Press releases

Current Press releases

Record holder Porsche aims for 20th outright win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans Preview, FIA World Endurance Championship WEC, Round 4, Le Mans (France)

• Porsche Penske Motorsport perfectly prepared after test day
• Three other customer-run Porsche 963 in the 62-strong field
• Manthey’s two Porsche 911 GT3 R tackle the LMGT3 class
• Works cars support the ‘Racing for Charity’ fundraising initiative
• Social media platforms of Porsche China and Porsche Motorsport will broadcast live in Chinese from 21:30 on 15 June

Shanghai/ Stuttgart. Porsche is keen to add to its illustrious record at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. At the 92nd edition of the world’s biggest endurance race, the three Porsche 963 racing cars fielded by the Porsche Penske Motorsport works team are targeting their 20th outright victory. For each lap completed by the three factory cars, Porsche will donate 750 euros towards the “Racing for Charity” initiative. A total of 23 prototypes from nine different brands, including three customer Porsche 963 from Hertz Team Jota and Proton Competition, will pit themselves against each other in the top Hypercar class. In the new LMGT3 category, 23 vehicles from nine manufacturers will also battle for victory. Porsche is represented in this class by two 911 GT3 R entries from its Manthey partner team.

To increase the chances of clinching its 20th overall win, Porsche Penske Motorsport again fields three Porsche 963 this year. The works cars can be differentiated by the colours of their wing mirrors, the Porsche lettering on the windshield and the rear fin. As usual, those parts of the two regular cars from the FIA WEC will be painted black (No. 5) and white (No. 6). The No. 4 vehicle will feature red accents on those areas. Top drivers from the Porsche works squad will crew the 511 kW (695 PS) hybrid prototypes from Weissach. The odds in the fiercely contested Hypercar class also look promising for the three identical racing cars from the customer teams Hertz Team Jota and Proton Competition.

“There can only be one goal for Porsche at Le Mans – to win. We hold the record number of victories and we’re determined to add another triumph to our record. That puts big pressure on everyone involved. We’re by no means underestimating our rivals,” says Thomas Laudenbach, outlining the intention of the Stuttgart sports car manufacturer. The Vice President Porsche Motorsport adds: “The top Hypercar class is extremely competitive with a total of 23 prototypes from nine different manufacturers. That’s precisely what motivates us. We want to underline our expertise and technical skills in the world’s toughest race. That applies not only to our factory team but also to the strong customer teams with their Porsche 963. We’re also looking strong in the LMGT3 category. Manthey’s two 911 GT3 R will be well placed to fight for class victory.”

“Our preparations have gone very well – at the first races of the year on both sides of the Atlantic as well as at last Sunday’s test drives,” explains Urs Kuratle. The Director Factory Motorsport LMDh is excited about the highlight of the FIA WEC season: “It's great to see how the suspense continues to build among everyone in the team. Everyone is working with total concentration. We’re united by one big goal: we want to bring home Porsche’s 20th overall victory. I’m curious to see how the competition evolves over the next few days.”

“We got off to a great start on the test day for this year’s Le Mans race,” states Jonathan Diuguid, in reference to the official pre-test last Sunday. Looking ahead to the race week, the Managing Director Porsche Penske Motorsport adds: “We expect similarly good conditions in practice, qualifying and on both race days. If this happens, then our insights from the test will have been very valuable. We’ll then need to focus on making further tweaks to the cars.”

“Racing for Charity”: Porsche donates towards helping ill children

The sports car manufacturer will donate 750 euros for each lap completed by the three works-run Porsche 963 racing vehicles. After the racing highlight of the year, the total amount will be donated to three non-profit organisations that, among other things, support and care for seriously ill children worldwide: Kinderherzen retten e.V., Interplast Germany e.V. and the Ferry Porsche Foundation.

