Porsche will make its return to the top class of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) as it prepares to enter the Hypercar category from 2023 with an LMDh entry.

Set to enter both the FIA WEC and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the German manufacturer will fight for victories at the world’s biggest endurance races including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, 1000 Miles of Sebring and the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

This news follows hot on the heels of Audi who recently announced a return to top-flight sportscar racing with its own LMDh challenger, and the recently released developments in Peugeot Sport’s WEC programme.

Between 2014 and 2017, Porsche underlined its expertise in the top class of endurance racing with the hugely-successful Porsche 919 Hybrid. In the WEC, the LMP1 class prototype achieved a hat-trick clinching the manufacturers’ and drivers’ championship titles in 2015, 2016 and 2017, as well as winning Le Mans for three consecutive years. This was all the while running alongside Porsche’s extremely successful GTE Pro programme which captured the GT World Championship title and victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans during the 2018-2019 Super Season.

Oliver Blume, CEO at Porsche AG: “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.”

Fritz Enzinger, Vice President at Porsche Motorsport: “We hold a record with our 19 outright wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and we’ve climbed to the top podium step many times at major races in the USA. We can continue this tradition with an LMDh vehicle while at the same time keeping costs reasonable. There has been huge interest from other manufacturers. I hope we can pick up where we left off with the famous clashes against many other marques in the eighties and nineties. That would give the entire motor racing scene a huge boost.”

Pierre Fillon, President of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest: “This eagerly anticipated announcement is excellent news for Endurance racing. By confirming its commitment to Hypercar, the new top class of Endurance, Porsche will return to Le Mans to take on other major manufacturers in the 24 Hours. These recent announcements prove that our regulations, boosted by a historic agreement with the USA, are an attractive proposition.”

Richard Mille, President of the FIA Endurance Commission: “When the idea of revamping FIA World Endurance Championship’s top class was first discussed, the aim was to attract renowned manufacturers to fight for overall victories in endurance racing around the world and at Le Mans. We can now see it happening and having both Le Mans Hypercar as well as LMDh rulesets gives manufacturers the luxury of choosing a concept that best fits their philosophy. The future for endurance racing indeed looks very promising."

Porsche announces return to top class of endurance racing from 2023

• Endurance racing Porsche
• At 12/17/2020 08:50:00 p.m.
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Porsche Design and PUMA celebrate the launch of a new sportswear collection Berlin, February 22, 2019. “Driven by urban dynamics” was the concept presented in style at yesterday’s launch event for the first high-end sportswear collection from Porsche Design and PUMA. The Kühlhaus Berlin event space offered the perfect setting for various performances, staged to showcase the progressive and dynamic nature of the collection. The two brands complement each other perfectly, bringing together success stories and experiences from the world of motorsport in this new partnership. The timeless, technically inspired design and premium know-how from Porsche Design combines with PUMA’s sports expertise to create the perfect synergy, as can be seen in the collection in the form of innovative cushioning systems for sports shoes, ultra-light materials and taped seams.  The principle of being “ready to react” underpins the entire range, which includes active wear and leisure sportswear plus sports-inspired statement looks. The collection sets new functional and trend-setting benchmarks thanks to innovative features and materials, including Dual Thermo-R technology, which responds to skin temperature, breathable evoKNIT material, used to create functional knitted zones, PUMA CELL technology plus unique Hybrid and Jamming cushioning systems. Technical details, cut-outs and dynamic patterns enhance the visual identity of the collection. The new Porsche Design x PUMA collection will be available from March 1, 2019, in Porsche Design stores and online at www.porsche-design.com and at www.puma.com.

About Porsche Design: In 1963, Professor Ferdinand Alexander Porsche created one of the most iconic design objects in contemporary history: the Porsche 911. Following his vision to take the principles and myth of Porsche beyond the automotive world, he created the exclusive lifestyle brand Porsche Design in 1972.  His philosophy and design language can still be seen in all Porsche Design products today. Every Porsche Design product stands for extraordinary precision and perfection, boasts a high level of technological innovation and seamlessly combines intelligent functionality and puristic design.  Created by Studio F. A. Porsche in Austria, our products are sold worldwide in over 130 Porsche Design stores, high-end department stores, exclusive specialist retailers and the official online store (www.porsche-design.com).

