- Campbell/Estre/Vanthoor reach the podium in the Porsche 963
- Only 14 seconds between first and second place after 24 hours
- Sister cars from Porsche Penske Motorsport in seventh and ninth place
- Porsche 911 GT3 R from Manthey 1st Phorm repeats the LMGT3 class win
- Sixth Le Mans class victory for factory driver Richard Lietz
The number 6 Porsche 963 from Porsche Penske Motorsport finished the 24 Hours of Le Mans in second place. In a highly exciting battle for overall victory, Matt Campbell, Kévin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor were just 14.084 seconds behind the victorious Ferrari. After 387 laps, the other two identical 511 kW (695 PS) hybrid prototypes of the factory team finished seventh and ninth. In the LMGT3 category, Team Manthey celebrated its second class victory in a row after 2024 with the Porsche 911 GT3 R.
The 24-hour classic in Le Mans is one of the greatest challenges in motorsport worldwide. In front of 332,000 spectators during the race week, the competition in the top class was thrilling right to the end. In summery conditions, the Porsche 963 with the number 6 had to start from the back of the Hypercar grid. However, this did not stop Matt Campbell from Australia, Kévin Estre from France and the Belgian Laurens Vanthoor. On the first lap, the 511 kW (695 PS) hybrid prototype from Weissach overtook seven of its rivals. After around two hours, the Porsche 963 had established itself in the leading group and from then on battled for overall victory at Le Mans until the very last of 387 laps in total. After 24 intense hours of racing, only 14.084 seconds were missing for the 20th overall triumph for the record winner Porsche.
The sister car with the number 5 was also involved in the battle for the lead for long stretches. From third on the grid, Julien Andlauer took the lead on the very first lap. However, the Frenchman, his compatriot Mathieu Jaminet and the Dane Michael Christensen were set back by tyre damage and penalties during the night – in the end, the trio finished seventh. The number 4 Porsche crossed the finish line two positions behind them. At the wheel of the third 963, Briton Nick Tandy and Felipe Nasr from Brazil alternated with reigning Formula E world champion Pascal Wehrlein. The German impressed on his Le Mans debut with extremely fast and consistent lap times.
“Pioneering spirit, courage and sportsmanship are part of Porsche’s self-conception. That’s why we never gave up and fought with determination right to the end. We did a lot of things right in the final phase. That made it very exciting once again,” summarised Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Porsche Motorsport. “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. Of course, we also look back on the result with a teary eye: in the end, we were just 14 seconds short of overall victory. But the joy and the thanks to everyone who was involved outweigh this. Congratulations to our Manthey customer team on their second Le Mans class victory in a row!”
“With three cars in the top ten, we clearly showed what this organisation is capable of. Our factory team never gave up in the battle for overall victory. A big thank you to everyone in the WEC team in Mannheim, the IMSA team from the USA and our top people in Weissach – it was great work from everyone together,” says a delighted Urs Kuratle, Director Factory Motorsport LMDh. “A big thank you also goes to our chassis partner Multimatic and all the other partners who make this programme so strong. Anyone who finishes second after 24 hours with a deficit of just a few seconds certainly has nothing to be sorry about. Our Porsche 963 has once again underlined its status as the most successful LMDh car since the introduction of the regulations.”
“An absolutely incredible race: it stayed dry throughout, there was almost always a clear run and everyone put the pedal down like crazy,” describes Jonathan Diuguid, Managing Director Porsche Penske Motorsport. “Our three factory cars ran without any technical flaws. We had to take care of car number 6 the least in the pit lane, which is why it achieved the best position within our team. We performed flawlessly, we just lacked a little speed in certain phases of the race. We’ll be back even stronger next year.”
The three Porsche 963 of the factory team completed a total of 1,159 laps on the 13.626-kilometre track during the race. As part of the “Racing for Charity” initiative, Porsche is donating 500 euros for every lap completed. The total amount will go to the two children’s aid organisations Interplast Germany e.V. and Kinderherzen retten e.V.. Porsche has received the “Sustainability Award” from Le Mans organiser ACO for its commitment, as it did in 2023.
The Porsche 963 of the Proton Competition customer team drove an unremarkable 24-hour race. The number 99 car with Swiss driver Neel Jani, Nico Varrone from Argentina and Chilean driver Nico Pino was unable to keep up with the pace of the works cars for long stretches and finished the endurance classic in 14th place overall.
Porsche 911 GT3 R from Manthey 1st Phorm wins the LMGT3 class
Team Manthey celebrated its second Le Mans victory in a row in the LMGT3 class. Porsche factory driver Richard Lietz from Austria, American Ryan Hardwick and Riccardo Pera from Italy crossed the finish line first in the Porsche 911 GT3 R under the Manthey 1st Phorm name. For Lietz, who was competing at Le Mans for the 19th time, it was his sixth success with a Porsche in the GT category. With now 112 class victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Porsche remains the most successful manufacturer.
