Porsche wants to double its number of customer teams in 2024

Despite supply delays and the purchase and operating price of its LMDh, Porsche hopes to double its number of customer teams in 2024.

Published on 03/01/2023 à 11:16

Valentin GLO

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Porsche wants to double its number of customer teams in 2024

The Porsche 963 being tested at Daytona (Photo: Porsche)

In addition to the official cars which will be entered in WEC and IMSA, Porsche will field two additional cars per championship via its client teams Proton Competition (IMSA and WEC), JDC-Miller MotorSport (IMSA) and Hertz Team JOTA (WEC). Teams who must nevertheless be patient since the delivery of their 963 is scheduled for the end of April. The rounds of Daytona, Sebring, Long Beach and Portimão are thus compromised for these teams which should be able to compete at Laguna Seca (May 12-14) or Spa-Francorchamps (April 29).

The German manufacturer is the only one to have made the decision to provide private stable structures from 2023, a risk completely assumed by the Stuttgart staff. “ No one had ever even attempted to offer such technologically advanced customer vehicles from the start. And even now we're the only ones who do it, explains Urs Kuratle, director of the Porsche factory dedicated to the LMDh project. Porsche has made an extremely strong commitment to the new top category of endurance sports, which cannot be compared to the past tradition of customer teams. »

Like the other manufacturers involved who will debut in the GTP category at the 24 Hours of Daytona at the end of the month (January 28-29), Porsche indeed encountered problems during the last winter tests on the Florida circuit, despite a previous 36 hour endurance test in Sebring (Florida) without major problems.

ALSO READ > 36 hours of testing for the Porsche 963 at Sebring

These supply delays do not appear to deter other potential customers. Nor the purchase price of 2,5 million in addition to operating costs of around eight to ten million euros per season.

“For the 2024 season, Porsche plans to double the number of customer vehicles in both series from two to four. There is no shortage of requests because the brand enjoys a high level of trust,” explains the German firm in a press release. The prospects of victories in the general classification of major races therefore appeal to many teams. “ These teams are fighting for overall wins, just like the factory cars, adds Kuratle. That's their goal. This is what they owe to their sponsors and we want to make it possible for them. » 

Teams that are already GT customers like Pfaff Motorsport should be in the running. 

ALSO READ > JDC-Miller is patient with Porsche

Valentin GLO

Journalist. Endurance reporter (WEC, IMSA, ELMS, ALMS) and sometimes F1 or IndyCar.

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