Back-to-back American Le Mans Series PC class champions CORE autosport will take on an additional challenge in 2013 with a Porsche 911 GT3 RSR GTE class assault headlined by Porsche factory star, Patrick Long and three-time Le Mans class winner, Tom Kimber-Smith.

The new entry will be in addition to the team’s confirmed return to the PC class where team owner/driver Jon Bennett and young star Colin Braun are targeting CORE’s third consecutive championship.

After showcasing its talents with two championship victories in two years in prototype competition, CORE now becomes a Porsche customer team in 2013.

“CORE autosport has obviously achieved great success in the PC class in the ALMS but we’re really looking to expand our horizons and show what the team is capable of,” team owner, Jon Bennett said.

“This has been a strategic business design by our company. Our target for 2013 is to build a strong infrastructure capable of supporting a two-car factory effort. We want to prove we are capable of being successful in GT racing and this year will be a great learning experience for us.

CORE autosport will undergo an extensive test program starting after the 12 Hours of Sebring with a race debut soon to follow.

Jens Walther, president of Porsche Motorsport North America, welcomed the new team to the Porsche customer team family.

“We are pleased the Core autosport has chosen the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR to compete in the American Le Mans Series GT class for 2013 – giving us three customers teams entered in the most competitive GT race series in the world,” Walther said.

“Jon Bennett and Morgan Brady have shown a very high level of professionalism right from our first meeting last year at Le Mans and the PMNA team is looking forward to working with the team.”

A Porsche factory driver since 2003, three-time ALMS GT champion and 21-time ALMS GT winner, Long is eagerly awaiting the opportunity to kickstart CORE’s GT program.

“It is an exciting year for me. I’m ready for a role of growth in 2013. It is going to be a great challenge because the GTE class has a ton of activity and a lot of manufacturer involvement. It will be about getting up to speed quickly and growing for the future,” Long said.

“I first noticed CORE when they made their debut in Sebring 2011. Straight away you could tell that these guys were very serious. They run an efficient and successful operation and when you look at Porsche I see a lot of similarities between the two organizations.

Long’s new teammate Tom Kimber-Smith will return to GT action in 2013. The talented Brit has remarkably taken three Le Mans victories in only four attempts at the French classic. Last season, he dovetailed a full-season with P2 competitor Greaves Motorsport in the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) with four races, four podiums and a victory for CORE autosport in the ALMS. He also scored his third victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans after being drafted into the race-winning HPD LMP2 squad.

“I can’t wait to get started. As soon as I heard about this program I knew it was something I wanted to be a part of,” Kimber-Smith said.

“This has all come together really quickly and I am sure the time between now and when we make our race debut will go by very quickly. I am really excited about being in the ALMS on a full-time basis. I don’t think there is another championship in the world quite like it.