Porsche Secures Podium Finish And Class Victory At Thrilling 24 Hours Of Le Mans

Porsche Blog
Jun 18
3 min read

Porsche delivered a remarkable performance at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with the #6 Porsche 963 securing a hard-fought second place, just 14 seconds shy of overall victory. Team Manthey added to Porsche's success by clinching their second consecutive LMGT3 class win with the Porsche 911 GT3 R, highlighting the brand's enduring strength and competitive spirit in endurance racing.

Hypercar Class: A Near Miss For Overall Victory

The 24 Hours of Le Mans saw Porsche's #6 963, driven by Matt Campbell, Kévin Estre, and Laurens Vanthoor, battle intensely for the overall win. Starting from the back of the Hypercar grid, the team quickly moved into the leading group, maintaining a fierce fight until the very last of 387 laps. Despite a flawless performance, they finished a mere 14.084 seconds behind the winner, securing a commendable second place.

Key Takeaways:The #6 Porsche 963 finished second overall, just 14 seconds from victory.The #5 Porsche 963 faced tire damage and penalties, finishing seventh.The #4 Porsche 963, with Pascal Wehrlein making his Le Mans debut, finished ninth.All three factory Porsche 963s completed the race without technical flaws.

Other Porsche 963 entries included the #5 car, which finished seventh after battling tire damage and penalties, and the #4 car, which secured ninth place. The customer team Proton Competition's #99 Porsche 963 finished 14th.

Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Porsche Motorsport, expressed pride in the team's relentless fight: "We got the absolute maximum out of our number 6 Porsche and certainly have nothing to hide. During the night nobody would have expected us to finish on the podium. We can be very proud of that."

LMGT3 Class: Manthey Secures Back-To-Back Wins

In the LMGT3 category, Team Manthey celebrated its second consecutive class victory at Le Mans. The Porsche 911 GT3 R, under the Manthey 1st Phorm banner, was piloted by Richard Lietz, Ryan Hardwick, and Riccardo Pera. This triumph marks Lietz's sixth success in the GT category at Le Mans and further solidifies Porsche's record as the most successful manufacturer with 112 class victories.

Sebastian Golz, Project Manager Porsche 911 GT3 R, praised the team: "An outstanding team has grown together. The decisive factors included perfect cooperation, proven routines and the unbridled belief in success."

The other Manthey-entered 911 GT3 R finished sixth, while the Iron Dames entry, despite a setback, finished 16th.

Driver Reflections And Future Outlook

Drivers shared their mixed emotions following the grueling race. Laurens Vanthoor (#6 Porsche 963) reflected on the near-miss: "We delivered an absolutely perfect race and virtually had one hand on the biggest trophy – you don't often come that close to such a triumph. What a pity!"

Pascal Wehrlein (#4 Porsche 963) found his Le Mans debut a valuable learning experience: "I learnt a lot and got faster and faster. My first 24-hour race at Le Mans: mega cool."

Jonathan Diuguid, Managing Director Porsche Penske Motorsport, looked ahead: "We performed flawlessly, we just lacked a little speed in certain phases of the race. We'll be back even stronger next year.”

Racing For Charity Initiative

Porsche also continued its "Racing for Charity" initiative, donating 500 euros for every lap completed by its three factory 963s. With a total of 1,159 laps, a significant sum will be contributed to Interplast Germany e.V. and Kinderherzen retten e.V. This commitment earned Porsche the "Sustainability Award" from Le Mans organizer ACO for the second year in a row.