Moorespeed will step up to IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship competition, having confirmed a GT Daytona class entry with longtime driver Will Hardeman for next year.

Hardeman, a race-winner in IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama competition, will compete in the newly announced WeatherTech Sprint Cup with a 2019-spec Porsche 911 GT3 R, while a full-season campaign is currently under consideration.

His co-driver for the 2019 season has yet to be announced although team owner David Moore said Hardeman will be paired with a “top professional Porsche driver” hinting towards a potential factory or Young Professional driver.

“I’m looking forward to our 2019 IMSA GTD effort,” Hardeman said. “Through the Moorespeed driver development program, and the platform that Porsche GT3 cup offers, we are prepared to make a championship run in the GTD field.

“Right now, my focus is on getting ready for the 2019 IMSA season as we complete our roster and search for potential sponsors. We plan to leverage synergies with the existing Moorespeed Porsche GT3 cup program alongside our GTD effort.”

The Texas-based team is the first to officially confirm an order of Porsche’s all-new GT3 contender, which made its debut in 24H Series competition earlier this year and is currently undergoing an intensive testing and development program.

Moorespeed is currently enjoying its best season to date in GT3 Cup Challenge competition, with Hardeman winning the opening round of the season at Sebring and newly crowned GT3 Cup Challenge Canada champion Zach Robichon sweeping the Road America and VIR weekends, in Hardeman’s absence.

“We are as pumped to be fielding the new Porsche 911 GT3 R in the IMSA WeatherTech Sprint Cup championship as we are competing with a driver we developed from scratch in our GT3 Cup program,” said Moore.

“One of our most important goals we set when first coming back into professional racing five years ago was to be able to build the racing culture in our home in Austin, Texas and help young drivers.

“Our first to graduate from our junior team to our next step, IMSA GTD Sprint Cup, will be Will.

“We couldn’t be prouder of Will and what he has accomplished in only four years of racing.”

Moore said the cost-effective nature of the seven-race Sprint Cup, which is understood to be in the $1 to 1.5 million range, made it an easy decision to step up.

“One of the biggest factors in our move up was to find a more affordable step between the Porsche GT3 Cup championship and the big show,” he said.

“With the new IMSA Sprint Cup championship, we get that opportunity now. The decision to introduce the Sprint Cup Championship is the shot in the arm from IMSA we needed to make this happen.”