Porsche at the 24 Hours of Le Mans

Porsche 911 GT3 R wins LMGT3 debut at Le Mans

The 2024 Le Mans 24-hour race ended on Sunday at 4 pm with the 111th class win for a Porsche racing car.

4:15 pm

Manthey EMA won the LMGT3 category.

3:10 pm

The last hour of the race has begun. Here are the current standings for the Porsche cars: 

2:30 pm

Preparations are being made for rain. Nevertheless, the cars in Porsche's LMGT3 class are doing great with 1st and 14th place. 

1:30 pm

We are in the last 3 hours of the race. Here are the results of the Hypercar class:

12:40 pm

Things are looking good! All Porsche Customer Racing teams are still in the race after a successful night, and Manthey Racing is fighting for its first LMGT3 victory in the 24-hour race. Both Porsche 963 cars from Jota Sport are in the top 10 of the overall standings. 

11:47 am

Car number #5 receives a drive-through penalty. 

11:05 am

Words about his race from Nick Tandy:

Interim Report 2

Changeable weather, heavy rain and a long full-course yellow phase during the night in Le Mans posed challenges for teams and drivers. The big decision was the choice between dry and rain tyres. The crew of the No. 6 Porsche 963 chose well: the works car systematically battled its way up the order from 13th place. On a wet track, Kévin Estre ultimately advanced to second place shortly after midnight. The Frenchman shares the hybrid prototype with André Lotterer from Germany and the Belgian Laurens Vanthoor. At that time, the No. 38 entry fielded by Hertz Team Jota and driven by ex-Formula 1 champion Jenson Button, his British compatriot Philip Hanson and Oliver Rasmussen from Denmark was running sixth as the best customer Porsche 963.

Promptly at 4 am – halfway through the race – the three safety cars were deployed after heavy rain began to fall. They spearheaded the field for the next four hours until 8:15 am local time. When the race went green, Frédéric Makowiecki from France, Michael Christensen from Denmark and Australian Matt Campbell grabbed their chance in Porsche Penske Motorsport’s No. 5 car, catapulting into the same lap as the leader. Jota’s second car driven by Will Stevens and Callum Ilott from the UK and Frenchman Norman Nato did the same.

“We’re in second place with our number 6 car and all of our Porsche 963 are still in the race, so that’s good news,” says Urs Kuratle, Director Factory Racing LMDh. “The long stint behind the safety car, on the other hand, doesn’t necessarily bode well for the cars and it’s exhausting for the drivers. However, it should stay dry for the rest of the race now. That means we can get back to normal racing.”

Drivers’ comments on the race so far

André Lotterer (Porsche 963 #6): “When I was in the car at the beginning of the race, we switched from slicks to wet tyres – and then immediately back again. That cost us a few positions. But we made progress in the first half of the night. We’re currently in second place and things are looking good for us. One very lengthy safety car period later and in still very slippery conditions, we now need to see who can maintain the pace at the front. The race continues to be very exciting and close!”

Frédéric Makowiecki (Porsche 963 #5): “When it started to rain again during the night, we opted to stay on slicks. Consequently, we lost about two-thirds of a lap. But that’s just the way it is. We’ll have to see what comes of it when all is said and done.”

Mathieu Jaminet (Porsche 963 #4): “There’s not a whole lot going right for our number 4 car in this race. When the rain started, we made the right decision and switched to rain tyres. The race organisers made a good call in bringing out the safety car: The conditions were simply too bad. It’s still raining – and our windscreen wipers aren’t working.”

Alex Malykhin (Porsche 911 GT3 R #92): “We’re doing well in the race and our strategy is paying off. But there are a few technical issues with the car that had become more troublesome as time goes on.”

Preliminary standings after 16 of 24 hours

Hypercar class:
1. Buemi/Hartley/Hirakawa (CH/NZ/J), Toyota #8, 198 laps
2. Estre/Lotterer/Vanthoor (F/D/B), Porsche 963 #6, -2.329 seconds
3. Fuoco/Molina/Nielsen (I/E/DK), Ferrari #50, -4.972 seconds
6. Hanson/Button/Rasmussen (UK/UK/DK), Porsche 963 #38, -15.204 seconds
10. Campbell/Christensen/Makowiecki (AUS/DK/F), Porsche 963 #5, -22.834 seconds
11. Ilott/Stevens/Nato (UK/UK/F), Porsche 963 #12, -28.017 seconds
17. Tandy/Nasr/Jaminet (UK/BR/F), Porsche 963 #4, -2 laps
18. Andlauer/Jani/Tincknell (F/CH/UK), Porsche 963 #99, -5 laps

LMGT3 class:
1. Bachler/Malykhin/Sturm (A/UK/D), Porsche 911 GT3 R #92, 179 laps
2. Lietz/Shahin/Schuring (A/AUS/NL), Porsche 911 GT3 R #91, -2.731 seconds
3. Hamaguchi/Pino/Sato, (J/RCH/J), McLaren #95, -17.393 seconds

9:25 am

Porsche #4 is into the tyre wall!

