Riding the momentum of the Porsche 963’s first overall win of the 2025 WEC season in Austin, Texas, the Porsche Penske Motorsport factory team heads into the penultimate round brimming with confidence. The squad has particularly fond memories of Japan: in 2024, Kévin Estre, Laurens Vanthoor and André Lotterer triumphed on Fuji’s Formula 1 circuit, securing their second win of the season and paving the way to the world championship crown. “We’re determined to build on that success and keep closing the gap in the manufacturers’ standings,” says Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Porsche Motorsport.
The Porsche Penske Motorsport factory team will once again field two Porsche 963 prototypes. The number 5 car will be shared by Frenchman Julien Andlauer and his compatriot Mathieu Jaminet, who replaces Danish driver Michael Christensen. In the sister car, French driver Kévin Estre joins forces with Belgium’s Laurens Vanthoor. The Proton Competition customer outfit will also tackle the top Hypercar class with an identical hybrid prototype. In the LMGT3 category, Manthey 1st Phorm aims to take another step towards the title with the Porsche 911 GT3 R, while the Iron Dames are targeting their first podium finish of the season in another 911.
Further information: 6 Hours of Fuji 2025 | FIA WEC.
This weekend’s 6 Hours of Fuji represents a major milestone for all competitors: the Japanese round marks the 100th race in the FIA World Endurance Championship since its launch in 2012. Porsche and its customer teams have played a key role in shaping the series to date, delivering many standout moments along the way.
18 March 2012: Customer team Felbermayr-Proton takes class victory at debut
The new FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) kicks off in style on 18 March 2012 with a true classic: the 12 Hours of Sebring in Florida. Porsche’s customer squad Felbermayr-Proton immediately steal the spotlight in the United States. Sharing driving duties in the Porsche 911 RSR (generation 997), Christian Ried, Gianluca Roda and Paolo Ruberti clinch victory in the GTE-Am class. “We had won the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup the previous year, so stepping up to the World Championship was the logical move. To take a class win in the very first race was simply sensational,” recalls team owner Ried, who with almost 90 starts ranks among the WEC’s record participants.
6 May 2012: Lieb/Lietz win GTE-Pro class in WEC’s first European race
Following a successful debut in the United States, the new World Championship celebrates its European premiere in May 2012. In the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, factory drivers Marc Lieb and Richard Lietz claim victory in the GTE-Pro class at the wheel of the Porsche 911 RSR. “The WEC has given me so many memorable moments. From the very first season, I achieved my first successes and I’m still on the grid today. Incredible, isn’t it?” smiles Lietz.
23 June 2013: New Porsche factory team celebrates double success at Le Mans
For the 2013 season, Porsche enters a factory team in the WEC for the first time. In the fiercely contested GTE-Pro class, two Porsche 911 RSR cars compete under the banner “Porsche AG Team Manthey.” Marking the 50th anniversary of the Porsche 911, the team brings home a sensational result: a one-two finish for the factory squad at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, alongside a class victory for customer team IMSA Performance Matmut in the amateur category. These triumphs mark the 99th and 100th class wins for Porsche at Le Mans. Partners alongside Porsche Motorsport in the WEC from the very beginning: tyre specialist Michelin and lubricant expert Mobil 1.
20 April 2014: New Porsche 919 Hybrid scores podium on debut
From the 2014 season, the World Endurance Championship introduces a revolutionary top category: the spectacular LMP1 class, offering enormous technological freedom. Le Mans record-holder Porsche returns to the fight for overall victories with the 919 Hybrid – and in style. On its very first race outing, factory drivers Mark Webber, Timo Bernhard and Brendon Hartley secure a podium finish in the 6 Hours of Silverstone, heralding the beginning of an unrivalled success story.
30 November 2014: First win for the Porsche 919 Hybrid
After five podiums in the opening seven races, the breakthrough comes at the FIA WEC season finale in São Paulo: Neel Jani, Marc Lieb and Romain Dumas secure the first victory for the Porsche 919 Hybrid. “What an incredible day for the team,” states Lieb at the finish and Jani adds: “Our next goal is the world championship crown and a win at Le Mans – we hope that’s just around the corner.”
