As some of Porsche’s 2016 factory lineup departs, new talent must come in to fill the ranks. Several great drivers left the lineup this year. Mark Webber retired, and both Marc Lieb and Romain Dumas moved on to different roles with Porsche. One of the four new drivers to be named at Porsche’s annual Night of Champions dinner was former Audi driver André Lotterer. Lotterer is among the most experienced and successful in the WEC, having won the 24 Hours of Le Mans three times with Audi in 2011, 2012 and 2014. His career does not start and end at Le Mans, however, and has included stints in the JGTC and various open wheel series.
André Lotterer’s Endurance Racing Career
Lotterer joined Audi Sport Team Joest’s WEC effort in 2010, and has appeared on the podium at four of his six 24 Hours of Le Mans entries. Audi proved to be one of the most dominant forces ever to race at Le Mans, with 13 wins to Porsche’s 18 (fourteen if you include Bentley’s 2003 Audi-Victory in disguise). Lotterer has scored victories in both diesel powered endurance racers and under the current hybrid rules.
André Lotterer in JGTC and Super GT
Lotterer’s successes are not limited to the WEC. He competed in the JGTC series, including championship victories in 2006 and 2009 with Lexus Team Tom’s. André achieved 2nd and 3rd place finishes in the JGTC/Super GT championship in 2010 and 2008 respectively.
Open Wheel Racing
Since the late 1990s André has consistently participated in various forms of open wheel racing. In 2002 he scored a ride with Jaguar F1 team as a reserve driver, only to be passed over in favor of Mark Webber for the 2003 season. He has since continued in various forms of open wheel racing, including Formula Nippon, where he has been in the top three positions in the championship nearly every year since 2003.
Exited to join the @Porsche_Team! Target: Win #lemans & #WEC races with @neeljani & @NickTandyR
Thank u @audisport for the awesome 7 years!— Andre Lotterer (@Andre_Lotterer) December 3, 2016
Please join us in welcoming André to the Porsche Factory Team!