The race

The 24 Hours of Le Mans marks the fourth round on the FIA World Endurance Championship WEC calendar and is the highlight of the season. Due to the long distance, double points will be awarded towards the world championship. Porsche tackles the 92nd edition of the world’s greatest endurance race leading all world championship standings. The classic event, which was contested for the first time 101 years ago, offers other novel features: for instance, the deployment of three safety cars at once on the track. The reason for this is that each lap of the Circuit des 24 Heures in Le Mans is extremely long at 13.626 kilometres. This year’s race gets underway on Saturday, 15 June, at 4 pm CEST.

The storied circuit south of the city with its 150,000 inhabitants consists mainly of public roads. Normally, hundreds of trucks and cars drive over the legendary Mulsanne Straight every day on their way from Le Mans to Tours. The fast Porsche curves are both famous and notorious: high speeds and narrow run-off zones pose special challenges and ensure spectacular race action. The unique racetrack in the Sarthe department is only open to the teams to go testing once a season. This took place last Sunday.

Porsche live steaming of the 24 Hours of Le Mans

Every Le Mans is a coming-back-home for Porsche, as Le Mans is not only the best testing ground of its technology and vehicles, but also the fulfilment of Porsche's legacy, underlining its commitment to the promise of its founder. Following the first live broadcast of the 24 hours of Le Mans in 2023, Porsche China will once again launch a special 25-hour live broadcast this year, gathering all Porsche and motorsport enthusiasts online to enjoy the excitement of the legendary sports car marque and the legendary endurance race.

The official accounts of Porsche China on WeChat, Weibo and Douyin, as well as Porsche Motorsport on WeChat and Weibo, will live stream the 24 Hours of Le Mans this Saturday (15 June) from 9:30pm onwards, with professional commentary in Chinese.

An overview of the drivers and vehicles

Hypercar class (Porsche 963):

Porsche Penske Motorsport #4: Mathieu Jaminet (F) / Felipe Nasr (BR) / Nick Tandy (UK)

Porsche Penske Motorsport #5: Matt Campbell (AUS) / Michael Christensen (DK) / Frédéric Makowiecki (F)

Porsche Penske Motorsport #6: Kévin Estre (F) / André Lotterer (D) / Laurens Vanthoor (B)

Hertz Team Jota #12: Callum Ilott (UK) / Norman Nato (F) / Will Stevens (UK)

Hertz Team Jota #38: Jenson Button (UK) / Phil Hanson (UK) / Oliver Rasmussen (DK)

Proton Competition #99: Julien Andlauer (F) / Neel Jani (CH) / Harry Tincknell (UK)

LMGT3 class (Porsche 911 GT3 R):

Manthey EMA #91: Richard Lietz (A) / Morris Schuring (NL) / Yasser Shahin (AUS)

Manthey PureRxcing #92: Klaus Bachler (A) / Alex Malykhin (UK) / Joel Sturm (D)

About Porsche China

Porsche was founded by Prof. Dr. Ferdinand Porsche in Stuttgart, Germany, in 1931 and was then transformed into a sports car manufacturer by Ferry Porsche in 1948. Porsche has been known as one of the most prestigious automobile brands in the world for decades. True to the core brand value of performance, Porsche leads the way in providing a new generation of sports cars that prove performance and efficiency can be perfectly combined.

Since entering the Chinese mainland in 2001, Porsche China has been dedicated to bringing the sporty genes and innovative spirit of the marque to Porsche enthusiasts in this dynamic market. In Porsche’s network in China, customers can experience the unlimited appeal of Porsche’s iconic sports cars: the legendary 911 series, the renowned 718 Boxster and Cayman mid-engine sports cars, the luxurious Cayenne premium SUV, the dynamic and pioneering Macan SUV, the luxurious four-door Panamera with pure sports genes and the all-electric Taycan with four-door sports saloon. Each demonstrates excellence in performance, exquisite design, and consistent commitment to perfect quality that Porsche embodies. Across Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macau, there are now 155 sales sites in operation, ensuring that Porsche customers across the country receive the hallmark personalised care that sets Porsche apart around the world.

For more information or enquiries, please visit us at www.porsche.cn or scan the QR code below to log into Porsche China Newsroom:

6/11/2024

Further information and pictures for journalists and media representatives can be found on the Porsche press database at http://presse.porsche.de/.