Porsche will make four LMDh prototypes available to client teams to compete against its Penske factory cars.
In the FIA World Endurance Championship and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship next season, Porsche will make four LMDh prototypes available to client teams to compete against its Penske factory cars.
In 2023, the German company will be able to deliver and service two LMDh hybrids developed in collaboration with Multimatic Motorsport for each series.
Porsche is following through on its promise to have privateers compete alongside its factory entrants in the WEC and IMSA, which it made when it announced its return to the top of sportscar racing at the end of 2020.
“It could be up to two in each [series],” Porsche Motorsport boss Thomas Laudenbach said. “We are saying that that is the maximum and we can’t do more than that.”
“One thing is clear, it is not about as selling as many cars as we can… that’s not our goal.”
“With such a high-level prototype, if we sell a car to a race team, first of all it is important that the team is at a certain level to handle it and then that we can support them.
“We want to make sure they have everything to be competitive.”
Urs Kuratle, leader of Porsche’s LMDh project, speculated that the privateer contingent would not necessarily consist of a single two-car squad racing the vehicles in each series.
“It could be two teams, with one car each, in both WEC and IMSA,” said Kuratle, who stressed that no deals have been concluded with customer teams for 2023.
“We have had some good talks with customers, but nothing is signed yet. Yes, we are in contact with potential customers, but there are not 10 teams in line for a car like this.”
After 2023, according to Laudenbach, the number of privately-run Porsche LMDhs on the grid in the WEC and IMSA could increase.
“With another season we can build in more support capacity,” he said. “We will have learned more about the car and more about working with customers.
“If we have one or two cars more later on, that will be fine.”
