Le Mans 2023: Porsche to return with a Prototype!

[Luccia at Pelican Parts]

Porsche will pursue its 20th an overall win at Le Mans in 2023, this time with a new LMDh entry. The last time Porsche took a victory was in 2017 with their 1000-hp LMP1 919 Hybrid, which was actually a farewell to their prototype action.

In selecting IMSA’s LMDh as its preferred formula, Porsche eschewed its other option, the WEC’s costlier Le Mans Hypercar regulations. With LMDh, car companies partner with one of four spec LMP2 prototype suppliers, supply its desired internal combustion engine, affix a spec 40hp kinetic energy recovery system to comply with the hybridization rules, and design custom bodywork that features styling elements from its road cars. For LMH, purebred prototypes are allowed, along with race-converted supercars, and all manner of engine options and high-power KERS systems are permitted.

Both Audi and Porsche have signed-off with LMDh, Toyota and Peugeot have decided to go with LMH. LMHd, however, can race in both series.

Porsche AG CEO Oliver Blume stated:

The new LMDh category allows us to fight for overall victories with a hybrid system at the Le Mans, Daytona and Sebring classics – without breaking the bank. The project is extremely attractive for Porsche. Endurance racing is part of our brand’s DNA.

Read more about this here.

[astrochex]

Awesome! Just please no more white, red, and black liveries. Porsche can do much better than that.

[chapo]

Cool they are back, too bad its on the dorky LMP2 mandated chassis. Good to see a lot of manufacturers jumping in. :I agree on the red white black, enough already. Do something creative and wild like they used to.

[rfuerst911sc]

I am happy to see this announcement but we all knew they couldn't stay away for too long . Will be interesting to see what engine they go with , the Cayenne V8 turbo would be interesting . So would the boxer six turbo . I wouldn't mind the Coca Cola livery that red scheme pops 😁

[GH85Carrera]

I am always happy to see Porsche involved in racing. No other company is even close with Le Mans wins and they have won with a 356, a 914 and tons of 911s. It would be cool to see a hypercar from Porsche like the 918 only faster.

[Adrian Thompson]

Originally Posted by chapo

Cool they are back, too bad its on the dorky LMP2 mandated chassis. Good to see a lot of manufacturers jumping in. :I agree on the red white black, enough already. Do something creative and wild like they used to.

What is fundamentally wrong with the LMP2 chassis? They provide outstanding racing in LMP2 form and even better in IMSA DPi form.

Have you watched any of the current DPi races on TV or live? They are my favorite category racing in this country. Spectacular cars to watch. They are great cars and I can't wait to see the next gen. If Porsche didn't want to use (one of four) mandated chassis they could have entered LMh instead for magnitudes more cost which would probably have limited them to ACO. This way they can race IMSA and ACO with the same car for less money. I see this more as the days of customer Group C cars than any devolvement into a spec class. This will allow them, and Audi and others, to sell customer cars as well, which LMh cars are unlikely to do due to costs that non factory teams couldn't afford.

[kach22i]

Looking at the various photos and sketches of this class, the rocker sill has been disappearing, freeing up the front wheels. This has been a very gradual and incremental transition.

Looks like many of the rule changes are intended to combine North American racing with rest of world endurance racing by 2025.

Published on Saturday January 25th 2020
New LMDh class first step to common WEC and IMSA SportsCar rules
https://www.autosport.com/wec/news/148016/new-class-first-step-to-common-wecimsa-rules

The new LMDh class that will allow cars from the IMSA SportsCar Championship to race in the World Endurance Championship is the first step towards common rules across both series.

IMSA and WEC promoter and Le Mans 24 Hours organiser the Automobile Club de l'Ouest outlined a vision on the LMDh announcement on Friday for a further convergence of the regulations by the middle of the new decade.

The LMDh cars, based on the next generation of LMP2 machinery, will be able to go up against LM Hypercars in the WEC from the start of the 2021/22 season before coming on-line in IMSA in 2022, but both organisations have stated that the longer-term aim of their latest accord is to create one set of rules.

The earliest it is likely to happen would be 2025 after the initial five-year commitment to the LM Hypercar class that kicks off this September at the beginning of the 2020/21 WEC campaign.

A lot was going on in March, did they finalize anything?

Fillon stressed that there is a desire for LM Hypercars to be able to join the IMSA series, but he explained that no decision will be made until the LMDh rules have been finalised and then announced over the Sebring IMSA/WEC double-header weekend in March.

[stealthn]

Aren't they allowing Hydrogen powered cars then too?

Porsche should be looking at that

[CurtEgerer]

Porsche is at Sebring now doing a "36-hours or until it breaks" test. They ran all last night and are still running now. I watched for a while and it seemed like they were running qualifying laps. Running it very hard. Not sure when they started.

[astrochex]

I knew that they were testing at Sebring. Super cool you were there, Curt.

Is that your picture?

https://racer.com/2022/10/18/on-the-lmdh-testing-trail-with-porsche/

[CurtEgerer]

Yeah, it was pretty dim light when I was there. From outside the track. I still hear it running off in the distance from my driveway so apparently it didn't break yet

[3rd_gear_Ted]

100th centenary event. Peugeot, BMW & Ferrari factory efforts competing also.
Any other Pelican's going to be there?

[CurtEgerer]

The cars will debut at Daytona. Sebring in March will be interesting because you'll have the FIA WEC 1000 race one day and then the IMSA 12 Hours of Sebring on another day and the cars can theoretically run in either or both. A true golden era in endurance racing!

[astrochex]

Originally Posted by 3rd_gear_Ted

100th centenary event. Peugeot, BMW & Ferrari factory efforts competing also.
Any other Pelican's going to be there?

I’m definitely going to the ROAR, probably on Friday.

I plan on doing the corner worker thing either saturday or sunday for the 24hr.

[CurtEgerer]

7:30AM Thurs and it's still running It's 30 hours + that I know of. Maybe they're just going to run til they break it now?

[astrochex]

^ Nice! I know its far too early to predict race performance, but I would not mind at all if the 963 dominates.

[Geneman]

Curt did you get any more pics from Sebring test?

[rfuerst911sc]

Originally Posted by astrochex

^ Nice! I know its far too early to predict race performance, but I would not mind at all if the 963 dominates.

I think this is Porsche's mindset/goal . With all the testing they have done I think they want to lead/dominate right out of the box starting with Daytona .

But endurance racing is a fickle beast and luck comes into play . It's only over when the fat lady sings 😋 . But I would never bet against Porsche and Penske . Both solid and add to that great driver lineups they are a force to reckon with .

But Cadillac/Acura/BMW are strong also and will fight for their wins . I am looking forward to the season to begin .

[URY914]

The Roar Before the 24 will be packed this year.

[CurtEgerer]

Originally Posted by Geneman

Curt did you get any more pics from Sebring test?

Didn't go back out to the track. It seems like the noise stopped late morning. So either the 36 hours was up or they broke. I'm guessing they ran the full 36 hours. Which is pretty impressive as anyone who's been to Sebring knows. The joints in the concrete sections are ROUGH in areas and you see the tires off the ground lap after lap.