Magnus magnified for PWC challenge

With a two-car, full-season effort in Pirelli World Challenge, Magnus Racing is taking on a different test in 2017.

After seven years of endurance racing, including victories in the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring, John Potter's Magnus Racing is embarking on a new adventure in sprint racing in Pirelli World Challenge.

It appeared likely that Potter (pictured) would seek a new competition venue for his team after his Audi R8 LMS was disqualified twice in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship last season, one for a ride height infraction and one for a drive time error. But more than that, Potter says he likes World Challenge, and the opportunity to run two cars in two different classes – GTA for himself and GT for Pierre Kaffer – was especially attractive.

"I'm a fan of all sports car racing, anywhere in the world, but particularly in the U.S. As such, I've been a fan of World Challenge for a long time," Potter says. "After spending a long time in endurance racing, I'm looking forward to mixing it up a little bit. The sprint race format adds an extra element of urgency that you don't have in endurance racing, and I'm excited for that.

"I'm also excited about our two-car lineup. That's something new for us. We've done one-off races with two cars, but not for a full season. The PWC format with GT and GTA allows us to have two of the same cars, competing in different classes and not against each other," he continues.

The team's entry into World Challenge marks the first full-season effort for the latest R8 LMS GT3 machine from Audi – M1 GT Racing and Walt Bowlin raced in only a few races in GTA last season with one. Magnus has sponsorship from Audi Tire Center for Kaffer's No. 4 and Potter's No. 44 cars.

"Audi has been supportive from day one. When I first expressed an interest in doing a program in Pirelli World Challenge, Audi was very interested and immediately supportive in that goal. We're excited to be working with them again, to take the knowledge of a lot of wins and success in that other series to be able to apply them here. There's a lot we need to adapt to, a lot we need to learn and we're excited for the challenge. With Audi's help, I think we're going to be successful," Potter says.

One of the things he'll have to adapt to is the sprint format and going solo. Kaffer (pictured), in addition to a lot of endurance racing and a 24 Hours of Le Mans GT2 win in 2009 with Risi Competizione, also has quite a bit of solo experience, notably with Audi in German Touring Cars. Potter, however, has spent most of his eight-year career in multi-driver endurance racing.

"I need to adjust to the mindset that there isn't another driver getting in the car behind me. As the person who started, but did not finish, most of the races in endurance racing, the idea that you need – to use a bad phrase – you need to leave it all on the track while taking it all home with you. There's something refreshing and important to recognize about being the starter and the finisher of the race," he explains.

The team's endurance racing experience may come into play when the first hour-long, two-driver SprintX race rolls around next month. Magnus has paired Spencer Pumpelly with Kaffer and Marco Seefried with Potter for the SprintX races.

For the sprint races, though, the results at St. Petersburg indicate the team has some work to do, although Kaffer exhibited good pace from the beginning. He qualified second for Race 1, but contact resulting in a cut tire left him with a 13th-place finish and a deep-field starting spot for Race 2. It was Magnus Racing's first race weekend on the Pirelli tires and one of only a handful of street races, so it's likely they learned a few things heading into Round 3 at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.