A brand-new 911 Challenge car that has closer links to road-going machinery will be introduced into the Porsche Sprint Challenge GB next season.
Since the British Touring Car Championship support category was launched in 2020, it has always been exclusively for Porsche Caymans – initially for the 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport and then the RS Clubsport.
But now an all-new car will be used that features closer ties to the production 911 and is designed to widen the gap between the Sprint Challenge and Carrera Cup machinery that had significantly closed when the RS Clubsport was adopted for 2024.
The 911 Challenge will be powered by a four-litre six-cylinder Boxer engine like its Cayman predecessor, but will utilise a seven-speed standard PDK gearbox and will feature driver aids such as ABS and traction control.
It has been created to be an “entry-level car” for Porsche racers and has been chosen for the Sprint Challenge instead of the new-for-2027 911 GT4.
“The 911 Challenge brings the driving experience of the road-legal 911 GT3 into customer motorsport more directly than ever before,” explained Porsche Motorsport head of sales Michael Dreiser.
911 Challenge
Photo by: Porsche
“Drivers can get to grips with it without a long learning curve and can complete their first kilometres on the race track in a familiar vehicle design.
“We are following a principle here that dates back to the 1960s: our customers receive a race-ready car complete with motorsport safety technology, data acquisition, spare parts support and technical documentation.”
Drivers and teams interested in competing with the new car in the Sprint Challenge GB next year will be able to begin placing orders from 25 September.
The 911 Challenge’s introduction means both of the British factory-backed Porsche championships will feature new cars for 2027, as the latest iteration of the 911 Cup will also be adopted in Carrera Cup GB following its initial debut this year in the Porsche Supercup and German Carrera Cup.
Alongside the new Porsches, another fresh car on the BTCC support bill for 2027 is due to be the PM1 Junior, a bespoke rear-wheel-drive machine designed for a new junior championship run by BTCC outfit Power Maxed Racing.
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– The Autosport.com Team
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