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What’s happening in the world of Porsche.
PORSCHE ANNOUNCES RETURN TO LE MANS WITH LMDH PROTOTYPE
What’s the name of the James Bond movie produced outside of the Eon Productions stable? You know, the one starring Sean Connery more than thirteen years after he quit the franchise? Ah, yes. That’s it: Never Say Never Again. Coming to the conclusion nobody does it better, Porsche has followed Connery’s example and announced the return to a leading role many thought it had given up on: a star turn at Le Mans.
The Executive Board at Porsche AG has given the green light for the design and development of an LMDH prototype. After a lengthy evaluation phase, Porsche Motorsport received the order to build a vehicle based on future regulations. From 2023, LMDH cars will make up a new top class in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) and the North American IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship. Both competitions are hugely significant for the Stuttgart brand and Porsche very much welcomed the introduction of the new class for hybrid prototypes when it was jointly announced by the organisers at ACO, WEC and IMSA not long before we went to print.
For the first time in more than twenty years, it will be possible for teams to fight for overall victories with identical vehicles, largely due to the new LMDH category’s aim to keep a lid on spend — all of the new cars are based on an upgraded LMP2 chassis, while the specification for the hybrid system, including the control electronics, is strictly standardised. Competitors must adopt a chassis from one of four approved manufacturers (Dallara, Ligier, Multimatic or Oreca). Each team is then free to select the concept for their car’s combustion engine and body design within the framework of the new regulations, which ban any chassis alterations.
The new race cars, which tip the scales at around 1,000kg, will be powered by a hybrid system with an output of 500kw (near 680bhp). “The new LMDH category allows us to fight for overall victories with a hybrid powertrain at the Le Mans, Daytona and Sebring endurance races without breaking the bank,” explains Porsche CEO, Oliver Blume. “The project is extremely attractive for Porsche. After all, endurance racing is part of our brand’s DNA,” he added, acknowledging disappointment from marque fans who have missed seeing Porsche strut its stuff in the top category of prototype racing at Le Mans following the manufacturer’s decision to concentrate its efforts on Formula E, which it is about to participate in for a second season.
“In the medium term, Porsche focuses on three different drive concepts: fully electric vehicles, efficient plug-in hybrids and the finetuning of traditional combustion engines,” says Michael Steiner, Board Member for Research and Development at Porsche AG. “We want to represent this trilogy in both the development of our cutting-edge road cars and when it comes to our motorsport activities. We use all-electric drive to contest Formula E, and our highly efficient combustion engines are renowned in GT racing. Now, the LMDH class closes the gap by enabling powerful hybrid drives — like those mounted in many of our production models — to go up against one another. If the regulations eventually allowed the use of synthetic fuels, then that would be an even greater incentive for us in terms of sustainability.”
Porsche holds a record nineteen outright wins at Le Mans. The arrival of the LMDH class may see that number rise to twenty. Watch this space!