9:00 am

A look at the standings in the 17th hour of the race.

8:37 am

Number #92 of the Manthey Pure Racing Team had to go to the garage due to a technical problem.

8:12 am

The safety car phase is over, the rain subsides and the race picks up again.

7:10 am

After 15 hours of racing, here are the latest results from the class leaders. Everyone is eagerly awaiting the end of the safety car phase.

4:00 am

It's officially half time. The safety car is back on the track due to heavy rain.

2:00 am

10 hours down. 14 still to go. These are the current standings:

00:15 am

After a safety car phase, we finally the green light. Here are the standings after eight hours of driving.

Interim Report 1

After the first phase of the Le Mans 24-hour race, five of the six Porsche 963 are still looking good for a top result. At around 9 pm local time, Porsche Penske Motorsport’s No. 5 works car is running in third place. The hybrid prototype shared by Fréderic Makowiecki, Michael Christensen and Matt Campbell is just 23 seconds behind the leading Ferrari. In the LMGT3 class, the Porsche 911 GT3 R racing cars fielded by Manthey PureRxcing and Manthey EMA have settled in among the frontrunners and are fighting for first place.

The 92nd edition of the endurance classic got underway at 4 pm local time in dry conditions. At the wheel of the No. 6 hybrid prototype, Laurens Vanthoor got off the line from pole position and duelled with the two factory Ferraris for the lead. The Belgian shares the car with Frenchman Kévin Estre and André Lotterer from Germany. 

At around 5.40 pm, a brief shower turned the order on its head. The No. 5 Porsche opted against changing tyres and catapulted up the rankings. After a good five hours of racing, the car driven by Fréderic Makowiecki from France, Michael Christensen from Denmark and the Australian Matt Campbell was maintaining third. The sister car crewed by Felipe Nasr from Brazil, UK driver Nick Tandy and the Frenchman Mathieu Jaminet currently holds eighth. Positions seven and nine are occupied by the two customer cars from Hertz Team Jota. Philip Hanson (UK), Oliver Rasmussen (DK) and the 2009 Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button (UK) were ahead of their colleagues Norman Nato (F), Will Stevens and Callum Ilott (both UK). After pitting briefly for repairs, Proton Competition’s 963 fell back to P21.

“After five hours of racing, we have four Porsche in the top ten with the fifth car in eleventh – so things are looking pretty good for us,” said Urs Kuratle. “We’re currently implementing two strategies, and both are working out. Things could turn chaotic again during the night. Right now, it’s all about staying focused and not making any mistakes. We had to replace the number 4’s rear wing and later the illuminated number plate on the right-hand side after a shunt with a GT car in the early stage.”

In the LMGT3 class, the 911 GT3 R of Porsche’s customer team Manthey PureRxcing tackled the endurance classic on the Circuit des 24 Heures from the second grid spot. After Englishman Alex Malykhin handed the No. 92 Porsche 911 off to Klaus Bachler, the Austrian promptly chased down the leading pack. At around 9 pm, the car was in fifth place. In Manthey EMA’s car, Yasser Shahin started the race from eleventh on the LMGT3 grid. Morris Schuring then took over the No. 91 cockpit from the Australian. After around four hours of racing, the young Dutchman swept into the lead. By 9 pm, the ca. 416 kW (565 PS) 911 was in second place.

Drivers’ comments on the race so far

Laurens Vanthoor (Porsche 963 #6): “It was hard defending the lead – the Ferraris are very fast on the long straights. Still, we managed to keep up and save some fuel, which meant we were able to catch them again at the refuelling stop. When the rain started, we opted for the wrong tyres. Now we’re battling our way back to the top.”

