Proton Competition have told Only Endurance they are not prepared to comment on the team's absence from the 2026 IMSA GTP entry list.
The provisional entry list for next season's IMSA Sportscar Championship was released yesterday, and features 45 entries for the full season. That number will grow to 54 entries for the five-round Endurance Cup campaign, of which Porsche stalwart Manthey Racing will contest for the first time.
Phil Oakley
In the headlining GTP class, 11 cars will contest both the full season and the Endurance Cup.
However, there is a conspicuous absence: the #5 Proton Competition Porsche 963. Proton have raced in the GTP class with a customer 963 since 2023, but it seems, at least at the moment, that they won't race in the championship in 2026.
When we asked why this was, we received a 'no comment' response.
However — and this is speculation on our part — could it be that, given Porsche's withdrawal of its factory cars from the FIA World Endurance Championship next year, Proton's US-based 963 will switch to WEC next year alongside the team's other 963 chassis, which already races in WEC?
Phil Oakley
WEC's regulations stipulate that at least two cars from each manufacturer must be entered to race in Hypercar. If Proton wants to continue in the class, with the rules currently in place, it'd have to be a two-car effort, or none at all.
We shall have to wait and see what happens. The only other changes on the IMSA GTP 2026 entry list were expected: the absence of Lamborghini, and BMW's switch to Team WRT as its IMSA factory partner team, in place of RLL.
Consistency in LMP2, GTD Pro and GTD
In IMSA's 2026 LMP2 entry, 12 cars will race in the full season. United Autosports will enter two cars, with Crowdstrike by APR, TDS, Era, Inter Europol, Pratt Miller, and AO Racing all returning with a single car.
Intersport and Bryan Herta Autosport are two new entries for 2026, both fielding a single car. PR1/Mathiasen will also return, partnering with new entrant Team Tonis.
Eight GTD Pro cars will race in the full season, joined by four cars for the Endurance Cup. These eight will comprise of entries from Corvette, Ford, Pfaff Motorsports, Paul Miller Racing, Vasser Sullivan Lexus, and AO Racing with the ever-popular 'Rexy'.
James Jackson
Four extra cars, from Triarsi, Risi, 75 Express, and Manthey – with the 'Grello' car — will join them for the Endurance Cup.
GTD will have 14 full season entries, from manufacturers including Lexus, Porsche, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Corvette, Mercedes, Lamborghini and BMW. There will also be five additional Endurance Cup entries.
The full provisional 2026 IMSA Sportscar Championship entry list can be seen on IMSA's website.
Feature image: Jacob Saddler for Only Endurance
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