“I’m overwhelmed,” cheers Sebastian Golz, Project Manager Porsche 911 GT3 R. “An outstanding team has grown together. The decisive factors included perfect cooperation, proven routines and the unbridled belief in success – this was the only way Manthey could realise the second Le Mans victory in a row with the 911 GT3 R. Congratulations and many thanks to everyone! I’m already looking forward to next weekend: then the next 24-hour race is on schedule at the Nürburgring.”
The two identical 911 GT3 R with up to 416 kW (565 PS) under the Manthey and Iron Dames entries finished the race in sixth and 16th place, with the Iron Dames’ number 85 getting stuck in a gravel trap after a collision through no fault of its own and losing a possible place in the top 10 as a result.
More comments after the race
Laurens Vanthoor (Porsche 963 #6): “Tomorrow we will look at the result and think that we have achieved more than we could have expected after the practice sessions and qualifying. Today, however, the disappointment prevails. 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!”
Julien Andlauer (Porsche 963 #5): “A fantastic week! Working with the entire team across all three cars was a lot of fun. Our start to the race was good and the pace of the Porsche 963 was really strong. Then we picked up a puncture and a few penalties – that threw us out of the leading group. We fought on like lions, but I’ve never experienced such close competition at Le Mans. The pace was unbeliebly high and it was incredibly exciting. Unfortunately, if you have to suffer a setback, you’re out of the race. We’ll be back on the attack next year!”
Pascal Wehrlein (Porsche 963 #4): “We lost all chance of success relatively early on due to a penalty and bad luck with a yellow flag phase. You can hardly make up a lost lap under such circumstances. After that, a race like this is obviously extremely protracted. However, I personally had a lot of fun – it was a great new experience. I learnt a lot and got faster and faster. My first 24-hour race at Le Mans: mega cool.”
Neel Jani (Porsche 963 #99): “Things went really well for us at the start. We were even able to fight for a place in the top ten until midnight and were running close to the number 4 factory Porsche, but we dropped off the lead lap during the safety car phase and couldn’t do much after that – a shame. Nevertheless, there was never a dull moment: we got shot down, broke a wheel rim and much more. There was always something going on.”
Nicolas Raeder (Managing Director Manthey Racing Gmbh): “I am overwhelmed and deeply impressed by our entire team. Such an effort represents an absolute tour de force. Nevertheless, we have delivered absolutely top work in all areas. I am incredibly proud. The number 92 drove a perfect race, really good! Now we’re off to the Nürburgring. We have big plans there too.”
Ryan Hardwick (Porsche 911 GT3 R #92): “Wow – I still can’t believe our class win! This is definitely one of the best experiences of my entire life. My family, close friends and business partners were here with me. In this sport and at an event like this, you only ever win as a team. Manthey and Porsche gave us the best possible support. Only the best teams win at Le Mans. I am very proud to be a part of it.”
Klaus Bachler (Porsche 911 GT3 R #90): “A very exciting and tough race. We gave it everything we had. It went back and forth. Sometimes we were very unlucky with yellow flags and slow zones, but then we were also lucky with a safety car at the perfect time for us. But more than sixth place was out of reach for us. Congratulations to the sister car: the crew delivered a perfect performance and fully deserved to win.”
Célia Martin (Porsche 911 GT3 R #85): “I will remember my first participation in Le Mans for the rest of my life, because I associate many emotions with it. Before my first start, I never really understood why Le Mans was supposed to be so difficult. Now I know. In sporting terms, it wasn’t so easy for us – and ultimately it wasn’t successful either. We would have deserved much more than 16th place in our class. But I’ve learnt a lot for the coming years.”
Race results
Hypercar class:
1. Kubica/Ye/Hanson (POL/CHN/GBR), Ferrari #83, 387 laps
2. Estre/Vanthoor/Campbell (FRA/BEL/AUS), Porsche 963 #6, +14.084 seconds
3. Pier Guidi/Calado/Giovinazzi (ITA/GBR/ITA), Ferrari #51, +28.487 seconds
7. Andlauer/Christensen/Jaminet (FRA/DNK/FRA), Porsche 963 #5, -1 lap
9. Nasr/Tandy/Wehrlein (BRA/GBR/DEU), Porsche 963 #4, -1 lap
14. Jani/Pino/Varrone (CHE/CHL/ARG), Porsche 963 #99, -4 laps
LMGT3 class:
1. Hardwick/Lietz/Pera (USA/AUT/ITA), Porsche 911 GT3 R #92, 341 laps
2. Heriau/Mann/Rovera (FRA/GBR/ITA), Ferrari #21, +33.259 seconds
3. Van Rompuy/Andrade/Eastwood (BEL/AGO/IRL), Corvette #81, +1.11.710 minutes
6. Au/Bachler/Hartog (HGK/AUT/NLD), Porsche 911 GT3 R #90, -1 lap
16. Bovy/Frey/Martin (BEL/CHE/FRA), Porsche 911 GT3 R #85, -7 laps
