Porsche 963

When it comes to endurance racing, there is no name more synonymous with Le Mans than Porsche. The Stuttgart firm has recorded 19 wins around the iconic Circuit de la Sarthe, and in recent times has sealed three back-to-back FIA World Endurance Championship titles between 2015 and 2017. The German manufacturer signalled its intent to return to top-flight sports car racing in 2022 – with the Porsche 963 LMDh unveiled as its challenger for a new dawn in prototype competition. Designed by Porsche, built by Multimatic and run by Penske Motorsport, the 963 has all the ingredients for success. In its debut season, the factory team scored two outright podiums at Portimão and Fuji. Porsche also became the first manufacturer in the modern era to build cars for privateer customers, with the first two cars allocated to British team JOTA Sport just in time for the 6 Hours of Spa, and the second to Proton Competition who got its hands on the 963 in July at the 6 Hours of Monza. Porsche are one of the teams to beat in 2024 as the German marque hit the ground running with a win in Qatar to put them in the driving seat for the championship honours. At Spa, JOTA became the first privateer in the Hypercar era to take victory with the #12 car sealing the Six Hours of Spa.