Le Mans | Porsche with the five and a… replica of the pits at home

Also for the 24h of Le Mans in 2024, Porsche Motorsport will have three official 963 LMDh on the starting grid, adding another car also managed by Team Penske.

On Monday, the entry list for what will be the fourth seasonal event of the FIA ​​World Endurance Championship was published, expanded with the invitations distributed by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest.

One of these went precisely to the Weissach manufacturer, which in addition to the two cars taking part in the entire World Championship year will have the #4 in which Mathieu Jaminet has already been confirmed as first driver, while the other drivers will be announced soon, obviously fishing from the IMSA crews which also include Dane Cameron, Nick Tandy and Felipe Nasr.

“I am thrilled to drive the 963 at Le Mans again this year – says Jaminet – For a Frenchman it is a great privilege to be able to fight for overall victory with Porsche, a brand that boasts records at Le Mans”.

“Last year we didn't get the result we hoped for and since then, however, we have made considerable progress. That's why I feel so confident ahead of this big event in June.”

The five of 963 will also be completed by private cars from Jota and Proton Competition which are already in the World Hypercar list, while a second car from the German team is the first of the reserves, marked with the #79 and Gimmi Bruni ready to get into action if a place becomes available due to withdrawal by one of the 62 competitors.

“The history of the 24 Hours of Le Mans has demonstrated several times how important it can be to have an extra cartridge in the belt”, underlines Porsche's official LMDh program director, Urs Kuratle.

“Last year it was our third car to lead the pack in the race. After our victory at the 24h of Daytona, the goal is very clear: we want to get on the top step of the podium at the Le Mans classic” .

The headquarters of Porsche Penske Motorsport

Photo by: Porsche Motorsport

Porsche Penske Motorsport CEO Jonathan Diuguid adds: “In our second year of racing the 963, having the privilege of racing an additional car allows our team to apply all the lessons learned from 2023 and field three car that we believe is capable of winning this historic race.”

“From an operational perspective, we will prepare and manage the additional car very similarly to last year, with the support of our IMSA team. That's the beauty of Porsche Penske Motorsport: we can use our global program to tap into resources of personnel and equipment for the most important races of the year”.

Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President of Porsche Motorsport, comments: “We would like to take this opportunity to thank the organizer ACO for once again granting us the opportunity to enter a third car. The 24 Hours of Le Mans will be an incredible series of spectacular cars from a total of 14 manufacturers in the Hypercar and LMGT3 classes.”

“We expect a close and exciting battle for the top. It is therefore even more important to maximize the chances of achieving our 20th overall victory by entering a third Porsche 963.”

The headquarters of Porsche Penske Motorsport

Photo by: Porsche Motorsport

The new headquarters in Mannheim is in turmoil

In the meantime, all operations regarding the 963 endurance programs are organized and managed in the brand new Porsche Penske Motorsport headquarters in Mannheim.

The American team in fact operates from the Mooresville base in North Carolina, while in Germany it takes care of the part linked to the WEC and the general supervision of the programs in the structure previously known as the Porsche Center and owned by Penske Automotive since 2008.

The construction and preparation of it began in 2020, when the leaders of the Stuttgart company gave the OK for the construction of the 963 LMDh to return to the assault on absolute success at Le Mans.

The headquarters of Porsche Penske Motorsport

Photo by: Porsche Motorsport

Around 40 employees work in the 4,500 square meters and at the entrance to welcome the staff there is a sort of mini-museum which also includes the RS Spyder (LMP2 Champion in the American Le Mans Series between 2006 and 2008), the 963 of Le Mans 2023 and the latest 919 Hybrid LMP1.

After three years of renovation, still ongoing in some areas, offices, cutting-edge conference rooms, a digital network and workshops are now active. Four work areas are used for construction and maintenance, as well as suspension and weight tuning of the 963, plus departments for pre-assembly, racing equipment, carbon composite processing, high-voltage systems, spare parts, as well as warehousing and logistics.

The real gem, however, is an area where you can find a true replica of the pit lane and garage of Le Mans, where every day the mechanics practice changing tires and refueling on a test car, in order to be ready 100% when it's time to go to the French 24h.

The headquarters of Porsche Penske Motorsport

Photo by: Porsche Motorsport

The structure also offers a gym, while the so-called “Battle Room” will soon be activated, i.e. a room for remote support of engineers on strategies and operations to be adopted during events or tests.

“The facilities provide us with all the technical equipment needed to successfully work on racing cars and for testing. Assemblies and spare parts are prepared in specially designed areas close to our engineers and technicians,” explains Jan Lange, new Director General of Porsche Penske Motorsport.

“Staff facilities, such as the gym, cafeteria and crew lounges, ensure that our employees feel valued and connected to an entire team. Having a pit stop facility and car permanent indoor space is invaluable for keeping us trained throughout the year.”

The headquarters of Porsche Penske Motorsport

Photo by: Porsche Motorsport

Diuguid adds: “Our state-of-the-art facilities must provide everything we need to operate on two continents between Mannheim, Weissach and Mooresville, and globally as a race team.

“The building, originally designed and built by Porsche and then acquired by Penske as a Porsche dealership, has been completely renovated and modernized to support the racing and service needs of our 963s around the world.”