Stuttgart. Porsche returns to Le Mans with a works-run LMP1 sports prototype. The first outing of the completely new developed race car is planned for the year 2014. With 16 overall victories, Porsche is the most successful manufacturer in Le Mans. The most recent win was in 1998 with the Porsche 911 GT1.

“Motorsport was always an essential part of the Porsche brand,” emphasises Matthias Müller, President of the Executive Board at Porsche AG. “So for us it was only a matter of time before we returned as a factory to the top league of racing. Porsche’s successes in Le Mans are unrivalled. We want to follow up on this with the 17th outright victory.”

With the RS Spyder sports prototype that was run with great success from 2006 to 2008 by the factory-backed Penske Racing team in the USA and to 2010 by several customer teams worldwide, Porsche has set the benchmark recently in the LMP2 category. “With the RS Spyder we proved that our motorsport engineers in Weissach are at the forefront,” says Wolfgang Hatz, Board Member for Research and Development at Porsche AG. “For instance, we were the first to run a high-revving race engine with direct fuel injection, DFI, setting new standards in performance and efficiency. Recently, with the 911 GT3 R Hybrid, we adopted a completely new drive technology for racing purposes and achieved a considerable reduction in consumption.”

Hartmut Kristen, Head of Porsche Motorsport, is already prepared for one of the most challenging development programmes in the company’s history. “We’re looking forward to the task of developing new technologies and to continue on with the success of the Porsche RS Spyder. After the conclusion of our works-supported sports prototype programme in the American Le Mans Series we have kept up with the latest technological advances. Now we will begin with detailed research in order to evaluate the various concept alternatives for our new car. These obviously depend on how the regulations for the year 2014 look in detail. In principle, these regulations are interesting for us because the integration of our hybrid technology in the vehicle concept is one possible option.”

Hans Herrmann and Richard Attwood claimed the first overall victory for Porsche in 1970 with the legendary 917 short-tail. The 16th and by now last overall win was secured by Laurent Aiello, Stéphane Ortelli and Allan McNish in 1998 with the 911 GT1. In the years 2008 and 2009, the Porsche RS Spyder sports prototype won the title in the LMP2 category.

Source: Porsche

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhOsDzSJ0bk

 

awsome, tired of Audi dominance. Wonder if Audi is going to pull out since they are both owned by VW. I hope they stay, Audi/Peugot/Porsche, what a battle

 

that would be cool, but on the other hand that would mean they would have to change the regulations and rules a lot, because i cannot see them winning against the Diesels with a gasoline engine at the moment and i cannot see Porsche using a diesel engine.
i can see Audi changing to gasoline engines tho, although it would make less sense, but Peugeot?
The french officials will do anything to keep a french carmaker in the game. so i don`t really know how that all could go together.

 

Does this mean we might get a new mezger type block to use in road cars.....

 

I believe Audi will pull out by the end of 2013. I do not see VW competing against itself with Audi and Porsche. I also believe Porsche has worked out the diesel/gasoline rules for 2014 with the Automobile Club de l'Ouest so that hybrid technology which Porsche has been working on will have an equal chance of winning as diesels and other "green" technologies. I predict Porsche will win the 2014 24 Hours of Le Mans!

 

i just googled that Peugeot is working on a Diesel hybrid prototype, maybe Audi is doing the same thing. So, Porsche could compete with a hybrid prototype on their own. This would make sense as they are already testing the capability of the system with the GT3-R.

 

Audi & Bentley raced together in 2003 but the Audi drivers were used : Tom Kristensen, Guy Smith, Rinaldo Capello, in the Speed8. Both Bentley won ahead of the two Audi R8 private teams. Maybe they'll do it again for 2014. The present Audi R18 will be four years old and retiring ?

 

This is great news... having Porsche back in a class outside the GT ranks would indeed showcase motorsport technologies on higher world stage...I don't know what will happen with the Porsche - Audi issue though...well they have a season to work out how that will play out...

 

Yes, they may well do that ONLY for 2014. In 2003, VW fielded both Bentley and Audi teams with the express intent of marketing the Bentley brand prior to the Continental GT and Flying Spur Introductions as a marketing exercise only. They used essentially Audi Engineering, Audi drivers and if I am not mistaken an Audi chassis with modifications. They still had privateer Audi cars running but VW's intent was to finish 1-2 with Bentley with the Audi's following in positions immediately after. If Porsche is to re-enter Le Mans on a multi-year basis, I still cannot see the factory works teams from the same parent competing.

It would make sense for VW to have a Porsche works team with Audi pivateer teams for eaxmple.

Ferdinand Piech has already stated that Audi and Porsche will never compete. Also the now new Audi R18's engineering dollars invested simply will be leveraged in the Porsche car. Audi and Porsche have been sharing engineering resources for years.

 

I absolutely think that the 918 Hybrid technology has been part of the plan for developing a LMP1 car. TDI is Audi's basis for their production car future, whereas Porsche has clearly identified Electric Hybrid as their future powertrain of choice. If you think about it, VW has leveraged themselves well with two luxury marques focusing on two different technologies that can be interchanged between the brands. Porsche's use of diesel is nothing other than to satisfy markets where diesel is more popular, as there aren't any sports-car models utilizing diesel (yet).

The question is whether VW will allow these two brands to compete head-head. It would make more sense to move Audi into one of the other categories but continue their use of TDI. That way everyone has the opportunity to be a 'winner' while still using these racing stages as development platforms.

But then it still requires the governing bodies to regulate in a way that allows for this.

 

I was reading through my iPad version of Autoweek, and came across an article that I found very interesting. Apparently The decision to bring Porsche back to Lemans was based on Porsche and Audi utilizing different technologies to accomplish this. I can't find this article online, so here's the text:

 

Thanks for the update WJ !

 

riddle solved then, can`t wait now that others (incl. Jaguar) are joining as well:

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/93066

 

It will be interesting to see=

But dont expect Audi and Porsche to compete in the same class.

Maybe for an overall but the cars will no doubt be in different classes.


Congrats to Porsche for coming back to racing as a "factory team"