Nick Tandy (Porsche 963 #4): “Our Porsche is running beautifully. When the first full course yellow began, we unfortunately had to make our scheduled fuel stop where we were only allowed a ‘splash and dash’ so we had to pit a second time. That was bad luck. Then we received a time penalty because we braked two-tenths of a second too late from 250 km/h into an FCY in the middle of the Porsche curves. That was a mistake. We also had to replace the rear wing due to a contact in the early stages of the race. But the good thing is, we’re still on the same lap as the leader. We remain optimistic.”

Michael Christensen (Porsche 963 #5): “That was interesting! Shortly after I took the wheel from Fred Makowiecki, it started to rain. We stayed on slicks for dry conditions, which was the right decision despite the water on the track – but I had to be extremely careful to keep the tyres at the right temperature without going too fast. That was critical to maintain grip.”

Will Stevens (Porsche 963 #12): “It was a pretty hectic start to the race, but we managed to make some good decisions and opted for slicks when the rain came. That proved to be the right choice. We’ve managed to stay out of trouble so far and that’s the plan until the morning. Hopefully, we’ll still be at the sharp end.”

Klaus Bachler (Porsche 911 GT3 R #92): “The start went quite well for us initially, but it began to rain about 100 minutes into the race. We thought it would continue so we switched to rain tyres – unfortunately, that proved to be the wrong decision, we should’ve stayed on slicks. That cost us some ground. Still, depending on the pit stop rhythm, we’re in the top 5. The competition is extremely tough. That and the changeable weather keep things exciting.”

Morris Schuring (Porsche 911 GT3 R #91): “I’ve just completed my very first stint in the 24 Hours of Le Mans – simply incredible! I managed to turn the fastest GT3 lap so far and handed our Porsche back to Yasser Shahin in first place. Things are going extremely well up to now, but of course, we still have many hours to go. We’ll stay focused and see what happens.”

Interim results after five of 24 hours

Hypercar class:
1. Kubica/Shwartzman/Ye (PL/IL/CN), Ferrari #83, 79 laps
2. Fuoco/Molina/Nielsen (I/E/DK), Ferrari #50, -15.777 seconds
3. Campbell/Christensen/Makowiecki (AUS/DK/F), Porsche 963 #5, -23.121 seconds
7. Hanson/Button/Rasmussen (UK/UK/DK), Porsche 963 #38, -1:52.592 minutes
8. Tandy/Nasr/Jaminet (UK/BR/F), Porsche 963 #4, -1:59.040 minutes
9. Ilott/Stevens/Nato (UK/UK/F), Porsche 963 #12, -2:04.169 minutes
11. Estre/Lotterer/Vanthoor (F/D/B), Porsche 963 #6, -2:11.541 minutes
21. Andlauer/Jani/Tincknell (F/CH/UK), Porsche 963 #99, -4 laps

LMGT3 class:
1. Al Harthy/Rossi/Martin (OM/I/B), BMW #46, 70 laps
2. Lietz/Shahin/Schuring (A/AUS/NL), Porsche 911 GT3 R #91, -26.662 minutes
3. Heriau, Mann, Rovera (F/USA/I), Ferrari #55, -1:08.882 minutes
5. Bachler/Malykhin/Sturm (A/UK/D), Porsche 911 GT3 R #92, -1:14.688 minutes

All results on fiawec.alkamelsystems.com.

10:00 pm

Heavy rain on the way!

9:00 pm

After five hours, there are still five Porsche 963s in the top 15, with the two Porsche 911 GT3 Rs from Manthey Pure Rxcing and Manthey EMA in second and third position in the LMGT3 class.

8:05 pm

Four hours have passed and there is no more rain. This is the current standings from a Porsche perspective: five Porsche 963s are in the top 15.

7:45 pm

Michael Christensen in the No. 5 Porsche 963 battles with a Ferrari for the second position after a full course yellow.

7:10 pm

After three hours of racing, we have the following intermediate result in the hypercar class: four Porsche 963s are in the top 10. Rain is expected soon.

6:12 pm

After two hours and a short rain shower, we have the following interim result. Meanwhile, the two Porsche 911 GT3 Rs from Manthey EMA and Manthey Pure Rxcing are in the top 15.

5:05 pm

After one hour of racing, we have the following snapshot of the hypercar class.

4:00 pm

Let's go! The 24 Hours of Le Mans 2024 have started.

2:45 pm

These are the starting drivers from Porsche Penske Motorsport, Hertz Team Jota and Proton Competition.