Porsche shelves 24-Hour comeback

The German marque is the third to pull out of next year's event, following Nissan's withdrawal and Mercedes' decision not to enter in 2000.

However, Porsche has decided to continue development of its V10 prototype - tested recently by Allan McNish - 'in order to maintain the high level of know-how' at the manufacturer's in-house factory team.

Porsche, which last raced at Le Mans in 1998, has not ruled out a return in 2001.

The manufacturer has said its development of an all-new sports utility vehicle, due to be launched in 2001, is the reason for its decision to withdraw from Le Mans.

A spokesman for the company said, 'It is not a question of money; it is a question of capacity.

'We need to concentrate all our technical resources on the sports utility.'

Porsche's decision also leaves former Le Mans winner McNish without a drive for next year.

However, the Scot, who has been linked with a drive with Cadillac's new challenger, will not make any decisions on his future until he has spoken to the team's sports boss Herbert Ampferer.

'I've got to find out Porsche's long-term plans before I make any decisions,' he said.