PORSCHE MOTORSPORT EXPANDS FACTORY COMMITMENT FOR 2023
Porsche has outlined how it intends to tackle the coming motorsport season with ambitious goals, extensive works commitments and new options for customer racing. To this end, in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) and the North American IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship, the Porsche Penske Motorsport works team pursues overall wins with two 963 hybrid prototypes fielded in each series. In the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team has set its sights on claiming top honours with the new 99X Electric Gen3. Meanwhile, many Porsche customer teams will race the 992-generation 911 GT3 R on GT stages worldwide.
The 2023 agenda is rounded off by a longterm expansion of factory commitment to the Esports sector. “Motorsport has always been extremely important for Porsche. It’s an integral part of the brand’s DNA,” declares Michael Steiner, Member of the Executive Board for Research and Development. “We use it as a development platform for future technologies and to showcase the potential of our production sports cars. We want to continue pursuing this.”
Also set to make waves in 2023 is ongoing development of the Cayman GT4 e-performance experimental race car. “Sustainability and electrification are hugely important for a sports car manufacturer like Porsche. Our 2023 motorsport activities reflect this,” says Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Porsche Motorsport. “The new GT4 e-performance is an example. This highly innovative prototype represents our vision for a fully electric customer race car. The 963 hybrid prototype, the 99X Electric Gen 3 racer and the GT4 e-performance experimental car rely on electric or fully-electric drive concepts. Additionally, during the 2023 season, the 911 GT3 Cup cars participating in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup are scheduled to switch to efuels from the pilot facility of our partner, HIF Global, in Chile. All this shows we’re making big progress toward sustainability in motor racing, and there’s more to come.”
In addition to securing the WEC title, Porsche Penske Motorsport has set its sights on another big goal: in June, the squad aims to clinch the twentieth overall victory for Porsche at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Away from the French classic, which will celebrate its hundredth anniversary in 2023, the year’s WEC will be contested in Portugal, Belgium, Italy, Japan, Bahrain and the USA. Ten works drivers will share driving duties in the four 963 cockpits. In its maiden season, the 963 will also be available for customers to compete in both endurance series. At the time of writing, confirmed teams campaigning the car are JDC Miller Motorsports (IMSA), Jota Sport and Proton Competition (both WEC).
The 992-based 911 GT3 R will make its debut at the 24 Hours of Daytona at the end of this month. Reigning IMSA champion, Pfaff Motorsport, aims to defend its title with Porsche’s contractual drivers, Klaus Bachler, Patrick Pilet and Laurens Vanthoor. Porsche expects to see at least six GT3 Rs line up on the grid for the GTD class alone in what is the season-opening round of the IMSA series.
THE TAG HEUER PORSCHE FORMULA E TEAM HAS SET ITS SIGHTS ON CLAIMING TOP HONOURS