Lifestyle and performance wear for city streets

• Collection Design Porsche Puma Sportswear
• At 2/21/2019 08:45:00 p.m.
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How LMP1 was won:  Porsche's parting shot As Porsche LMP Team departed the WEC with a third successive sweep of the FIA World Endurance Drivers' and Manufacturers' Championships, a look at how the titles were won reveals that a typically dramatic Le Mans 24 Hours proved to be, as so often, the decisive point.  Victory in the double points endurance classic, after the heart-breaking demise of its sister car in the closing stages, turned the tables in favour of the No.2 Porsche 919 Hybrid of Timo Bernhard, Brendon Hartley and Earl Bamber who wrapped up the Championships in China with a round to spare. To read the full story CLICK HERE Retrouvez ICI tous les articles de notre site en version française

How LMP2 was won: Vaillante Rebellion down to the wire 2017 marked the beginning of a brave new era for LMP2, but the teams at the front needed no introduction, as Vaillante Rebellion snatched the FIA World Endurance Trophy for LMP2 Drivers from long-time points leaders Jackie Chan DC Racing.  With all full-season entrants campaigning Gibson-engined ORECA 07s, driver performance, team strategy and car setup would make all the difference and it was the Anglo-Swiss Rebellion squad that ultimately found the best balance across the three in its first season in the LMP2 category.  The full story of how the season unfolded in LMP2 CLICK HERE Photo:  Displaying the incredible sporting spirit of the championship and the LMP2 competitors, one of the first drivers to congratulate Vaillante Rebellion's Nicolas Prost and Julien Canal was Oliver Jarvis of Jackie Chan DC Racing who narrowly lost out on the title.

New for 2018 Aston Martin Vantage revealed Aston Martin Racing has revealed the new Vantage GTE model which will compete in the LMGTE class in the 2018-19 FIA World Endurance Championship Super Season. The new car replaces Aston Martin’s most successful competition car of all-time, the V8 Vantage GTE, which signed off with GT Am Championship title success in Bahrain.  More news on the new car and the addition of Alex Lynn to the Aston Martin Racing driver line up CLICK HERE

Ford reconfirms WEC drivers for Super Season Ford Chip Ganassi Team UK has reconfirmed its four full-season drivers for the FIA World Endurance Championship ‘Super Season’ which comes to life in April 2018 with The Prologue at Circuit Paul Ricard.  Andy Priaulx (GB), Harry Tincknell (GB), Stefan Mücke (DE) and Olivier Pla (FR) will therefore return for a third consecutive season, aiming to increase their win rate and claim the GT FIA World Endurance Manufacturers Championship.  The squad, which took two victories in 2017 (6 Hours of Silverstone and 6 Hours of Shanghai), will once again drive the Ford GTs for the 2018/19 season – the first race being the WEC 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps on 5th May.

ByKolles confirms intention to return in 2018 Austrian team ByKolles Racing recently completed an intensive three-day testing programme at the Motorland circuit in Aragon. The action on the Spanish circuit was in order to test new development parts on the Enso CLM P1/01 in preparation for submission of an entry to the 2018-19 WEC Super Season.  Among the drivers present were ByKolles regulars Oliver Webb and James Rossiter plus 2016 World Series V8 Champion Tom Dillman, a former entrant to the WEC with Signatech Alpine, Edoardo Liberati (24, ITA) and Mikaël Grenier (25, CAN). Testing is due to continue in December.

How the LMP titles were won and more good news for the WEC

• Championships China Drivers FIA World Endurance Porsche
• At 12/01/2017 07:12:00 p.m.
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Toyota Gazoo Racing celebrated its fifth win of the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship season at the Bapco 6 Hours of Bahrain today, as the No.8 Toyota TS 050 HYBRID triumphed at an eventful season finale. Sébastien Buemi, Anthony Davidson and Kazuki Nakajima claimed a third consecutive WEC win to ensure that the Japanese manufacturer won five races in a WEC season since they entered in 2012.  Buemi took the lead from Neel Jani’s pole sitting Porsche 919 Hybrid in the first hour after fighting through from fourth on the grid in the early exchanges. Nakajima and Davidson were both able to extend the lead and the car eventually took the chequered flag by a full lap.  Davidson in particular had an eventful race, as he raced through the pain barrier after breaking a toe in his left foot in a bizarre pit accident.  Porsche LMP Team claimed second and third in their farewell race as the No.2 Porsche 919 Hybrid of Timo Bernhard, Brendon Hartley and Earl Bamber claimed second position ahead of the No.1 sister car driven by Neel Jani, André Lotterer and Nick Tandy.  To read the whole LMP1 report CLICK HERE For all classifications and timing CLICK HERE Retrouvez ICI tous les articles de notre site en version française

