Porsche targets November race debut for 963 hypercar
Le Mans hypercar could debut at WEC Bahrain 8 Hours
Together with the GT4 ePerformance, Porsche also chose the Goodwood Festival of Speed to take the camouflage off their latest Le Mans hypercar – the 963 LMDh Prototype.
The German manufacturer unveiled the 963 on the hill climb stage wearing the typical Porsche white, red and black livery. Originally, the 963's official debut was planned for the 2023 24 Hours of Daytona in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. But according to Porsche Motorsport boss Thomas Laudenbach, the 963 could race as early as this November's Bahrain 8 Hours endurance race.
That of course depends on the extensive testing phase the 963 will go through between here and Bahrain. Porsche is preparing a total of four 963s to race in the aforementioned IMSA championship and the World Endurance Championship (WEC).
However, WEC's move this season to open up the championship to LMDh prototypes is on an invitational basis, meaning Porsche won't be eligible to score points just yet. It was only devised so that incoming manufacturers and rule-makers could gather as much data as possible to set the Hypercar Balance of Performance next season.
Through its partnership with Penske Motorsport, Porsche is fielding experienced works drivers Kevin Estre, Michael Christensen, Andre Lotterer, Laurens Vanthoor, Matt Campbell, Mathieu Jaminet, Dane Cameron, and former F1 driver Felipe Nasr.
Like BMW's M Hybrid V8, the 963 is in compliance with LMDh regulations, which means it has a spec chassis and a mandatory hybrid system from suppliers chosen by the FIA.
Canadian high-tech company Multimatic supplied the 963's chassis, while Bosch, Williams Advanced Engineering, and Xtrac provided the necessary hybrid components. On the other hand, the 963's internal combustion engine is a 4.6-liter V8 bi-turbo that's based on the 918 Spyder hypercar.
In 2023, the 963 will join a stacked Hypercar grid with the likes of BMW, Peugeot, Ferrari, and Cadillac all fielding their own prototypes to go against the established Le Mans race cars of Toyota, Glickenhaus, and Alpine. This will be fun to watch.
