According to German media, the board of Porsche has made the stunning decision to quit the World Endurance Championship and Le Mans 24 Hours from the start of 2018.
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung broke the news and it is reported that parent company Volkswagen approved the retirement on Wednesday. If true, an announcement can be expected shortly.
This news comes just a couple of weeks after suggestions that the German manufacturer was weighing up its future in the sport as the VW Group looks to aggressively cut costs due to the fallout from the diesel emissions scandal. WEC is said to cost Porsche around 250 million euros a year.
The company has already pulled out of the World Rally Championship and dropped Audi’s World Endurance Championship program at the end of 2016 to save money.
If the news is true, Toyota will be the sole manufacturer in the LMP1 category next season meaning the future of the category could also be in doubt.
Update: In a statement provided to Carscoops, Porsche Director Product and Technical Communications Anja Wassertheurer said "I can't actually comment on the LMP1 program as of today. But Porsche is definitely not leaving Le Mans."
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