Senna and Canal take LMP2 crown in dramatic finale Vaillante Rebellion celebrated a memorable first LMP2 championship success after a tense and thrilling finale at the Bapco 6 Hours of Bahrain on Saturday evening.  Bruno Senna and Julien Canal claimed the crown after they sealed a fourth win of the season and a third in succession along with their teammate Nicolas Prost. Senna and Canal lifted the championship trophy and, although Prost will not be crowned champion due to missing the Nurburgring race in July, his teammates and team praised his massive contribution to the success.  The No.31 Vaillante Rebellion ORECA-Gibson was engaged in a fascinating race long duel with the No.38 Jackie Chan DC Racing car crewed by Oliver Jarvis, Thomas Laurent and Ho-Pin Tung. To read the full report CLICK HERE Provisional classifications can be found HERE

Toyota claims fifth victory of 2017 FIA WEC season in Bahrain

• 6 Hours of Bahrain FIA World Endurance Championship Porsche Racing Toyota
• At 11/18/2017 08:23:00 p.m.
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No.1 Porsche claims pole in Bahrain for final race  Porsche took a final pole position with the ultra-successful 919 Hybrid as it bows out of competition at the Bapco 6 Hours of Bahrain.  Nick Tandy and Neel Jani combine to set a blistering 1m39.383s average in a thrilling qualifying session. Claiming the No.1 Porsche 919 Hybrid’s third top spot of the season, Jani topped the times with a scintillating best lap of 1m39.084s to snatch the pole from the No.7 Toyota TS050 HYBRID of Mike Conway and José Maria Lopez.  Completing the second row of the LMP1 giants go to battle for the final time tomorrow afternoon.  • Nick Tandy and Neel Jani seal pole with average of 1m39.383s • Third pole of season for No.1 Porsche 919 Hybrid in final outing for car  • Toyota place second as Mike Conway and José Maria Lopez combine but miss out on pole by 0.268 • No.2 Porsche of champions Timo Bernhard and Brendon Hartley place third • No.8 Toyota TS 050 HYBRID starts fourth as Davidson and Nakajima qualify  For all classifications and timing CLICK HERE Retrouvez ICI tous les articles de notre site en version française

Signatech Alpine snatches crucial pole point in LMP2  The LMP2 category saw a fascinating grid order unfold as the Signatech Alpine duo of André Negrão and Gustavo Menezes combined to seal a third pole of the 2017 season for Les Bleues.  It was a fine performance form the Brazilian/US alliance as they swept to a 1m47.227s average to claim the pole by 0.3s. Menezes has an outside chance of taking back-to-back titles but with a 22-point deficit looks likely to have to reply on good fortune. Lining up second and third in class will be the title protagonists, the No.31 Vaillante Rebellion and No.38 Jackie Chan DC Racing entries. Bruno Senna and Julien Canal have a four point advantage heading in to the race tomorrow over Oliver Jarvis, Thomas Laurent and Ho-Pin Tung.  • LMP2 pole goes to Signatech Alpine as Andre Negrão and Gustavo Menezes combine to take third pole position of season with an average of 1m47.227 • No.38 Jackie Chan DC Racing title chasers start second • Title leaders Bruno Senna and Julien Canal in No.31 Vaillante Rebellion entry start right behind rivals in third as they have four point advantage

Ferrari claim critical GTE pole Ferrari came out on top after another closely fought LMGTE Pro qualifying session at the Bapco 6 Hours of Bahrain this evening. Davide Rigon and Sam Bird took their fourth pole position of the 2017 FIA WEC campaign to ensure that Rigon’s slight title chances remained.  The No.71 AF Corse Ferrari took the pole with an average of 1m56.033s. Rigon set a sensational best outright lap of 1m47.058 to set a new qualifying record in class with the Ferrari 488GTE.  Lining up alongside the Ferrari will be the No.97 Aston Martin Vantage V8 GTE as it bows out this weekend after a glorious WEC career.  Darren Turner and Jonny Adam set an average of 1m56.372s, while No.67 Ford GT duo of Andy Priaulx and Harry Tincknell placed third, as the British pair set about hunting down title rivals - James Calado and Alessandro Pier Guidi - who start just one place behind in their No.51 AF Corse Ferrari.  Porsche duo Frederic Makowiecki and Richard Lietz finish sixth as they look to reduce the two point deficit to Calado and Pier Guidi in points table.

