Michael McCann and Zachary Vanier are taking the next step up the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid in 2026 with a full-season Pro class effort in GT World Challenge America powered by Amazon Web Services.

The former Porsche Carrera Cup North America contenders will campaign the new Porsche 911 GT3 R with McCann Racing as they transition into professional GT3 endurance racing.

From rivals to co-drivers

For Vanier, the move is both a progression and a culmination.

“For 2026, I’m super excited to be joining McCann Racing with our effort in the SRO GT World Challenge North America Championship in the GT3 R,” Vanier said.

“It’s fantastic to be paired up with Michael. He was one of the guys in the paddock I managed to build a really close friendship with throughout my two years in Porsche Carrera Cup North America. An amazing family, an amazing team. For us to have nailed the program down together feels super special.”

Their partnership was not built in a boardroom. It began in the paddock.

Before they were teammates, they were rivals in Carrera Cup. They were in the same paddock at the track – conversations at the Porsche PenFed Driver’s Lounge about 2026 turned into concrete plans.

“I found a really good co-driver,” McCann said. “Before he was my teammate, he was obviously a very close friend of mine. Zachary and I always hit it off at the track. That friendship kind of developed into, ‘Hey, what are you doing next year? What are you doing in two years?’”

The answer, eventually, became clear.

Forged in Porsche's single-make arena

Both had spent recent seasons sharpening themselves in Porsche’s single-make environment – a platform that leaves nowhere to hide. Identical machinery. Minimal variables. Forty-minute sprint races that demand total commitment from green flag to checkered.

“It’s just full-bore focus,” McCann said of Carrera Cup. “Green flag, and you’re driving like mad. There’s no strategy, no pit stops. You have to make up as much room as you can. That’s why qualifying is so important.”

Vanier views it similarly, but with a developmental lens shaped by his time in the Porsche Junior Program.

“The biggest thing was maturing within the Porsche product,” he said. “I feel very fortunate for the opportunities Porsche gave me within the Junior Program – being recognized, and representing Porsche Motorsport North America at the Porsche Global Shootout. Over the last three years, it was about emphasizing the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid and going through it as it’s designed to work. I feel like that’s exactly what I’ve been able to do.”

Those experiences reinforced the step-by-step progression the pyramid is built to create.

That structure now leads them to GT3 racing – a world of more downforce, more adjustability, longer races and, crucially, shared responsibility.

Learning the GT3 language

Vanier has not yet turned a wheel in the new GT3 R, with his first test scheduled at Sebring in early March. But he already understands the scale of the shift.

“There are some expectations related to results and outcomes that we want,” he said. “But there’s a lot to learn and overcome, both personally and as a team.

“We’re entering it with an open mindset – being a sponge, soaking in everything from the team side, from Porsche’s side, and trying to maximize the program.”

The transition from 40-minute sprints to three-hour endurance races fundamentally changes the objective.

“It’s not about outright pace for a short distance anymore,” Vanier said. “It’s about longevity. Making sure we have a car at the end of three hours – and at Indy, making sure we have a car at the end of eight hours. There’s more technique and finesse involved. It’s a different approach.”

That evolution aligns directly with his long-term ambitions.

“The ultimate goal for me is to solidify myself as an endurance driver,” he said. “Whether that’s in SRO competition or IMSA. This was the goal. Now it’s about incorporating Michael’s preferences in the car as well – working together to get the car in a window where we’re both comfortable and able to maximize it.”

A return to GT3 roots

For McCann, the GT3 return carries its own meaning.

He grew up in a racing family. His father competed in Speed World Challenge in the early 2000s before earning a Cadillac factory opportunity that was cut short during the 2009 financial crisis. Racing was always part of the household vocabulary.

“There’s no better place than being at the track,” McCann said. “I’ve always been around it. I’ve always loved it.”

McCann Racing previously competed in GT3 machinery between 2017 and 2019, before the team pivoted fully into Porsche Carrera Cup competition. Now, with a deep affinity for the brand and a trusted co-driver alongside him, the timing feels right.

“The most exciting part for us is getting back into GT3 racing,” McCann said. “And to have Zachary join the McCann Racing family – it’s honestly been a blessing that everything has come together like it has.”

Translating Cup pace to endurance consistency

Both drivers believe their years in the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car will ease the transition into the GT3 R.

“The Cup Car is the best training tool to prepare for the GT3R,” said McCann. “It’s a similar chassis, similar concept. We’re hoping it actually does everything nicer than a Cup car – it turns better, stops better.”

Vanier agrees, noting that while the GT3 platform introduces more variables – including Balance of Performance and competition from multiple manufacturers – it also expands a driver’s technical understanding.

“In Carrera Cup, it’s ultimately down to the driver,” he said.

“In World Challenge we’ll be working closely with Porsche, with the team, and even with other teams in the same manufacturer to give yourself the best platform across seven rounds – that’s going to be the name of the game.”

The program will compete in the Pro class, raising the bar further. Long-run pace, tire management, traffic navigation and co-driver harmony will carry more weight than a single qualifying lap.

“I think long-term pace will be more valuable than just having a one-lap flyer,” McCann said.

“That’s one thing Carrera Cup taught me. Now it’s about sharing the car, understanding what works for both of us, and building something consistent.”

A new chapter begins at Sonoma

The car itself has already arrived at the McCann Racing shop, wrapped and prepared for its Sebring shakedown. From there, the countdown to the opening round accelerates.

Three weeks later, the green flag will fall on a new chapter at Sonoma Raceway.

Two ex-Carrera Cup aces. One Pro-class GT3 R. A friendship forged in a single-make paddock now tested in one of North America’s premier GT championships.

For both McCann and Vanier, this is more than a schedule addition. It is the next deliberate step up the Porsche ladder – from sprint specialist to endurance contender.

With the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid continuing to work as designed, it won’t be the last.