Image: Le Mans 2023: Porsche 963, Porsche Penske Motorsport (#75), Mathieu Jaminet (F), Nick Tandy (UK), Felipe Nasr (BR)
Nick Tandy and Felipe Nasr complete the crew in the third Porsche 963
Porsche relies on experienced drivers at the 24 Hours of Le Mans
Nick Tandy (GB) and Felipe Nasr (Brasil) share the third 963 with Mathieu Jaminet
Dane Cameron (US) takes on the role of reserve driver at the 24-hour classic
A total of eight Porsche racing cars in the 62-strong field
Porsche Penske Motorsport has finalised its driver squad for this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. Frenchman Mathieu Jaminet will share driving duties in the third No. 4 Porsche 963 with his works driver colleagues Nick Tandy from Great Britain and Felipe Nasr from Brazil. This same trio helmed the No. 75 vehicle last year and at times led the long-distance classic on its 100th anniversary. The No. 5 and No. 6 sister cars are driven by the regular FIA World Endurance Championship WEC crew with American Dane Cameron on standby as a reserve driver.
Jaminet, Nasr and Tandy are well acquainted with the Porsche 963. All three works drivers have been part of Porsche Penske Motorsport’s permanent driver squad in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship since the beginning of 2023. While Tandy and Jaminet celebrated two victories last year and fought for the title right up until the finale at Road Atlanta, Nasr was part of the winning quartet at this year’s Daytona 24-hour season opener. This combination from France, Brazil and Great Britain demonstrated their prowess together at Le Mans in June 2023. The No. 75 car decked out in anniversary livery to honour the 75th birthday of the Porsche brand led the race twice over a total of almost 70 kilometres.
“By fielding the third car in Le Mans, we want to maximise our chances of achieving a possible 20th overall victory for Porsche. This also means that we rely on experienced and fast drivers,” explains Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Porsche Motorsport. “Over the past few months Mathieu, Felipe and Nick have consistently impressed with powerful performances in the North American IMSA series. The three are a sure thing in the Porsche 963. I’m positive that we’re perfectly prepared for the highlight in June. We want to win – there can be no other goal for Porsche!”
“After announcing the entry of a third car in Le Mans, we still had two driver positions available. The decision was not easy for us given our very strong and equally skilled squad,” states Urs Kuratle. The Director Factory Motorsport LMDh adds: “Ultimately, one of the deciding factors was having Le Mans experience. Nick Tandy has competed there eleven times and won with Porsche in 2015. Felipe Nasr has four races at the Sarthe under his belt. Moreover, the trio impressed us with strong lap times and great teamwork during their joint campaign at Le Mans in 2023.”
“I’m very excited to be back in Le Mans in the number 4 car,” comments Felipe Nasr. “Winning this race one day is still a childhood dream. Since I joined Porsche Penske Motorsport we’ve been working towards this goal every day. We took a big step forward this year optimising our 963 and hopefully we can fight for the overall victory. The level of preparation behind the scenes is enormous. It’s fantastic to be sharing the car with Nick and Mathieu again. The competition is strong. It’s a great time for our sport in general with so many manufacturers and highly professional teams competing. It’ll be a unique experience for the fans to witness the biggest endurance race in the world.”
“It’s a privilege for all teams and drivers to be able to compete at Le Mans – no matter what year and what class. So I’m super excited to return in 2024,” comments Nick Tandy. “To have another crack at an overall win again with Porsche is certainly something very special for me. When we were granted the third entry for our Porsche Penske Motorsport car by the organisers, it made a very special North American season even more interesting. Make no mistake though, we go there to win. We want to get the best result for Porsche Penske Motorsport.”
Daytona winner Matt Campbell from Australia shares Porsche Penske Motorsport’s No. 5 Porsche 963 with Frédéric Makowiecki from France and Denmark’s Michael Christensen. The No. 6 cockpit will be shared by Frenchman Kévin Estre, the three-time overall Le Mans winner André Lotterer from Germany and the Belgian Laurens Vanthoor. The nine drivers and reserve driver Dane Cameron (USA) have four overall successes, five class victories and a total of 75 starts at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
An overview of the Porsche racing cars contesting the Le Mans 24 Hours
Hypercar class (Porsche 963):
Porsche Penske Motorsport #4: Mathieu Jaminet (F) / Felipe Nasr (BR) / Nick Tandy (UK)
Porsche Penske Motorsport #5: Matt Campbell (AUS) / Michael Christensen (DK) / Frédéric Makowiecki (F)
Porsche Penske Motorsport #6: Kévin Estre (F) / André Lotterer (D) / Laurens Vanthoor (B)
Hertz Team Jota #12: Will Stevens (UK) / Norman Nato (F) / Callum Ilott (UK)
Hertz Team Jota #38: Oliver Rasmussen (DK) / Phil Hanson (UK) / Jenson Button (UK)
Proton Competition #99: Neel Jani (CH) / Harry Tincknell (UK) / Julien Andlauer (F)
LMGT3 class (Porsche 911 GT3 R):
Manthey EMA #91: Yasser Shahin (AUS) / Morris Schuring (NL) / Richard Lietz (A)
Manthey Pure Rxcing #92: Alex Malykhin (UK) / Joel Sturm (D) / Klaus Bachler (A)