Lamy and Dalla Lana take 7th pole of the year! Pedro Lamy and Paul Dalla Lana take seventh pole position from nine races and extend lead in title stakes to 11 points. Lamy and Dalla Lana set average lap time of 2m00.111s, with Lamy peaking on category best of 1m59.328s.  Close session sees Clearwater Racing miss out on pole by just 0.17s as Weng Sun Mok and Matt Griffin set an average of 2m00.285s in their Ferrari 488GTE.  Dempsey Proton Racing starts third as Christian Ried, Matteo Cairoli and Marvin Dienst look to reduce 11-point gap to No.98. Aston Martin drivers.

Porsche LMP claim pole for final race; Signatech Alpine, Ferrari and Aston Martin start in class pole positions in Bahrain

• 6 Hours of Bahrain Ferrari Porsche Race Toyota
• At 11/17/2017 12:29:00 p.m.
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Hollywood superstar and former WEC driver Patrick Dempsey will wave off the 26 entrants for this weekend’s 6 Hours of Fuji. The seventh round of the FIA World Endurance Championship will begin at 11h00 (local time) on Sunday 15 October.  Fuji Speedway has special significance for the owner/partner of the Dempsey-Proton Racing team as it was the scene of his triumphant LMGTE Am victory in 2015 which, alongside his podium finish at the 24 Hours of Le Mans that same year, ranks as the highlight of his motorsport career.  Patrick Dempsey will be in Japan to promote the Dempsey Challenge which is being staged in support of the Dempsey Center charity for the fight against cancer. During this time he will make a film about his win in Japan and take part in a number of events over the weekend as well as mentor the young drivers on his racing team.  To emphasise breast cancer awareness month, which was initiated by the “pink ribbon foundation”, the livery of the No.77 Dempsey Proton Racing Porsche 911 RSR will be styled pink for the 6 Hours of Fuji. Photo:  Winners of LMGTE Am 6 Hours of Fuji 2015 - left to right: Marco Seefried, Patrick Long, Patrick Dempsey Retrouvez ICI tous les articles de notre site en version française

A look back at three of the best Fuji WEC races As anticipation builds for the 6 Hours of Fuji, we look back on three of the most memorable races at the 4.563 km Fuji Speedway since the FIA World Endurance Championship’s first visit in 2012.  2012 – Toyota’s home triumph 2015 – Porsche breaks the stranglehold 2016 – Strategy wins the day for Toyota in three-way fight To read all about these incredible races CLICK HERE

Meeting the fans of tomorrow at Fuji Ahead of the first day of action at Fuji Speedway in Japan, the FIA World Endurance Championship hosted pupils from the Mukaida Elementary School in Oyama. The 17 girls and boys were shown behind the scenes of the event and observed how some different areas of the organization work ahead of the race being held on Sunday 15 October.   To read more about their visit and see photos of the excited young fans CLICK HERE

Less than a week to go to complete WEC fan survey: Get clicking now!  An amazing 45,000 fans of endurance racing and motorsport in general have so far completed the FIA WEC’s global fan survey and now, with just under a week remaining before the closing date, this is the last chance to win the superb prize of two VIP tickets to the 2018 24 Hours of Le Mans. Don’t miss the opportunity and get clicking now [https://wecsurvey.motorsport.com]!  Responses over the first three weeks of the survey have come in from 169 different countries across the world, and show that endurance racing fans are very loyal, having typically followed the discipline for multiple years.  We particularly want to hear from our fans in the Far East, Russia, and southern Europe and every opinion – no matter where or who it comes from – is valued and will help to shape the future of endurance racing.  As well as commenting on favourite circuits and the preferred length of races, fans have spoken out loudly and clearly about the marques they want to see racing in the WEC – with the GTE manufacturers being among the most popular. Key for manufacturer and private teams alike are fans’ views on the WEC’s top five brand values and leading these is that the championship should remain technological, competitive, innovative, exciting and global.  The closing date for the survey is midnight on Tuesday 17 October and the full results will be published at the final round of the 2017 season, the 6 Hours of Bahrain between 16-18 November.

