Thomas Laudenbach On Porsche’s Road To Hypercar & GTP With New 963

There’s still more to come on DSC from both the Goodwood Festival of Speed last weekend and from the Porsche launch there of their new 963 too.

Next up it’s the turn of the boss! Head of Porsche Motorsport Thomas Laudenbach has been at the helm of the brand’s motorsport activities since October 2021 and took over at a very significant time for the focus of one of the most significant players in global Sportscar and GT racing.

With a new GT3 car on the stocks, a focus shifting towards electrification (see DSC later this weekend) and the opportunity offered by the newly converged ruleset between IMASa and the FA WEC there’s been plenty on the todo list. Friday last week though saw a couple of items ticked off with the public debut of the new 963 and the unveiling too of the majority of the factory driver roster.

“To be in a position to present the car to the public here, and to have it climb up the hill. Now, this is a moment where you’re proud because it is an important milestone in such a project. It’s a mixture of, we are excited, we are proud, we are enthusiastic about the future. But at the same time, we have great respect, because we know there is still a long way to go until the car is ready to race.

“But we are in the middle of a development project. So what can we say? So far, so good.”

It’s a very different sort of development project? Because you’re not only developing the Porsche 963 for, Porsche Motorsport, and your customers. But you’re also the first organisation to have the opportunity to run on track with and therefore do the initial development of this new spec hybrid system?

“Yeah. Absolutely Right. There is still a lot of Porsche inside that car. It’s a very close relationship between Multimatic, also between us and the single spec parts suppliers. So it’s still a very challenging project and very important for us, that we can show our abilities and our skills in developing a race car.”

We were told at Sebring that there’s a fantastic information exchange between all the manufacturers for the LMDh, not just in what you’re getting on track, but what they’re getting on the dyno, as well. Is that approach, particularly to the performance of this hybrid system, continuing at this stage,

“I think at this stage, when we talk about common parts of spec parts, I think that’s the right way to go. Because we all will have to use them. So we all have an interest in getting them right and getting them reliable for the start of the season.

“So yes, there is a good exchange, there is a very good atmosphere between the manufacturers. And that’s something that we really appreciate. And this is definitely the right way to go.”

We’ve also heard today is that we will possibly see the car on a racetrack at Bahrain later this season in what’s been described in a press release as non-competitive run. What are we to expect in Bahrain later this year?

“Well, I have to say it’s not confirmed yet. It’s our goal. But due to the fact that a race is always the best test, no question. We will go there if the programme is mature enough, the cars mature enough and if we really think it makes sense. And then yes, this is a race, mainly as a test on our way to the first season in 2023, which will start in the US in Daytona.

“So therefore, I can confirm that, for sure, we will show everything that we can show. But it’s, first of all, really a step in the development programme.”

The last time we had a conversation you referred, to seeing the end of the era of manufacturers dominating sportscar performance over a particular period? You talked about Audi, Toyota and Porsche having achieved three in a row, that you would have to be mature enough not to EXPECT that to happen in this era?

“Yeah, I think that comment was mainly related to the fact that we will have very, very close competition. And since we all agreed that there will be the principle of balance of performance, I would say, if we get it 100%, right, everybody’s got a chance to win.

“Obviously, then you got to make it a perfect job at the track, the drivers, the strategy, everything that has an influence. And because there are so many manufacturers, and you know, they all have their abilities. I would be surprised if one brand would for example win three, four or five times in a row.

“Therefore I expect such a close competition that I wouldn’t be surprised if it happens. And yes, I think that is good for the sport. It makes racing interesting and makes it exciting.”

We’re very soon going to hear about the first customers for this car (The interview was recorded the day before the confirmation of the customer programmes from JDC Miller and Hertz team Jota). So we’re going to see this car racing in customer hands in the first season in 2023 Is there anything you can tell us yet about where fans might expect to see those customer cars? Is it going to be both championships or just one of them?

“What I can confirm is that we always said right from the beginning, we are prepared to provide two customer costs for the WEC and two customers cars for the IWSC in the first season.

“This is just due to the fact that if we sell a customer car, we want to make sure that it runs properly, that it’s got a chance to win, that is reliable, and that we need to be in situation to give our service. That’s the reason why we limited to four. And it’s too early to say but there is a huge interest. We have a lot of talks, and I wouldn’t be surprised if very soon we will hear more from that.”