14 June 2015: Porsche 919 Hybrid triumphs at the 24 Hours of Le Mans
After a formative first season, the thoroughly reworked Porsche 919 Hybrid dominates the 2015 FIA WEC. The factory team celebrates six victories in eight races, including the 17th overall triumph for Porsche at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Nick Tandy, Earl Bamber and Formula 1 driver Nico Hülkenberg win the French classic ahead of their team mates Bernhard/Webber/Hartley, who would go on to secure the world championship later that year. From this point, the 919 Hybrid defines the LMP1 era in the WEC.
19 June 2016: Dramatic finish hands Porsche Le Mans victory
“You don’t win Le Mans, Le Mans lets you win” – this motorsport adage is never more evident than on 19th June 2016. After a fiercely contested race, the Porsche LMP team seems destined for second place, only for the leading Toyota to falter on the final lap. “Surreal,” recalls Marc Lieb, describing the path to the 18th overall win for Porsche at Le Mans. Lieb shares the 919 Hybrid cockpit with Jani and Dumas. By season’s end, the trio would go on to secure the world championship title, with Porsche successfully defending the manufacturers' and teams’ titles.
18 June 2017: Third straight Le Mans win for the Porsche 919 Hybrid
Porsche celebrates its 19th overall victory at Le Mans: after a nail-biting comeback, Timo Bernhard, Earl Bamber and Brendon Hartley clinch the third consecutive Le Mans triumph for the Porsche 919 Hybrid, securing a permanent place for the monumental trophy in the Porsche Museum. The trio goes on to win the world championship, with Porsche also clinching the manufacturer and team titles. “The LMP1 era was incredible,” reflects Neel Jani. “Aside from the wins, what impressed me most was the technological progress. In 2012 at Le Mans, we could cover just nine laps on a tank. Five years later, we were achieving up to 15 laps and 20 seconds faster per lap. The WEC offers a stage for remarkable development. I hope this continues.”
17 June 2018: “Pink Pig” Porsche 911 RSR shines at Le Mans
After wrapping up the LMP1 programme with the 919 Hybrid, Porsche shifts its focus back to GT racing from the 2018/19 season. To mark the brand’s 70th anniversary, the Stuttgart manufacturer turns heads with a bold and colourful statement at Le Mans: the two 911 RSR cars line up on the grid sporting the historic “Pink Pig” and “Rothmans” liveries. The result is spectacular: the “Rennsau” claims victory ahead of its sister car. “Today is the best day of my life. We’ve won the toughest and most beautiful race in the world,” exclaims factory driver Kévin Estre. “The synergy within the whole team was simply brilliant,” adds team mate Laurens Vanthoor.
16 June 2019: Two Le Mans races, two class wins for the 911 RSR
For the 2018/2019 season, the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) adopted a new calendar concept: the nine-race season begins with the 24-hour marathon at Le Mans and concludes twelve months later with a second running of the classic. Building on the Pink Pig’s 2018 victory, another striking livery triumphs in June 2019: the Project 1 customer team’s Art Car, helmed by factory driver Jörg Bergmeister, scores the GTE-Am class win.
14 November 2020: Debut season of the new 911 RSR ends with double win
Following Le Mans class wins and championship titles the previous year, the new Porsche 911 RSR (2019) makes its FIA WEC debut in the 2019/2020 season. Powered by a high-revving 4.2-litre boxer engine, the 911 quickly becomes a fan favourite thanks to its spinetingling sound. While sporting success takes a little longer to arrive, at the season finale in Bahrain, the factory team notches up a GTE-Pro one-two result. In the GTE-Am category, where the predecessor model of the RSR is still competing, the customer team Project 1 takes the win. In the end, five 911 RSR from the previous generation finish in the top seven.
12 June 2022: 911 RSR signs off with a win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans
With the new Porsche 963 on the horizon, the hugely successful 911 RSR bids a final farewell at Le Mans. The factory team’s 911 once again shines on the legendary French circuit. After the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, Richard Lietz, Gianmaria Bruni and Frédéric Makowiecki once again enjoy the top step of the GTE-Pro podium, this time without masks. “A victory in the 911 RSR’s final factory outing at Le Mans is an indescribable feeling,” exclaims Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Porsche Motorsport, after 350 gripping laps in France.
