Porsche will return to Le Mans with a works-run LMP1 sports prototype, with the first outing of the completely new developed race car planned for 2014. With 16 overall victories, Porsche is the most successful manufacturer in Le Mans. The most recent win was in 1998 with the Porsche 911 GT1.<\/p>\n
\u201cMotorsport was always an essential part of the Porsche brand,\u201d emphasises Matthias M\u00fcller, President of the Executive Board at Porsche AG. \u201cSo for us it was only a matter of time before we returned as a factory to the top league of racing. Porsche\u2019s successes in Le Mans are unrivalled. We want to follow up on this with the 17th outright victory.\u201d<\/p>\n
With the RS Spyder sports prototype that was run with great success from 2006 to 2008 by the factory-backed Penske Racing team in the USA and to 2010 by several customer teams worldwide, Porsche has set the benchmark recently in the LMP2 category. \u201cWith the RS Spyder we proved that our motorsport engineers in Weissach are at the forefront,\u201d says Wolfgang Hatz, Board Member for Research and Development at Porsche AG. \u201cFor instance, we were the first to run a high-revving race engine with direct fuel injection, DFI, setting new standards in performance and efficiency. Recently, with the 911 GT3 R Hybrid, we adopted a completely new drive technology for racing purposes and achieved a considerable reduction in consumption.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hartmut Kristen, Head of Porsche Motorsport, is already prepared for one of the most challenging development programmes in the company\u2019s history. \u201cWe\u2019re looking forward to the task of developing new technologies and to continue on with the success of the Porsche RS Spyder. After the conclusion of our works-supported sports prototype programme in the American Le Mans Series we have kept up with the latest technological advances. Now we will begin with detailed research in order to evaluate the various concept alternatives for our new car. These obviously depend on how the regulations for the year 2014 look in detail. In principle, these regulations are interesting for us because the integration of our hybrid technology in the vehicle concept is one possible option.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hans Herrmann and Richard Attwood claimed the first overall victory for Porsche in 1970 with the legendary 917 short-tail. The 16th and by now last overall win was secured by Laurent Aiello, St\u00e9phane Ortelli and Allan McNish in 1998 with the 911 GT1. In the years 2008 and 2009, the Porsche RS Spyder sports prototype won the title in the LMP2 category.<\/p>\n