Brazil debut for Porsche Penske Motorsport’s 963

Porsche Penske Motorsport aims to continue its stellar performances from the first three rounds of the season in South America. The sports car manufacturer returns to Brazil with great memories: at the last WEC race in Interlagos a decade ago, the Porsche team at that time secured its first-ever win with the 919 Hybrid. The works team is now determined to achieve a similar result next weekend. Porsche tackles the race as the leader of the manufacturers’ world championship, with customer squad Hertz Team Jota and works drivers Kévin Estre from France, André Lotterer from Germany and Belgian Laurens Vanthoor at the top of the team and driver points table.

“The Formula 1 circuit in Interlagos has a special chapter in the history books of Porsche motorsport: it was there that the Porsche 919 Hybrid’s unforgettable winning streak really took off,” says Thomas Laudenbach recalling the first triumph with the LMP1 racing car that went on to win Le Mans three times. The Vice President of Porsche Motorsport adds: “I’m curious to see how well our Porsche 963 performs on the time-honoured racetrack. After the Le Mans disappointment, we underwent a thorough analysis. From now on, we again need to make full use of our cars’ potential and achieve results like those in the first three races of the year. We have one goal – to become world champions. To do this, we must score as many points as possible in Brazil.”

“All of the teams and manufacturers in the FIA WEC are heading into uncharted territory with their vehicles,” says Urs Kuratle, Director Factory Motorsport LMDh. “We can’t fall back on current data regarding tyre wear, so it’s important to learn as much as possible in the free practice sessions and quickly transfer these insights into the car setup. The track has a bit of everything: fast passages, narrow parts as well as undulating sections. I’m convinced that we’ll be a top contender for victory. I’m excited to see how the avid Brazilian motorsport fans will receive us.”

“It’s been a fairly tight turnaround between Le Mans and São Paulo but the team in Mannheim did a fantastic job of stripping and rebuilding our two Porsche 963,” says Jonathan Diuguid, Managing Director Porsche Penske Motorsport. “Some of our crew and drivers have competed at Interlagos before but essentially, it’s another new track on the calendar. This means we need to arrive refreshed and ready to make the most of the conditions faster than our rivals. We aim to extend our world championship lead in Brazil.”

The race The Autódromo José Carlos Pace in Interlagos on the outskirts of the metropolis of São Paulo hosts the six-hour race. 40 Formula 1 Grands Prix have been contested on the 4.309-kilometre circuit since it was built in 1942. Between 2012 and 2014, the FIA World Endurance Championship held three races on the permanent racetrack, which is driven anti-clockwise.

The FIA WEC will race in São Paulo in July for the first time. While Central Europe enjoys the height of summer, South America’s Brazil is in the middle of winter. However, the average maximum temperature in Interlagos in the coldest month of the year is still a balmy 23 degrees Celsius. Statistically, the probability of rain is significantly lower than at previous events in September (2012 and 2013) and November (2014).

An overview of the Porsche teams

Hypercar (Porsche 963):

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), Callum Ilott (UK), Norman Nato (F)

Hertz Team Jota #38: Jenson Button (UK), Phil Hanson (UK), Oliver Rasmussen (DK)

Proton Competition #99: Julien Andlauer (F), Neel Jani (CH)

LMGT3 (Porsche 911 GT3 R):

Manthey EMA #91: Yasser Shahin (AUS), Morris Schuring (NL), Richard Lietz (A)

Manthey PureRxcing #92: Alex Malykhin (UK), Joel Sturm (D), Klaus Bachler (A)