Le Mans | Porsche: €911,000 to charity with Racing for Charity

The three Porsche 963s fielded by the Porsche Penske Motorsport team completed a total of 833 laps at the 24 Hours of Le Mans last weekend (15/16 June).

For each lap of the Circuit de la Sarthe, 13,626 kilometers long, the German manufacturer donated 750 euros to support seriously ill children as part of the “Racing for Charity” initiative.

This led to a total of 624,750 euros during the French endurance classic, which was subsequently increased in amount up to 911,000 euros.

This year too, Porsche will donate the entire sum to three charitable initiatives. The chosen associations are Kinderherzen retten (Let’s save children’s hearts) and Interplast Germany, which will each receive 350,000 euros from the funds raised. The Ferry Porsche Foundation will receive 211,000 euros for further initiatives to support sick children and their families.

“Our ‘Racing for Charity’ initiative was a great success in 2023. For the first time, we were able to clearly underline the company’s social responsibility in motorsports,” explains Michael Steiner, Member of the Management Board of Porsche AG, Research and Development.

“The positive feedback from supported organizations on the aid measures they were able to manage motivated us to continue this initiative in 2024. Our three racing cars in the race completed 100 laps more than last year, which is equivalent to a donation of 624,750 euros.”

“Porsche will round this figure up again to 911,000 euros. With our support, the three non-profit initiatives Kinderherzen retten eV, Interplast Germany eV and the Ferry Porsche Foundation can continue their vital work. Motor sports are a central part of the identity of the Porsche brand, but ultimately it is the people who deserve our respect and recognition beyond the factory gates.”

Porsche has always considered itself part of society and addresses the social responsibility that comes with it. People have priority. Porsche is involved in many non-profit initiatives and focuses on sustainable projects in five main areas: sport, culture, environment and social issues, as well as education and science. As of 2023, the brand has contributed to more than 150 sponsorship projects around the world.

Prof. Friedhelm Beyersdorf, founder of Kinderherzen retten eV, adds: “We sincerely thank Porsche for its extraordinary initiative ‘Racing for Charity’. We are very happy and grateful that this year too Kinderherzen retten eV was chosen as one of the recipients of donations. Above all, it’s great for the children! This donation allows us to provide heart surgery at the University Hospital of Freiburg to children who would otherwise have had little chance of survival and to give them a healthy life.”

This is echoed by Prof. Jürgen Dolderer, member of the Board of Directors of Interplast Germany e. V.: “Many thanks to Porsche for the enormous support. It allows us to carry out life-changing medical interventions through reconstructive plastic surgery in developing countries. Our goal is to give children in those countries a better future and, above all, a better quality of life. With your generous support, we will be able to carry out other missions in Africa, South America and Asia to assist even more children and improve their quality of life in a lasting way.”

#4 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963: Mathieu Jaminet, Felipe Nasr, Nick Tandy

Photo by: Marc Fleury

Sebastian Rudolph, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Ferry Porsche Foundation, comments: “We are delighted to once again participate in the ‘Racing for Charity’ initiative. Many families with seriously ill children face enormous challenges. Our goal at the Ferry Porsche Foundation is to support those affected and give them relief and hope in everyday life by donating, these families can enjoy lighter moments of fun and relaxation despite the difficult circumstances.”

Thanks to donations from “Racing for Charity” 2023, the Kinderherzen retten eV association enabled twelve young people from El Salvador, Syria, Albania and Afghanistan to undergo a successful and life-saving heart surgery at the University Medical Hospital of Freiburg.

Interplast Germany eV has used donations for medical missions in Tanzania and Mozambique, among other places, to provide critical care. The Ferry Porsche Foundation has supported many seriously ill children and their families.