Porsche 911 GT3 R scores class win at Le Mans

The 2024 Le Mans 24-hour race ended on Sunday at 4 pm with the 111th class win for a Porsche racing car. Works driver Richard Lietz, Morris Schuring, and Yasser Shahin took the flag first in the new LMGT3 category in Manthey EMA’s Porsche 911 GT3 R. In the Hypercar class, Porsche Penske Motorsport’s No. 6 crossed the finish line in fourth place overall as the best-placed 963. The No. 5 sister car and the two hybrid prototypes fielded by the Hertz Team Jota customer team also finished in the top 10.

Manthey EMA (#91), Morris Schuring (NL), Yasser Shahin (AUS), Richard Lietz (A), Nicolas Raeder (Geschäftsführer Manthey) (l-r)

A wet weekend to remember

Wild weather characterized the 92nd edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. A record crowd of 329,000 witnessed this year’s endurance classic. Torrential rain saw the race director deploying the safety cars and neutralizing the field. Further showers with about two hours left on the clock and during the race’s final moments pushed the battle for glory to the extreme. Thanks to a perfect strategy and strong driving performances, Richard Lietz from Austria, the Dutchman Morris Schuring, and Yasser Shahin from Australia crossed the finish line first in the LMGT3 class without any major incidents. After 24 hours, the 911 GT3 R from Manthey EMA held a one-lap lead over its hottest pursuers. The sister vehicle fielded by Manthey PureRxcing had been at the top of the new GT3 class during the first half of the race but ultimately finished in 14th after a technical issue.

Porsche 963, Porsche Penske Motorsport (#4), Mathieu Jaminet (F), Felipe Nasr (BR), Nick Tandy (UK)

Polesitter Kévin Estre from France, André Lotterer from Germany, and Laurens Vanthoor from Belgium battled for a spot on the podium until the end in the No. 6 car. At the flag, the best-placed works-run Porsche 963 was a mere 1.167 seconds off third place. The sister car shared by Australian Matt Campbell, Michael Christensen from Denmark, and Frenchman Frédéric Makowiecki lost touch with the leading pack during the night, with the No. 5 finally crossing the finish line in sixth. For the No. 4 entry, the dream of a Le Mans victory was shattered at 9:15 am on Sunday. Brazilian Felipe Nasr slid sideways into the barriers near the Indianapolis curves, forcing the vehicle into retirement. Previously, Nasr and his teammates Mathieu Jaminet from France and Nick Tandy from Great Britain had dropped back after several penalties and a repair stop due to a shunt with another driver.

Porsche 963, Hertz Team Jota (#12), Will Stevens (UK), Callum Ilott (UK), Norman Nato (F)

Comments from Management

“Congratulations to Ferrari, and also to our team: we were so close to big success,” states Urs Kuratle, Director Factory Motorsport LMDh. “That said, we must admit that we weren’t entirely without error today. We missed the podium by a few meters. Our Porsche 963 had the potential; our drivers and the whole team did an exemplary job. I’d like to thank them for that. We’ll be back next year.”

Oliver Blume (Vorstandsvorsitzender der Dr. Ing. h.c.F. Porsche AG)

“A very rainy 24 Hours of Le Mans has come to an end,” says Jonathan Diuguid, Managing Director Porsche Penske Motorsport. “Our number 6 and 5 cars pulled out all stops during the last four hours. Our crew also pushed the strategic limits to the edge when it came to tire choice. We really wanted to challenge Ferrari and Toyota for victory. The best position for our number 6 is fourth place. We had set ourselves higher goals. Still, things went much better than last year. And another positive: our team managed to earn a lot of points towards the World Endurance Championship and consolidate our lead.”

Porsche 963, Porsche Penske Motorsport (#6), Kevin Estre (F), Andre Lotterer (D), Laurens Vanthoor (B)

Points lead maintained

Porsche has defended its first place in the FIA WEC manufacturers’ championship with these results. The driver crews of the No. 6 and No. 5 racing cars head to round five of the season on July 14 in São Paulo (Brazil), ranking first and fifth. In the LMGT3 championship, the Le Mans class winners Lietz, Schuring, and Shahin have advanced to first place in their class. Their brand and teammates Klaus Bachler from Austria, Joel Sturm from Germany and Alex Malykhin from the UK are just three points behind in third place.

Porsche 911 GT3 R, Manthey EMA (#91), Yasser Shahin (AUS), Morris Schuring (NL), Richard Lietz (A)

Bad luck plagued the two customer teams Hertz Team Jota and Proton Competition with their Porsche 963 cars. The British team’s No. 12 entry put in an inspired fight to ultimately take the flag in eighth overall. The vehicle needed a complete rebuild after an accident in the final practice session on Wednesday. The No. 38 sister car driven by ex-Formula 1 world champion Jenson Button wrapped up the race in ninth after several penalties. Proton Competition’s No. 99 entry was hit with some technical issues and ultimately finished the race in 16th place.