Porsche Motorsport is working hard on its new LMDh project which will see it return to action among the prototypes.
The new Vice President of Motorsport of the Weissach company, Thomas Laudenbach, took stock of the situation at a round table in which Motorsport.com took part.
From 1 October, the 53-year-old German took the place of Fritz Enzinger and in recent weeks he has descended with his head down on the many projects of the German company, including that of LMDh. Here is what emerged from the round table in which he spoke about his plans for the first time …
“First of all it must be said that we chose the LMDh because it costs much less. We must consider that it is a prototype that, from a technical point of view, gives us less freedom than the LMP1 era. But the budget available is lower than then. and we always act according to the company situation. The cars will be more similar and closer in this category, so we will analyze which areas to work on to find something more than the others, well aware that costs will have to be kept under control “.
“Surely from a technical and engineering point of view we are talking about something different than usual; you have to understand how to manage the car package in all situations and conditions, so the challenge is to find something that also allows private teams to win with a a car that has to be competitive. This will give them the opportunity to be much closer to the factory cars, with a real chance of fighting for the top “.
“So we certainly can’t compare previous projects, like the 919 which was totally other stuff, but the important thing is that we will still be in the running for Le Mans and the other 24 Hours, fighting for the win. And the second reason why we have preferred the LMDh is precisely because we will be able to be on the track with the same car both in the FIA WEC and in the IMSA “.
Porsche Motorsport LMDh
Photo by: Porsche Motorsport
With the advent of the Hypercars that already race in the Endurance World Championship, one of the obstacles to overcome will be that of the infamous Balance of Performance, given that the cars are different and of many manufacturers that come to win …
“The BoP is the crucial problem with these cars. FIA and ACO must have the tools to make the right decisions, I believe they can do well and in the most appropriate way. I understand that when you have so many Constructors it can be difficult to manage the situation, at the at the moment I can’t say how and if it will work. “
“Everyone is working on their projects like an open book, I hope it works well and that the sharing of the collected data is appropriate to the situation. We do not want there to be absolute domination by a single brand, as happened with Audi or Toyota for For example. Everyone must have the same opportunities, making it more interesting for the spectators and thus allowing the houses to emerge according to their abilities “.
“Am I worried? Certainly, as I all think. On the other hand, we currently already have machines with different drives, some front, some rear, some four-wheel drive with hybrid system. That’s why finding the correct BoP is not easy, but we knew it. even before taking on this challenge “.
“I believe that the FIA and ACO have the opportunity to find the best solutions between one car and another, analyzing the small differences that these will have. For example, acceleration out of corners is certainly an important and different factor between a car. and the other. It will be essential to understand what weight they will have, as well as grip and many other small things. We will see how we manage everything, we will only find out … by running! “
In the meantime, the project continues and the construction of the vehicle should be completed by the end of the year, in order to then begin with the testing and development operations for the whole of next year.
“The LMDh is a complex project, you need a part to build the machine, one to take care of the supply of materials, and so on. For now we are maintaining the pace of the schedule that we have set for ourselves, we cannot yet say that we have a competitive vehicle, of course. The idea is that the car will be ready by the end of the year, so that we can then start with the tests “.
“Keep in mind that with a totally new car you can’t do a shakedown and then run, because we are talking about an expensive product that has to work perfectly. and adjustments, you can start with the performance tests “.
Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Motorsport
Photo by: Porsche Motorsport
Porsche Motorsport chose to partner with Team Penske on the LMDh, which surprised some given that the team of reference in the FIA WEC currently is Manthey, albeit talking about GT.
“Manthey Racing is a really important part of Porsche Motorsport, both now and for the future. The decision to lean on Penske Motorsport for LMDh was certainly not made to go against this team, quite the contrary. They have done very well with us in the past. , like today, so I don’t see why we have to go against them, which we believe are fundamental for our future “.
“The thing is, we wanted someone who knew how to move in America. Penske is a very well structured and big organization, who knows what it takes to be competitive in the world of prototypes, in IMSA and in the WEC. With them I think we have an advantage because a world-class collaborator was chosen, probably the best one could have “.
Unlike the Hypercars, the LMDhs have more of the footprint of racing cars intended for customers, which is one of the most important and prolific branches of Porsche’s sporting activities …
“At the moment I cannot say how much the car will cost because we are still working on it. I can assure that whoever buys it will have the same possibilities as the official cars, this must be clear. Meanwhile we are also trying to draw up a list and a plan of those that could to be the customer teams of 2023 “.
“We are still in the initial phase, so it is difficult to carry on a discussion regarding both the official program and the customer program. The goal is not to have even a lot of names of buyers, also because there are logistical difficulties to be faced in the support them, but we are evaluating all the possibilities for 2023, in order to have teams in both the WEC and IMSA. I think that in 2024 the car will be able to be bought by more teams “.
On Sunday the news arrived that Yifei Ye has signed with Porsche Asia by entering the youth park available to the House. At the moment, however, the Chinese has only been included in the program dedicated to him, while the potential hosts of the LMDh are still all being defined …
“We are working on it, at the moment it is too early to say what the line-up will be because we want to involve everyone, including those who have already been with us for the longest time, young people, those we aim for as talent and so on. create a nice mix and when we are ready we will announce the names “.
“Porsche always selects its young drivers when it sees potential. At the moment it is too early to say where Ye will arrive, but in our history there have been many that we have taken to a high level, growing together starting from the single-make and then also arriving to the LMP1 passing by the GT “.
“Surely Yifei has the potential and we are very curious to understand what he will be able to do in these years. I also believe that it is important to have a Chinese boy with us, making our training of young people more international. We have to wait to see his performance and how it will work, there is no doubt that I would like it to arrive at LMDh, but I cannot guarantee anything at the moment. “
Finally, Laudenbach also revealed that the organization within Porsche Motorsport is designed so that everyone can lend a hand and be interchangeable without wasting time and resources.
“In any Porsche project there is always a connection. We are a large company and we must have engineers capable of getting their hands between the various projects. This benefits everyone and everything, even the road department. I’m not saying we do it. constantly, but someone who works on two or three projects at the same time is there. Even working between official programs and customer races “.
“Clearly it is not that everything becomes easier, quite the contrary. This happens when you have only one project to focus on, but in general this whole process brings us benefits”.
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Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
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