Porsche Motorsport expands factory commitment extensively in 2023

Porsche is ready to take on the 2023 motorsport season with big plans, lots of factory commitments, and some exciting new customer racing opportunities.

Porsche Penske Motorsport fields two 963 hybrid prototypes in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) and the North American IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in pursuit of overall victories. TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team has their sights set on winning the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship with their new 99X Electric Gen3 vehicle. The Porsche 911 GT3 R (version 992) will be raced on GT stages all over the world by several different Porsche customer teams. On Saturday night, at the "Night of Champions" event in Weissach, Porsche unveiled their upcoming motorsports schedule for 2023.

Porsche outlines its plans for the upcoming racing season, including three brand-new race vehicles and a concept for an electric one-make cup car of the future. Electric or full-electric propulsion systems are used in the Porsche 963 hybrid prototype, the Formula E Porsche 99X Electric Gen 3 racer, and the GT4 e-Performance concept vehicle. The Porsche 911 GT3 R, among other customer racing activities, and a massive factory investment in esports complete out the 2023 plan.

The new works team is gunning for the win in all three major endurance races this year: Le Mans, Daytona, and Sebring.

The Stuttgart-based sports car manufacturer has teamed up with the highly successful American racing team Team Penske to field two Porsche 963's and compete for the overall victories in the two most prominent endurance series under the name Porsche Penske Motorsport. Over the course of eleven months, the prototype hybrid racing car has undergone significant testing and development, eventually reaching an output of over 500 kW (680 PS). All told, the company drivers logged 29,713.8 kilometres. In late January, the 963 will make its first appearance at the 24 Hours of Daytona. The IMSA championship season officially begins with the endurance classic. The new works team will compete in North America's premier events at Sebring and the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta during the year.

Porsche Penske Motorsport has placed its sights on more than just winning the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). They will be using the 963 to try to win Porsche's 20th overall victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans this coming June. The FIA World Endurance Championship will be held in Portugal, Belgium, Italy, Japan, Bahrain, and the United States in addition to the French classic, which will turn 100 years old that year. In the World Endurance Championship and the North American IMSA championship, ten works drivers from the Porsche Motorsport team will split time between the four 963 cockpits. Currently, the Porsche Penske Motorsport team has two bases of operations: Vehicles for the IMSA series are prepared in Mooresville, North Carolina, while the FIA WEC is handled by the Mannheim (Germany) branch. The new Porsche 963 will be offered to consumers for use in both endurance championships in its inaugural season. Jota Sport and Proton Competition, in addition to JDC Miller MotorSports (IMSA), are the confirmed teams (both WEC).

To compete for the Formula E World Championship is a top priority for Porsche.

With the Porsche 99X Electric Gen3, the company enters the third generation of Formula E. The Weissach-built electric racing car will make its competitive debut at the season 9 opening round of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, the Mexico City E-Prix, on January 14. Porsche's 99X Electric Gen3 is an all-electric racing car designed to take first place in races and earn podium finishes, and it's also a testing ground for future production variants of the company's electric sports cars.

Season 9 features the quickest, lightest, most powerful, and most efficient electric racing cars ever built: third-generation (Gen3) vehicles. The Porsche 99X Electric Gen3 has a maximum power of 350 kW (476 PS), an increase of 100 kW from the previous version (Gen2). Regenerative braking is utilised to recover at least 40% of the energy expended. The front and rear drivetrains are electric, and the electric motor has a power efficiency of over 95%, while the best internal combustion engines only get around 40%.

Two Porsche 99X Electric Gen3 race cars will be used by the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team in the upcoming fourth season of Formula E. As the first Porsche customer team in Formula E, Avalanche Andretti also fields two 99X Electric Gen3 cars. Since its inception in 2014, the all-electric Formula E racing championship has brought the excitement of motor racing to people in major cities across the world.

In season 9, Porsche once again provides the official safety vehicle, this time with the all-electric Taycan Turbo S. The paintjob integrates the logos and colours of all eleven teams, the FIA, and Formula E to represent the teams' shared vision for the future of electric motor racing and to promote inclusive and welcoming communities.

Best possible lineup across the board for the 2023 works squad, Porsche has shuffled about its factory driver crews for the new 963 era of endurance racing. Nick Tandy, who had been absent for two years, has returned and is widely considered to be one of the most notable new additions. The 38-year-old from Bedford, England will team up with the Frenchman Mathieu Jaminet in the No. 6 Porsche in the IMSA championship in 2023. Dane Cameron provides assistance to the two throughout the 24 Hours of Daytona (USA). In a second

Taking the wheel at Daytona for the No. 7 LMDh prototype in the North American championship are drivers from three different countries: Australia's Matt Campbell, Brazil's Felipe Nasr, and Denmark's Michael Christensen.

In the FIA World Endurance Championship WEC, the two Porsche 963s will be shared between three factory drivers. Dane Cameron, Michael Christensen, and Frédéric Makowiecki (France) have been assigned to the No. 5 car, and Kévin Estre (France), André Lotterer (Germany), and Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium) have been assigned to the No. 6 car (Belgium). The 2023 factory driver roster also includes Gianmaria Bruni (Italy), Romain Dumas (France), Richard Lietz (Austria), and Thomas Preining (Austria). Schedules for the drivers are presently being finalised.

Porsche's new 911 GT3 R, designed specifically for customer racing, made its racing debut at Daytona.