17 March 2023: New Porsche 963 debuts on the world stage
Porsche returns to the fight for overall victories in the World Endurance Championship! At the FIA WEC 2023 season opener in Sebring, two Porsche 963 cars line up on the grid for the first time. The hybrid prototypes finish the 1,000-mile race in fifth and sixth place. The event marks the beginning of a new era: an increasing number of manufacturers now accept the challenge in the new top Hypercar class, leading to a near-unprecedented diversity of manufacturers in modern endurance racing.
4 November 2023: Iron Dames write WEC history with Porsche
After a transition year in GTE-Am, the 911 RSR makes its final appearance in the 2023 season. At its swan song, Porsche’s most potent racing boxer delivers a standout performance: the Iron Dames team with Sarah Bovy, Rahel Frey and Michelle Gatting clinch the class win in Bahrain – the first and only triumph by an all-female trio in the WEC. “Simply fantastic,” beams Swiss driver Frey. “We’ve worked hard for five years, and at the 911 RSR’s final race, it finally paid off. Now it’s time to celebrate!”
28 March 2024: Triple triumph for Porsche 963 at WEC debut in Qatar
Following a challenging first year in the FIA WEC and initial successes in the North American IMSA series, a breakthrough comes in March 2024. At the 10-hour WEC season opener in Qatar, three Porsche 963 cars cross the finish line at the head of the pack. Kévin Estre, Laurens Vanthoor and André Lotterer are first across the line, with the sister Porsche Penske Motorsport car in third, separated by the Hertz Team Jota customer team’s identical hybrid prototype in second.
12 May 2024: Customer Porsche 963 thrill at Spa-Francorchamps
Exactly one year after the first customer-run 963 appears on the scene, Hertz Team Jota’s hybrid prototype claims victory in the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. The chaotic race, interrupted by a lengthy red flag, also shines a spotlight on the Porsche 963 of Proton Competition. Putting in a stunning drive, former Porsche Junior Julien Andlauer catapults the customer car to the front at times, cementing his path to a factory contract from 2025.
13 June 2024: Estre plants Porsche 963 on pole at Le Mans
Ahead of the WEC’s 2024 highlight, Porsche prepares meticulously for Le Mans, determined to bring home the 20th overall victory. In a gripping hyperpole session, factory driver Kévin Estre secures pole position in the No. 6 Porsche 963. However, the ideal starting position fails to deliver a win, with the leading Porsche Penske Motorsport car ending the race in fourth.
16 June 2024: Porsche 911 GT3 R wins LMGT3 class at Le Mans
There is still cause for celebration at Le Mans: in the first race of the new LMGT3 class, Manthey EMA’s Porsche 911 GT3 R claims a commanding victory. Factory driver Richard Lietz, alongside Yasser Shahin and Morris Schuring, leads the charge to a dominant win. The sister car fielded by Manthey PureRxcing driven by Klaus Bachler, Alex Malykhin and Joel Sturm, goes on to secure the class championship.
3 November 2024: Estre/Lotterer/Vanthoor claim WEC drivers’ title
After victories in Qatar and Fuji and podiums in Imola, Spa and São Paulo, Kévin Estre, André Lotterer and Laurens Vanthoor head into the Bahrain finale leading the drivers’ standings. Despite setbacks from multiple penalties in the 8-hour race, a tenth-place finish is enough to clinch the world championship title, with Porsche narrowly missing the manufacturers’ title by just two points.
17 June 2025: Flawless run secures second place for Porsche 963 at Le Mans
At the 2025 Le Mans classic, Porsche Penske Motorsport again fields three 963 cars in the Hypercar class. All three lead for nearly 100 laps, with Campbell, Estre and Vanthoor ultimately finishing second. Meanwhile, in LMGT3, the Porsche 911 GT3 R once again claims the top podium spot: factory driver Richard Lietz and his teammates Riccardo Pera and Ryan Hardwick secure victory. “The greatest day of my racing life,” says the US-born Hardwick. “Winning at Le Mans with Porsche is only comparable to the birth of my children. In both cases, words can never fully capture the experience or its magnitude.”
