PORSCHE ALL-IN FOR LE MANS
Porsche won nearly everything worth winning in international sports car racing in 2024 - but that wasn’t nearly enough.
More than anything, the iconic German manufacturer wants Le Mans victory number 20 on its corporate resume. A nice round two-zero to underscore its dominance of the French endurance classic.
Just as a comparison, Porsche’s current tally of 19 outright victories beats, hands down, the next-bests of Audi (13) and Ferrari (11).
Despite the undeniably awesome 963 hypercar whacking its rivals on a global scale, two boxes were left un-ticked in ‘24 and nothing pisses off Porsche more than an un-ticked box.
The thorn in the paw of the motorsport powerhouse remains losing at Le Mans, despite starting from pole, and watching in horror as arch-rival Ferrari scored its second victory in a row in '24.
The thorn got jammed in a little more painfully when the factory Porsche Penske Motorsport team missed out on the World Endurance Championship (WEC) manufacturer’s title by a mere two points in the final race of the year - to Toyota.
Nearly any other manufacturer would be beside itself with back-slapping happiness after results including a win in the Daytona 24 Hour (with Aussie Matt Campbell in the driving line-up), the IMSA WeatherTech drivers' and teams' championships, and the drivers championship title in the WEC.
Even legendary Porsche team boss Roger Penske said the 2024 season was one of, if not, the best ever for his legendary outfit.
However, back in Porsche’s Stuttgart HQ, well, maybe not so much.
Losing to Toyota in the WEC and only finishing fourth and sixth at Le Mans remains that damn thorn so the time has come to go all-in.
During this off-season Porsche’s engineering whizzes in Weissach have been burning up the computer keyboards and the R&D hours to develop a new suspension system for the 963 to overcome it’s one minor weakness.
And, although it has yet to be announced, the company will add a third factory car for its 2025 Le Mans assault. With privateer outfit Proton Competition joining the fun with its 963, Porsche will have four cards to play in the 24 hour game of French poker.
There has also been a major driver clean-out, although Porsche used other words to describe the changes to its roster.
"Three-time Le Mans winner André Lotterer from Germany and four-time IMSA Champion Dane Cameron will leave the successful Porsche 963 program. Frenchman Frédéric Makowiecki and Porsche Motorsport have agreed to conclude their collaboration after eleven years.
Matt Campbell has survived and is named as one of Porsche primo pilots for IMSA in the USA, with an additional appearance at Le Mans.
But the most important change for 2025 is a radically revamped suspension set-up for the 963, one that the Porsche Penske Motorsport team hopes will overcome the lack of adjustability that caused problems on some circuits in 2024.
At some tracks the 963 was a dominating beast but at others it was a beast in a not-so-good a way. The problem of being able to find the premium operating window at all venues is what the boffin worker bees at the Weissach technical centre were tasked with achieving because Porsche knows that things in 2025 aren’t going to be any easier.
“The competition will be even tougher in the 2025 season,” admits Porsche Motorsport vice-president, Thomas Laudenbach.
“Our rivals will progress and new competition will come onboard too. We feel well prepared. In the past few months, we have carried out intensive analyses. The results have already been incorporated into our preparations for the coming season,” he adds in the boring way that the Germans seem to have perfected.
Porsche has been blessed with a stroke of luck, as winning the IMSA championship last year gives it the chance to enter a third works car for the ‘25 Le Mans race. Although the company says it has yet to decide whether to take up this chance . . . well, you can figure it out.
In a 24 hour race it’s about strength in numbers because, err, stuff happens.
When Porsche finally announces a third Le Mans entry don’t be surprised if Penske’s IndyCar stars Scotty McLaughlin and Josef Newgarden are in the mix. It would be a bit of a long shot but they both have solid sports car experience including Daytona.
Of course, despite Porsche’s grand plan of world domination in the sports car scene, there remain plenty of thorns waiting to give the company some bleeding paws and a black eye to boot.
Toyota, Ferrari, Alpine, BMW, Cadillac, Peugeot and Aston Martin aren’t exactly going to roll over and play dead because Porsche feels the need to renew its rule of sports car racing.
