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Tandy pushed for 2018 IMSA return over WEC
Nick Tandy says he pushed for a return to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in 2018 after the cancellation of Porsche's LMP1 programme.
Gary Watkins
Edited: Dec 30, 2017, 12:54 PM
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The former Le Mans 24 Hours winner revealed that he favoured racing in a series in which he competed full-time in 2014-16 rather than moving over to Porsche's GTE Pro WEC squad.
"When I knew the P1 programme was finishing, I immediately spoke to Dr. Frank-Steffen Walliser [Porsche's GT racing boss] to ask if there might be an opportunity to race in North America," said Tandy, who will return to the CORE autosport-run GTLM Porsche squad in 2018.
"Having sampled GT racing across the globe, I know that the most fun racing is in IMSA.
"The great events, the level of competition between the factory cars and the spirit of North American sportscar racing make it the best racing out there."
Tandy explained that the decision for him and fellow LMP1 refugee Earl Bamber to contest the Petit Le Mans IMSA finale in October was an obvious precursor to their full-time IMSA programmes.
"The Daytona 24 Hours [the opening IMSA round next month] comes early, so testing with the new car was always going to be limited," he said.
"I only did a couple of tests with the car early in 2016, and it is a very different racing car now."
Tandy, who won Le Mans outright in 2015 in Porsche's third 919 Hybrid, said that it made sense to for him to be teamed again with Frenchman Patrick Pilet, his IMSA partner in 2015-16.
"It's such an easy fit because we are good friends, so there is no work needed," he continued.
Tandy will still race at Le Mans next year because Porsche is expanding its attack on the GTE Pro class at the blue riband round of the WEC from two to four cars.
He will share a CORE-run 911 RSR with Pilet and Bamber.
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