All stories on the 2017 season are available online on the official FIAWEC website at www.fiawec.com

Patrick Dempsey to wave off the 6 Hours of Fuji 

• 6 Hours of Fuji FIA Motorsport Porsche Racing team
• At 10/13/2017 11:00:00 p.m.
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Porsche take third straight 1-2 in COTA   Porsche LMP Team continued its winning momentum at the 6 Hours of COTA with a third consecutive 1-2 on Saturday at the sixth round of the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship. Earl Bamber, in the No.2 Porsche 919 Hybrid, crossed the finish line just 0.276s ahead of stablemate Nick Tandy in the No.1 car to claim a fourth consecutive victory for he and teammates Timo Bernhard and Brendon Hartley.  The trio extend their title advantage and helped Porsche to pull away further from Toyota in the Manufacturers' standings.  Held in challenging hot and humid conditions, the race was an epic strategic contest which saw the rhythm of the race swing from Porsche to Porsche. The 2017 rule change, which brought down the allocation of six sets of tyres to four for qualifying and the race, saw the teams challenged with choosing when to double-stint their Michelin tyres in the hot temperatures. To read the whole report CLICK HERE For all provisional results CLICK HERE Retrouvez ICI tous les articles de notre site en version française

Ferrari fight hard through to GTE victory Ferrari No.51 488 GTE won today’s 6 Hours of COTA in +33oC Texan temperatures, but it was no easy run for Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado on the way to their second victory of the season.  The duo had a race-long fight with the No.95 Aston Martin Vantage, the No.92 Porsche 911 RSR and the sister No.71 Ferrari 488 GTE, with the lead changing between them due to tyre strategies.  The No.51 survived a scare with 11 minutes to go when Pier Guidi was forced to take the risk of returning at high speed to the pits due to a puncture. The risk paid off and quick pit work by AF Corse saw the Ferrari driver come out just ahead of Michael Christensen’s Porsche which eventually finished 5.6s behind in second place – the No.92’s best result of the season so far. To read all the GTE news and details CLICK HERE

Signatech Alpine Matmut wins LMP2 despite late scare Reigning LMP2 champions, Signatech Alpine Matmut, took a North American double as the French team followed up their Mexico City podium with victory at COTA. For Lapierre and Menezes it was also a second victory in Texas in as many years.  Menezes, the sole American driver in the field this year, was especially delighted to claim another maximum score on home ground.  There was a late scare for Les Bleues though as they were forced to change the rear bodywork section with just 12-minutes of the race remaining. Gustavo Menezes though had enough in hand and was able to take the chequered flag with a comfortable margin ahead of the Vaillante Rebellion pair of ORECA-Gibson entries.  The title leading No.38 Jackie Chan DC Racing of Oliver Jarvis, Thomas Laurent and Ho-Pin Tung took fourth position.

Aston Martin claim LMGTE Am victory In LMGTE Am, Aston Martin Racing’s No.98 Vantage of Paul Dalla Lana, Pedro Lamy and Mathias Lauda won for the second time this season, 50s ahead of nearest rival, the No.61 Clearwater Racing Ferrari.  After a dramatic first few hours to the race, the trio came through to a solid finish to keep the lead of the LMGTE Am Drivers’ championship battle, four points ahead of the No.77 Dempsey Proton Racing crew who had a difficult American race.  Clearwater Racing maintained its consistently strong form to take more valuable points, while Spirit of Race’s No. 54 Ferrari 488 GTE came home in third place in class. For Francesco Castellacci, Thomas Flohr and Miguel Molina, it was their best result of the season and their first WEC podium.  The next round will be the 6 Hours of Fuji on the 15th October. CLICK HERE for provisional results, HERE for championship classifications and HERE for race facts.

Porsche take 1-2 in COTA; Ferrari fight hard through to GTE victory

• Ferrari FIA FIA World Endurance Championship Porsche
• At 9/17/2017 12:45:00 p.m.
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