Starting in 2023, the Porsche 911 GT3 R, based on the 992 generation 911, will be available to Porsche's various client teams for use in GT3 racing. The racing car will make its debut at the 24 Hours of Daytona on January 28-29, fielded by Pfaff Motorsports and others. Porsche's contracted drivers Klaus Bachler (Austria) and Patrick Pilet hope to defend their GTD-Pro class IMSA championship (France). Works driver Laurens Vanthoor joins them at Daytona. Kévin Estre, a fellow works driver, pilots Wright Motorsport's brand-new Porsche 911 GT3 R. At the first race of the IMSA season, Porsche anticipates fielding six of the brand-new Porsche GT3 racing cars in the GTD class.

The new GT3 racing car will compete in the DTM and the reorganised DTM Endurance series in Germany. Thomas Preining (Germany) and Dennis Olsen (Denmark) will pilot the new Porsche 911 GT3 R in the DTM once again this year. There could be more. With no official word from the teams or drivers, 2023's specifics are still up in the air.

Porsche will also be sending racecar drivers to the Nürburgring 24 Hours. Michael Christensen, Kévin Estre, Frédéric Makowiecki, Nick Tandy, Thomas Preining, and the former Porsche Junior Ayhancan Güven are all in the running to drive for the team (Turkey).

Porsche will continue to back customer teams in the 2023 Intercontinental GT Challenge, GT World Challenge, and Asian Le Mans Series. The 911 RSR can still compete in the FIA World Endurance Championship and the European Le Mans Series, both of which use the GTE-Am class. The Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport, which made its debut last year, has quickly become a strong contender in GT4 racing series and classes all over the world. Among the German racing series where you may see this car compete is the ADAC GT4 Germany.

From the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup: Formula 1 support until at least 2030 Porsche's partnership with the Formula One World Championship has been extended by an unprecedented eight more years, to the year 2030. Since then, the Porsche Supercup has been a staple of the support schedule at a number of Grands Prix. Supporting eight European Formula 1 races in 2023 will be the international one-make cup. The 31st season of the Supercup begins in May at the FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO DEL MADE IN ITALY E DELL'EMILIA-ROMAGNA, and it concludes in September at the FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO D'ITALIA in Monza.

Porsche will keep fielding their 992 generation 911-based GT3 Cup. Since the year 2021, bio-based fuels have been used in the Supercup racing cars. Porsche's Chilean partner HIF Global will serve as the pilot site for the conversion to eFuels for the 2019 season. Numerous races, including the Nürburgring Endurance Series, feature the Porsches. There are more than 30 different national and regional Porsche Carrera Cups and Porsche Sprint Challenges that feature the vehicles. The 911 GT3 Cup continues to be in high demand. This model family is one of the most extensively produced racing cars in the world, and towards the end of November, the 5,000th Cup vehicle based on the production model 911 rolled off the assembly line in Zuffenhausen.

Heinrich's promotion, and Buus the new Porsche are all part of the junior development programme. Junior

In 2023, the Porsche Junior champion will be Bastian Buus, a Dane. The Dane, then 19 years old, impressed the panel during the November screening process that included 12 other contenders. Porsche Motorsport is currently providing him with extensive assistance.

His predecessor, Laurin Heinrich, from the year 2022, has been promoted: Since he won the Porsche Carrera Cup Germany, the German has been invited to join Porsche's stable of contract drivers.

Porsche's GT4 e-Performance is an electric sports car prototype.

Porsche's all-electric GT4 e-Performance shows that environmentally friendly customer motor racing is possible and can serve as an inspiration for the future. Various technological elements from the Mission R feasibility study can be found in the prototype. For the length of a Carrera Cup race simulation (thirty minutes), you'll have access to 450 kW (612 PS). The greatest power output is 1,088 PS (800 kW). The 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance is competitive with the latest 992-generation 911 GT3 Cup in terms of lap times and top speed.

The GT4 e-Performance will make its debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed before heading to other international events. The next stop on the series is the GP Ice Race, which will be held from January 27-29, 2023, in Zell am See, Austria. Potential future stops in Asia, Europe, and North America could be included up until 2024. In keeping with the "race2zero" project's overarching sustainability plan, Porsche is working on optimising logistics for shipping solely via sea, rail, and road.

Porsche has a new esports team, the Coanda Esports Racing Team.

Porsche Motorsport has also committed to the esports industry with the introduction of a works squad and official drivers. Simulator racing experts Josh Rogers (Australia), Mack Bakkum (Netherlands), Mitchell deJong (USA), and Tommy Østgaard (Denmark) make up the current roster (Norway). Four seasoned veterans make up the Porsche Coanda Esports Racing Team of Gronau, Münsterland.

When 2023 rolls around, the squad will have accomplished a lot. The last race of the Le Mans Virtual Series will be a 24-hour endurance battle on 14 and 15 January (LMVS). Five long-distance races will make up the 2019 LMVS season, which kicks off in September.

Ralf Bohn, a private driver, takes home the Porsche Cup.

Ralf Bohn will be the Porsche Cup champion in 2022. Inspired by Ferry Porsche, this prestigious award has been given out yearly to amateur drivers who have excelled on the track since 1970. Bohn had a very successful season, winning multiple championships in multiple divisions while mostly driving for the Herberth Motorsport team with Robert and Alfred Renauer.

As a team, they finished second in the GT class of the Asian Le Mans Series and third in the gold class of the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup. The German winner not only takes home a shiny new Porsche but also 150,000 Euros in prize money.