Porsche will return to the track in 2012 with the third generation of its rolling laboratory, the 911 GT3 R hybrid. The company continues to push its technology, noting its future in the sport.

“There is no way around the hybrid technology in motorsport,” said Wolfgang Hatz, board member for research and development. “With the 911 GT3 R hybrid project, we have shown how you can test important future technologies on the racetrack and pave the way for motorsport success in the future. We will continue to determinedly blaze this trail and further develop the hybrid technology.”

The second-generation car took on several tracks this year, most notably the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring, where it placed 28th overall.

The GT3 R hybrid uses a 4.0-liter flat-six for power, with two electric motors at the front wheels making 100 hp each. Weight is low at 2,866 pounds, but we expect a further reduction for 2012.

We do know that the car will be about two inches wider at the rear and nearly six inches wider at the front, and it will run in the FIA World Endurance Championship, the American Le Mans Series, the Le Mans Series, the International GT Open and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In the United States, four new vehicles will be fielded by three different teams.

The Porsche driver lineup will stay the same with Joerg Bergmeister and Patrick Long in a GT3 Cup car for Flying Lizard, Marco Holzer will race with Alex Job, Wolf Henzler and Patrick Pilet will be in a TRG car, Marc Lieb will be in a Brumos Porsche and Richard Lietz will work with Magnus Racing. Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas complete the crew.

The Porsche team will kick off the season at the Daytona 24-hour race in January.