Porsche hopes to reach the FIA WEC's top podium through Porsche 963

Track BEAST In the world of motorsport, especially in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), there are many well-known automotive brands competing in it. And one of them is the Stuttgart-based auto manufacturer Porsche, which so far is known as the ruler of the race, and this German brand last competed in the 2017 season.

Porsche hopes to reach the FIA WEC's top podium through the Porsche 963 LMDh prototype. (Picture from: BlackXperience)

This year, Porsche returns to the top-tier category of the FIA WEC Hypercar class by relying on the Porsche 963 racing car. From its name, you can guess that Porsche wants to repeat the glory of the Porsche 962 in the Group C of the 1980s, which won the 24-Hours of Le Mans three times. and the 24-Hours of Daytona five times.

The Porsche 963 LMDh prototype has a unique appereance when viewed from the front with the presence of a series of thin headlight design consisting of 64 LEDs like the Porsche Vision Gran Turismo. (Picture from: id.Motor1)

By the way, this is very different when compared to an Italian auto brand Ferrari, which chose the LMH type, whose at the same time developed its car independently from scratch, instead Porsche decided to adopt the LMDh type which called as 'thrifty packages'. Why is it called like that? Because in mentioned type of car, the manufacturer practically only needs to prepare the engine and face looks identified to the chassis specs made by one of the 4 selected constructors, ie Multimatic, Oreca, Dallara and Ligier.

The Porsche 963 LMDh prototype takes inspiration from the iconic Porsche racing cars of the 1980s, namely the 956 and 962. (Picture from: CintaMobil)

Well for the Porsche 963, this German car manufacturer has teamed up with Multimatic as the constructor which has been a reliable supplier for the LMP2 and DPi categories since 2017. Presumably, Porsche is still traumatized by its experience with the Porsche 919 Hybrid in the LMP1 during the 2014 to 2017 seasons. At that time the battle between Porsche, Audi, and Toyota in the LMP1 had caused racing costs skyrocket which were not matched by the return on investment from the exposure side.

The Porsche 963's hybrid system, which is standard on all LMDh cars, utilizes a motor generator unit (MGU) mounted on the rear axle to harvest kinetic energy under braking, and then stores that energy using a lithium-ion battery to aid in propulsion later. (Picture from: Porsche)

It is said that to finance its 919 Hybrid program, Porsche is spending a budget equivalent to a mid-table F1 team. As a result, Audi and Porsche preferred to back off and leave Toyota alone on the track. Now, with the LMDh-efficient package, it is hoped that racing costs can be reduced by up to 80 percent.

As the kitchen spur of the Porsche 963 LMDh prototype used an updated 4,600 cc V8 unit inherited from the Porsche RS Spyder hybrid racing car. (Picture from: Porsche)

As the kitchen spur, Porsche chose a 4,600 cc V8 unit inherited from the Porsche RS Spyder racing car that had competed 20 years ago. The engine has been rejuvenated, then mated with Bosch-made hybrid system to be able to produce a total power of 700 hp to be channeled to the rear wheels.

The Porsche 963 LMDh prototype built incollaboration between Porsche with Multimatic as the constructor which has been a reliable supplier for the LMP2 and DPi categories since 2017. (Picture from: Porsche)

This is in accordance with what was conveyed by Thomas Laudenback, the boss of Porsche Motorsport, that the machine is not such an old machine because it has undergone the addition of three fundamental things, namely; the engine got a structural updated, the second is designed for sustainable fuel and lastly, it also got a turbocharged system.

The Porsche 963 LMDh prototype under the racing livery of the Porsche Penske Motorsports team. (Picture from: MotoMobiNews)

While from its appearance when viewed from the side and rear, the Porsche 963 is indeed seems like an ordinary LMP type of car. The difference is only visible when viewed from the front with the presence of a series of thin headlight design consisting of 64 LEDs like the Porsche Vision Gran Turismo. Presumably Porsche prefers a Taycan-style facial identity to represent its modern concept rather than the looks of usual Porsche sports car.

The Porsche's three racing cars in posed togather including the Porsche 963 (center) with the Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo (left) and the Porsche Mission R (right). (Picture from: CintaMobil)

Even though the German's brand prefers the LMDh type of car, that doesn't mean that Porsche has set a humble target. Because the German manufacturer hopes that the Porsche 963 capable to bring home the 20th titles of Le Mans for them.

The Hertz Jota will be the first private team in the 6-Hours of Spa-Francorchamps using the Porsche 963 LMDh prototype. (Picture from: CintaMobil)

Indeed that is not impossible, because on its debut in the IMSA 24-Hours of Daytona series, the Porsche 963 managed to finish P7, while its debut at the FIA WEC 1000 Miles of Sebring was in P5. Then followed by the 3rd podium at the FIA WEC 6-Hours of Portimão and a maiden win at the IMSA Grand Prix of Long Beach.

Turn out, there's another interesting thing about the Porsche 963, that the race car is also available for private teams, and Hertz Jota will be the first LMDh's private team in the 6-Hours of Spa-Francorchamps series held on Saturday, April 29, 2023 which raced along with the factory team Porsche Penske Motorsports. Meanwhile at the IMSA arena, JDC Miller MotorSports will use the Porsche 963 at the Laguna Seca in this May. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | PORSCHE | FIAWEC | ID.MOTOR1 | MOTORMOBILE.NET | DAILYSPORTSCAR | RACECARENGINEERING ]

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