With two new Porsche 963 racing cars, Porsche Penske Motorsport chases overall victories in the world’s two biggest endurance racing series from 2023. In the bid for trophies, the sports car manufacturer from Stuttgart and the renowned operations team from the USA aim to continue the illustrious tradition and add new chapters to Porsche’s unparalleled success story in the endurance scene. Racing cars from Weissach have set countless records in the long history of sports car racing. With 19 overall victories at Le Mans and 18 triumphs each at the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring, Porsche represents the benchmark. At Daytona, four more trophies were added as an engine manufacturer. The Porsche 963 now aims to expand this impressive tally.
The success story at the 24 Hours of Le Mans began in 1970 with the overall victory of the Porsche 917 KH on the legendary road course in France. In the 1980s, the 936, 956 and 962 models dominated the scene at the Sarthe. From 2015 to 2017, the blisteringly fast and technologically sophisticated 919 Hybrid prototype celebrated three Le Mans victories in a row. At the 24 Hours of Daytona, the Porsche 935 remained unbeaten from 1978 to 1983. At Sebring, race cars from Weissach celebrated 13 overall consecutive triumphs - a record for the ages. In 2008, Porsche and Penske clinched a sensational victory at the 12-hour classic in Florida with the LMP2 prototype RS Spyder, even beating the supposedly more powerful cars from the LMP1 category.
The organisers of the 24 Hours of Le Mans (Automobile Club de l’Ouest, ACO) and the officials from the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the FIA, the world governing body for automobiles, have introduced a new regulatory baseline for 2023: For the first time in over three decades, it will once again be possible to race for overall laurels on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean with identical top category cars - hypercar in the FIA WEC, GTP in the IMSA series. Porsche Penske Motorsport is looking to use this opportunity to build on its records at endurance classics including Le Mans, Daytona and Sebring with the new 963 hybrid prototype. The Porsche 963 has already claimed its first victory at the IMSA sprint race at Long Beach. Porsche is also reinstating successful traditions from the past in another area: the new LMDh prototype will be available to customers from its first year of racing.
Porsche’s outright victories at endurance classics
24 Hours of Le Mans: 19 overall victories
1970 – Herrmann/Attwood (Porsche 917 KH)
1971 – Marko/van Lennep (Porsche 917 KH)
1976 – Ickx/van Lennep (Porsche 936)
1977 – Ickx/Haywood (Porsche 936/77)
1979 – Ludwig/B. Whittington/D. Whittington (Porsche 935 K3)
1981 – Ickx/Bell (Porsche 936)
1982 – Ickx/Bell (Porsche 956)
1983 – Schuppan/Haywood/Holbert (Porsche 956)
1984 – Pescarolo/Ludwig (Porsche 956 B)
1985 – Barilla/Ludwig/Krages (Porsche 956 B)
1986 – Bell/Stuck/Holbert (Porsche 962 C)
1987 – Bell/Stuck/Holbert (Porsche 962 C)
1994 – Dalmas/Haywood/Baldi (Dauer Porsche 962 LM)
1996 – Wurz/Reuter/Jones (TWR Porsche WSC-95)
1997 – Kristensen/Alboreto/Johansson (TWR Porsche WSC-95)
1998 – Aiello/McNish/Ortelli (Porsche 911 GT1)
2015 – Hülkenberg/Tandy/Bamber (Porsche 919 Hybrid)
2016 – Jani/Dumas/Lieb (Porsche 919 Hybrid)
2017 – Bernhard/Hartley/Bamber (Porsche 919 Hybrid)
24 Hours of Daytona: 18 overall victories
1968 – Elford/Neerpasch/Stommelen/Herrmann/Siffert (Porsche 917 LH)
1970 – Rodriguez/Kinnunen/Redman (Porsche 917 KH)
1971 – Rodriguez/Oliver (Porsche 917 KH)
1973 – Gregg/Haywood (Porsche Carrera RSR)
1975 – Gregg/Haywood (Porsche Carrera RSR)
1977 – Graves/Haywood/Helmick (Porsche Carrera RSR)
1978 – Gregg/Hezemans/Stommelen (Porsche 935/77)
1979 – Field/Haywood/Ongais (Porsche 935/77)
1980 – Merl/Joest/Stommelen (Porsche 935 J)
1981 – Rahal/Garretson/Redman (Porsche 935 K3)
1982 – Paul jr./Paul sen./Stommelen (Porsche 935 JLP-3)
1983 – Foyt/Ballot-Lena/Wollek/Henn (Porsche 935 L)
1985 – Foyt/Unser/Wolleck/Boutsen (Porsche 962)
1986 – Holbert/Bell/Unser jr. (Porsche 962)
1987 – Holbert/Bell/Unser jr./Robinson (Porsche 962)
1989 – Andretti/Bell/Wolleck (Porsche 962)
1991 – Haywood/Wolleck/Pescarolo/Krages (Porsche 962 C)
2003 – Bergmeister/Bernhard/Buckler/Schrom (Porsche 911 GT3 RS)
12 Hours of Sebring: 18 overall victories
1960 – Gendebien/Herrmann (Porsche RS-60)
1968 – Siffert/Herrmann (Porsche 907)
1971 – Elford/Larrousse (Porsche 917 KH)
1973 – Haywood/Gregg/Helmick (Porsche Carrera RSR)
1976 – Holbert/Keyser (Porsche Carrera RSR)
1977 - Dyer/Frisselle (Porsche Carrera RSR)
1978 – Redman/Mendez/Garretson (Porsche 935)
1979 – Akin/McFarlin/Woods (Porsche 935)
1980 – Fitzpatrick/Barbour (Porsche 935 K3)
1981 – Leven/Haywood/Holbert (Porsche 935/80)
1982 – John Paul Sr/John Paul Jr (Porsche 935 JLP-3)
1983 – Baker/Mullen/Nierop (Porsche 934)
1984 – de Narvaez/Heyer/Johansson (Porsche 935 J)
1985 – Wollek/Foyt (Porsche 962)
1986 – Akin/Stuck/Gartner (Porsche 962)
1987 – Rahal/Mass (Porsche 962)
1988 – Ludwig/Stuck (Porsche 962)
2008 – Bernhard/Dumas/Collard (Porsche RS Spyder)
Road Atlanta (Petit Le Mans): 1 overall victory
2015 – Tandy/Pilet/Lietz (Porsche 911 RSR)
Watkins Glen: 11 overall victories
1963 – Bob Holbert (Porsche 718 RS 61)
1969 – Siffert/Redman (Porsche 908/02)
1970 – Rodriguez/Kinnunen (Porsche 917 KH)
1976 – Stommelen/Schurti (Porsche 935)
1977 – Ickx/Mass (Porsche 935/77)
1978 – Hezemans/Fitzpatrick (Porsche 935/77)
1979 – Ludwig/Whittington/Whittington (Porsche 935 K3)
1984 – Holbert/Bell/Adams (Porsche 962)
1985 – Holbert/Bell (Porsche 962)
1986 – Holbert/Bell (Porsche 962)
1987 – Cobb/Schuppan (Porsche 962)
