WEC | Daytona momentum for Porsche: “Let's start from the podium, then…”

Porsche is ready to begin the week leading up to the start of the 2024 season of the FIA ​​World Endurance Championship in Qatar.

The official 963 cars managed by Team Penske are already in Lusail, where the Prologue tests will be held shortly, while the 1812 Km of Qatar which will kick off the proceedings is scheduled for March 2nd.

It is clear that after the success achieved by the German LMDh in Daytona at the end of January there are also great expectations for the commitment in the top endurance series, where however the challenge will be even more fierce in the Hypercar Class compared to the IMSA GTP category .

This is because the number of rivals is decidedly higher and the comparison with the Hypercars will not be simple at all. For this reason the team has already tested on the track located near Doha, also spending a couple of days in Barcelona before flying to the Middle East.

At Porsche Penske Motorsport it was also decided to reorganize the WEC team based in Mannheim: Jan Lange will be Team Principal and General Manager, Francis Schammo the Team Manager and Tobias Dürheimer the Business & Operations Manager.

The general CEO remains Jonathan Diuguid and Travis Law the Director of Competitions, while Urs Kuratle will still be Head of the Official LMDh Program, supported by the Technical Director of the 963, Stefan Moser.

“The triumph in Daytona underlined some very important things for us: The team worked perfectly from an operational point of view and the Porsche 963 was fast and reliable during the 24 hours,” highlights Kuratle.

“The work carried out during last season and the winter is obviously giving the desired results. The team and the car will be put to the test again in the first WEC race in Qatar. It will take place in a new venue and will last ten hours.”

“We need to be as focused and determined as in Daytona. Our tests on the Doha track went well, however, we have not yet seen what awaits us in 2024. I am curious to find out what it will be like.”

Diuguid adds: “The FIA ​​WEC has a wide range of manufacturers and we are looking forward to seeing some intense competition on the track, as well as seeing how our pair of Porsche 963s stack up against the strong LMH and LMDh prototypes at the opening of the season in Qatar”.

“We had a successful pre-season test in Barcelona and feel well prepared to start our second season in the World Championship as a team.”

Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President of Porsche Motorsport, is equally enthusiastic: “Our victory at the IMSA season opener in Daytona gave a great boost to our entire team on both sides of the Atlantic. We want to start from there for the new year of the FIA ​​WEC”.

“In 2024 there will be many new features: we will have other cars in the Hypercar Class, we will face new rivals in the fight for overall victories and we will witness Manthey's return to the WEC with the 911 GT3-R in the new LMGT3 Class. There are many reasons to be excited in view of the first event in Qatar”.

#6 Penske Motorsport Porsche 963: Kevin Estre, Andre Lotterer, Laurens Vanthoor, #38 Hertz Team Jota Porsche 963: Antonio Felix da Costa, Yifei Ye, Will Stevens

Photo by: Porsche

As for the crews, the only difference compared to 2023 concerns the presence of Matt Campbell (winner at Daytona) at the wheel of car #5 together with Frédéric Makowiecki and Michael Christensen, while Kévin Estre, Laurens Vanthoor have been confirmed on #6 and André Lotterer.

“After our victory at the 24 Hours of Daytona, the anticipation for the start of the WEC season is even greater. At the end of last year we successfully completed a test at the Lusail circuit and I am sure that we are ready for the race “says Campbell.

“The car is fast and reliable, our team is very motivated and well positioned. It would be fantastic if we could have as positive a start to the World Championship as we have had recently in IMSA.”

Estre echoes this: “In our second year with the 963, expectations are high. The entire team worked tirelessly over the winter to further optimize the car and all management processes, but it is too early to say whether it will be enough to bring home victories.”

“Our crew driving the #6 is the same, we are stable from this point of view. However, for 2024 we will have two new engineers in the pits we already have a great synergy within the team. The Qatar track has its peculiarities. Optimal use of the tires will be particularly complicated. We are aiming for a podium to start the new season, and then build momentum in the following races.”

#38 Hertz Team JOTA Porsche 963: Antonio Felix Da Costa, Will Stevens, Yifei Ye

Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images

This year Porsche will also be represented once again by the private teams Jota and Proton Competition. The English team has doubled the 963 entrusting them to Will Stevens/Callum Ilott/Norman Nato (#12) and Jenson Button/Oliver Rasmussen/Phil Hanson (#38), while the German team fields the #99 of Neel Jani/Harry Tincknell/Julien Andlauer.

“I'm really looking forward to starting the new season in Qatar, we learned a lot about the 963 in 2023 and now we know a lot more about how to set up and drive the car better. This makes me confident for the new WEC season,” admits Stevens.

“I will race with two new teammates; we have already worked very well together and adapted to each other in a joint test session. I am confident that we can achieve excellent results in 2024.”

Button is making his debut: “In view of the prologue in Qatar, our attention is turned to finalizing the set-up in view of the opening of the season. The three of us on the #38 work very well together, we are in harmony and I feel very comfortable with the dynamic.”

“The Prologue will be the first time we test both cars, so it is an important opportunity for all six drivers to work together and ensure we are fully prepared for the first race in Qatar. The team has an impressive CV and not I'm looking forward to working hard to see what we can accomplish together this season.”

New adventure also for Andlauer: “I have been racing for Proton since 2018 and it is like a family to me. This season, the team is giving me the opportunity to enter the Hypercar Class with the 963; it is simply phenomenal! The fact that I will soon be able to compete for the overall victories in the FIA ​​WEC and at Le Mans means a lot to me.”

“I already got a taste of the car during the WEC Rookie Test in Bahrain at the end of last season. I will definitely learn a lot from my teammates Neel and Harry. I am very excited and can't wait to do the first laps in Qatar “.

#92 Manthey EMA Porsche 911 GT3 R: Alex Malykhin, Joel Sturm, Klaus Bachler, #91 Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R: Yasser Shahin, Morris Schuring, Richard Lietz

Photo by: Manthey Racing

Finally, Porsche will also have the two 911 GT3-R 992s at the start of the brand new LMGT3 Class with Richard Lietz/Morris Schuring/Yasser Shahin representing Manthey EMA #91 and Klaus Bachler/Alex Malykhin/Joel Sturm representing Manthey PureRxcing #92.

“I'm about to start my first season in LMGT3: let's see how it goes. I share the car with very strong colleagues and we need to become a close-knit group as soon as possible – underlines Lietz – It all depends on what everyone prefers in terms of car set-up. It's new for everyone. We'll learn a lot in the first weekend and we'll have to build total confidence. The goal is to get an important result from the first race.”

Bachler is very motivated: “I'm happy to be driving in a World Championship for the first time, it will be my first race, I don't know the Qatar circuit yet, but it doesn't worry me at all. We work very well as a team and I'm proud to be able to compete for Manthey PureRxcing. The 911 GT3-R is an exceptional car. We are also well positioned in terms of drivers: We participated together in the Asian Le Mans Series during the winter, so we are already well prepared.”