With 24 cars entered and powerhouse Porsche customer teams on the grid, the 2026 Porsche Endurance Challenge North America by Yokohama season begins March 8 at Sebring International Raceway.
Introduced in 2024, the championship has quickly become a proving ground for drivers transitioning from sprint racing into professional endurance competition, becoming a key step in the North American Porsche Motorsport Pyramid. That pathway is clearly reflected on this year’s entry list.
Reigning Porsche Carrera Cup North America champion Ryan Yardley, now a 2026 Porsche Motorsport North America Selected Driver, used Endurance Challenge as a stepping stone before moving into full-season GT3 competition in GT World Challenge America presented by AWS.
Yardley and David Musial Jr crossed the line first as an invitational entry in the final race of the 2025 season – the four-hour Road Atlanta battle and the duo is now headed to World Challenge this season in a Wright Motorsports-entered Porsche 911 GT3 R.
The same can be said for Zachary Vanier, the 2025 Porsche Global Junior Shootout North American representative. Vanier was an Endurance Challenge regular in the past two seasons alongside Mike Mim. This season, he too will drive a 911 GT3 R in World Challenge – teamed with fellow Carrera Cup ace Michael McCann.
Other racers to use the series as a stepping stone to open competition in GT World Challenge North America powered by AWS include John Gilliland, Todd Parriott, Michael Clarke, Scott Blind plus Reinhold Krahn and Loek Hartog who are also flying the flag internationally.
Their progression demonstrates what the championship is built to do: provide one-make drivers with a clear, structured path to learn endurance racing before moving up to global GT competition.
24-car field packed with Porsche regulars
The 100-minute Sebring opener will feature 24 cars across four classes – a grid packed with IMSA and SRO regulars.
Leading Porsche One-Make teams well represented. TOPP Racing, JTR Motorsports Engineering, JDX Racing, Kellymoss, ACI Motorsport, Charlie Hayes Racing, Competition Motorsports, Vintage Racing Company, and HM Road Racing headline a paddock that reads like an all-star line-up of the Porsche customer racing ecosystem.
At the front of the Pro-Am field, outright contention is expected to be fierce.
Ryan Yardley returns alongside Dave Musial Sr., Trenton Estep teams with Joel Johnson, while Dan Clarke partners with Blake McGovern. International experience is well represented by Dutchman Jeroen Bleekemolen alongside Tim Pappas and Daniel Morad forming an all-Canada pairing with Roberto Tutino.
Additional Pro-Am contenders include a “who’s who” from Porsche Carrera Cup North America race winners, including Yves Baltas with Matt Joffe and Aaron Jeansonne paired with Keith McGovern.
2024 Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama champ and Carrera Cup Pro class contender Jared Thomas is running three cars with his JTR Motorsports Engineering squad – winners of the final round of 2025. Thomas himself will co-drive with Chris Hutter.
Cayman class adds depth
The Cayman category brings its own compelling storylines. Veteran Andrew Davis joins William Peluchiwski for Kellymoss. Second-generation racer Taylor van Overbeek, son of Porsche IMSA-legend and Rolex 24 winner Johannes van Overbeek, teams with Dan Drohan as the next generation continues to carve its own path within Porsche competition.
The mix of 911 GT3 Cup cars and 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsports create a true multi-class race that will test strategy, traffic management, and consistency – all essentials at the demanding Sebring circuit.
Tickets available
Fans can witness the opening round in person; tickets are available to the public via https://am.ticketmaster.com/sir/buy/USAC.
The Sebring event will also feature the opening round of Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama, with track action kicking off with testing from Wednesday, March 4. Official practice kicks off on Thursday, March 5, with separate GT3 Cup and Cayman Sprint Challenge races scheduled for Friday, March 6, and Saturday, March 7.
The Porsche Endurance Challenge North America by Yokohama opening round will take the green at 2:55 pm on Sunday, March 8. All qualifying sessions and the five races will be streamed live on Porsche Motorsport North America’s channels on YouTube, X, Facebook, and Linkedin.
