One month to go: A 24 Hours of Le Mans recap

There is just one month remaining until the 2024 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. With the iconic race taking place from 15 to 16 June, now is the ideal opportunity to recap last year’s action and look ahead to this year’s landmark event at the Circuit de la Sarthe. Last year was the first time Porsche Penske Motorsport took to the circuit in the Porsche 963 Hypercar, which provided unique challenges. But this year, the team is back stronger, with a run of podium results and victories behind it. Can Porsche take its 20th overall victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2024? Let’s look back at last year’s race: a gruelling outing…

Hypercar

Porsche Penske Motorsport

Looking back…

It was a tough maiden outing for the Porsche factory team, with all three crews encountering a multitude of challenges upon the manufacturer’s return to the top class at Le Mans. The #5 crew of Dane Cameron, Michael Christensen and Frédéric Makowiecki secured ninth place overall, and were ultimately the best-placed Porsche crew. The trio’s vehicle spent more than 20 minutes in the pits during the night for repairs on the cooling system, which threw them out of contention for a podium finish. On the last lap, Christensen virtually had to carry his car over the finish line due to a defective drive train. The #6 car, shared by Kévin Estre, André Lotterer and Laurens Vanthoor was in the podium fight in the early hours of Sunday morning, but ended up off the track several times, making contact with the barriers twice. Repairs in the pits took over 40 minutes, and the crew then lost another half an hour when the hybrid battery had to be changed. The #6 entry crossed the finish line in eleventh place, 22 laps behind the winners. Porsche Penske Motorsport’s third 963 - sporting the number #75 to mark the manufacturer’s 75th anniversary and driven by Mathieu Jaminet, Felipe Nasr and Nick Tandy - led the field for many laps. But bad luck hit late into the night, and Jaminet rolled to a stop on the track without power. A lack of fuel pressure made it impossible to continue, marking an early end for this car. Read the full recap of the action here.

Looking forward…

With more experience under its belt and having now taken its maiden victory in Qatar, the Porsche Penske Motorsport team is ready for this year’s milestone event. Success has come on both sides of the Atlantic already in 2024. In the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship, the #7 car took victory at the 24 Hours of Daytona, continuing its podium streak at Sebring, Long Beach and Laguna Seca. It leads the GTP standings with a 50-point cushion over the #31 Cadillac. The #6 car has also tasted victory, taking its first win of the season at Laguna Seca, while they are fifth in the overall standings. In the WEC, the team has had two double-podium finishes, with the #6 crew leading the standings by 22 points after winning in Qatar, and finishing second at both Imola and Spa. The #5 car finished third in both Qatar and Imola and is fourth in the drivers’ standings. The factory team will field three entries, with the #4 car which usually runs in IMSA joining the #5 and #6 Porsche 963s which compete in the full WEC season. Matt Campbell, Michael Christensen and Frederic Makowiecki will drive the #5 car, while Kevin Estre, Andre Lotterer and Laurens Vanthoor are behind the wheel of the #6 entry. Mathieu Jaminet, Felipe Nasr and Nick Tandy complete the line-up in the #4. Reserve driver will be Dane Cameron.

Hertz Team JOTA

Looking back…

Fielding just one entry last year, the Hertz Team JOTA #38 car, driven by António Félix da Costa, Yifei Ye and Will Stevens, put in a strong performance in the opening phase of the race. A stunning performance from da Costa shot the team into the top 10 before Ye took over around 9pm on Saturday evening. Unfortunately, the first setback came soon after with an accident in the fast Porsche corners. The repairs took over 40 minutes, and the replacement of a defective FIA sensor used to measure the torque on the rear axle also cost precious time. Another accident on Sunday morning kept the team busy with even more work and increased the deficit, and the car went on to finish 13th in the Hypercar class.

Looking forward…

Hertz Team JOTA will field two entries this year: its usual full-season WEC line-up. British drivers Will Stevens and Callum Illott will share the cockpit of the No. 12 car with Frenchman Norman Nato. The sister car is helmed by 2009 Formula 1 world champion Jenson Button, who will alternate behind the wheel of the No. 38 with Oliver Rasmussen and Phil Hanson. The #12 entry took its first podium of the season at the first round in Qatar, finishing second, before claiming victory in the 6 Hours of Spa. It marked the first win for a Porsche customer team with the 963. Its sister car has a best finish of 11th, which came in the 6 Hours of Imola.

Proton Competition

Looking back…

Proton Competition has not previously fielded a Porsche 963 in the Hypercar class. In 2023, it ran three Porsche 911 RSR in the GTE-Am class, but accidents eliminated them all before the end of the race.

Looking forward…

Proton Competition will make its Hypercar debut at Le Mans, fielding its full-season WEC entry. The Porsche 963 with the starting number 99 will be driven by Swiss driver Neel Jani and Briton Harry Tincknell together with former Porsche Junior Julien Andlauer. The team also has a second car on the reserve list.

LMGT3

Manthey Racing

Looking back…

Manthey makes its return to the Circuit de la Sarthe this season, having missed out in 2023, but the team is no stranger to Le Mans. It ran two Porsche 911 RSRs in the LMGTE Pro class from 2013 – when it secured victory – to 2022, and has taken four victories and five WEC titles since 1999.

Looking forward…

Teaming up with Porsche once more for 2024, Manthey will be the sole representative of the manufacturer in the LMGT3 class, new for this season, after entries were limited. Works driver Richard Lietz will line up on the grid with Morris Schuring and Yasser Shahin in the No. 91 car decked out in the Manthey EMA livery, while Klaus Bachler, Alex Malykhin and Joel Sturm will race the No. 92 car representing Manthey PureRxcing.