From the test day, Porsche positions itself as a competitor
The German manufacturer was the fastest during the test day at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Although this session is insignificant, it can already give an idea of the hierarchy.
And if Porsche’s dominance continues? First in Qatar. Second in Imola. First in Spa… In three races, the German manufacturer has always placed one of its cars on the podium. Will we see the same scenario at Le Mans?
For the moment, difficult to say. But Le Mans is the playground of the Stuttgart brand. Here, Porsche has won more than anyone. Then, the start of the season for the 963 proves that the manufacturer has a car with enough performance to compete for victory.
Finally, Porsche set the fastest time during the first test sessions at the Sarthe circuit. Although this performance was achieved during the test day, which is not as representative as the upcoming sessions, it provides a first indication.
With two Hypercars in the first two places, the competition is relegated to nearly a second. Where car number 6 finished first with a time of 3’26”907, the Toyota 8, in third place, did not do better than 3’27”615. A gap that seems to already satisfy the German manufacturer.
Our third Porsche 963 and part of the team came directly from the United States. The integration worked perfectly and the race car immediately rose to the same level as the two usual WEC vehicles. We were fast and extremely reliable. We systematically checked our task list, and aside from a puncture on our number 5 car, we had no problems, not even with the customer teams. It’s remarkable, underlines Urs Kuratle, LMDh director at Porsche.
The most victorious brand in Sarthe will have to confirm its status as early as this Wednesday with the first official sessions. Here, we will find out if Porsche is keeping up with the pace. Or if the others have hidden their game.
