Le Mans: Porsche Penske enters the race with three cars
24-HOUR RACE The Porsche Penske Motorsport factory team competes at Le Mans with three Porsche 963s. In addition to the two hypercars from the FIA WEC, the team is fielding the IMSA Weather Tech Sportscar.
Porsche wants to maximize its chances of winning its 20th overall victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. For this reason, the Porsche Penske Motorsport factory team has entered a third Porsche 963 for the endurance classic on June 10 and 11. The Le Mans organizer ACO has now confirmed eligibility for the additional hybrid prototype.
The vehicle will start the race with the starting number 75. After all, the sports car manufacturer celebrates its 75th birthday in 2023 and the Le Mans race its 100th anniversary. In addition, the customer team Hertz Team Jota is bringing a fourth Porsche 963 to the start.
Confident before the big race
Thomas Laudenbach, Head of Porsche Motorsport (gallery, left): "For us, it's all about maximizing our chances of winning our 20th overall victory at Le Mans on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Porsche brand. That's why we're fielding a third car. The history of the race has shown that it's precisely the additional cars fielded that can tip the scales."
And Urs Kuratle, Head of Works Motorsport LMDh (gallery on the right): "We want to make the most of our opportunities and shine in the 75th year of the Porsche brand and at the 100th anniversary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans."
These pilots belong to the driver teams
Taking turns at the wheel of the number 5 Porsche 963 are American Dane Cameron, Michael Christensen from Denmark and Frenchman Frédéric Makowiecki. The number 6 sister car will be driven by Kévin Estre from France, the Belgian Laurens Vanthoor and three-time Le Mans overall winner André Lotterer from Germany.
Brazilian Felipe Nasr will be in the cockpit of car number 75. His two teammates will also come from Porsche Penske Motorsport's existing IMSA driver squad. The customer team Hertz Team Jota has nominated factory driver António Félix da Costa from Portugal, Briton Will Stevens and Yifei Ye for the number 38 car.
