Australian GT ace Matt Campbell is one of several drivers affected by a positive Covid-19 case confirmed by Porsche from last weekend’s Le Mans 24 Hours.
Campbell will now not contest this weekend’s Nürburgring 24 which features three Kiwi drivers and was set to host over 100 entries.
Porsche confirmed yesterday that three Covid-19 tests conducted during the Le Mans event have returned positive results. The German manufacturer has not disclosed who tested positive but issued a statement confirming it will not send its factory drivers from Le Mans to the Nürburgring.
“People’s health comes first for us,” said Head of Porsche Motorsport Fritz Enzinger. “Given the current situation, it’s very clear to us that we put the needs of many ahead of our sporting goals.
“We’ll do everything we can to give our customer teams the best possible support in the upcoming race by providing operational personnel and available works drivers.”
The situation could also affect Kiwi sportscar driver Earl Bamber if Porsche makes a similar decision concerning Laurens Vanthoor and Nick Tandy ahead of this weekend’s IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar race from Mid-Ohio.
Vanthoor, who co-drives with Bamber in the championship, raced with the Porsche GT team at Le Mans over the weekend and could be part of the affected travel bubble. The Belgian’s two teammates from Le Mans are part of those drivers forced to withdraw from the Nürburgring event.
The drivers currently confirmed to be affected include Richard Lietz, Patrick Pilet, Romain Dumas, Campbell, Michael Christensen, Kevin Estre, Thomas Preining, Matteo Cairoli and Julien Andlauer.
Six customer Porsche teams will now be forced to either withdraw from the Nürburgring event or seek replacement drivers.
The 48th running of the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring will be held over September 26-27 with a limited number of spectators allowed trackside.