
Fred Makowiecki will join Tandy and Pilet for the Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup races, with Gianmaria Bruni set to complete the lineup in the No. 912 car.
Tandy and Pilet joined forces in 2015 to claim four class victories, including overall honors in the Petit Le Mans. The Frenchman went onto claim the GT Le Mans title that year, as a solo driver, due to Tandy missing two races due to his LMP1 commitments.
While both contesting full seasons in GTLM last year, Tandy and Bamber shifted focus to the Porsche 919 Hybrid program this season but also contested the Motul Petit Le Mans with Porsche GT Team.
They replace Gianmaria Bruni and Dirk Werner in the full-season IMSA lineup, with Bruni moving to the team’s WEC program and Werner in Manthey’s new Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup program that will also encompass a full-season effort, with local teams, in Intercontinental GT Challenge.
Vanthoor, meanwhile, is set for his second consecutive WeatherTech Championship season, having started the year with Kevin Estre prior to Bruni’s mid-season arrival.
