Proton Competitors is eyeing an enlargement of its World Endurance Championship and IMSA SportsCar Championship assaults with the Porsche 963 LMDh because the German producer makes extra buyer vehicles obtainable.
Christian Ried, boss of the German workforce at the moment fielding one 963 in every sequence, has revealed that he’s engaged on plans to extend its presence within the respective Hypercar and GTP lessons of the 2 championships.
“It’s at all times higher working two vehicles than one,” he mentioned. “It is smart, however we’d like the shoppers and sponsors first.”
Requested if he was particularly taking a look at WEC or IMSA for a two-car programme, Ried replied: “Each.”
Ried, whose WEC and IMSA campaigns with the 963 got here on stream in mid-2023, added {that a} resolution could possibly be made “within the subsequent few weeks, roughly”.
Proton’s plans coincide with Porsche revealing that it’s once more able to construct and assist extra 963s after placing a short lived maintain on manufacturing of buyer vehicles late final yr.
Urs Kuratle, boss of the 963 programme at Porsche Motorsport, revealed that discussions had been ongoing with groups trying to run the automotive in each WEC and IMSA.
“Chassis can be found, elements can be found, after which it’s a query of demand,” he mentioned. “We’re in dialogue with different prospects: if the scenario calls for that we should always promote some extra, we’ll promote extra.”
#5 Proton Competitors Porsche 963: Gianmaria Bruni, Bent Viscaal
Picture by: Michael L. Levitt / Motorsport Photographs
He confirmed that the departure of the Jota workforce from the Porsche buyer ranks to take over Cadillac’s WEC programme, a transfer that has but to be formally introduced, would unlock capability to assist new privateer 963s.
Kuratle burdened the significance of the client programme within the progress made with the 963 this season. “We have now completed massive steps in reliability, and that’s additionally due to all of the kilometres we will do with the shoppers,” he defined.
Requested if changing Jota within the buyer roster for 2025 would symbolize an excellent situation for Porsche, he instructed that there have been “a few superb situations”.
What will not be clear is that if there can be room for an extra Porsche run by Proton or one other workforce in WEC.
The enlargement of the grid to 40 vehicles for 2025 means area for 22 entries within the Hypercar class, up from this yr’s 19.
Two of the slots can be taken by Aston Martin’s arrival within the prime class with the Valkyrie AMR-LMH, whereas Cadillac and Lamborghini will even should double their assaults because of the brand new rule demanding that manufacturing unit groups should run a pair of vehicles.
Ought to Isotta Fraschini stay within the sequence — and due to this fact by regulation discipline two Tipo 6 LMH Competiziones — there can be no area for an additional privateer Porsche.
IMSA would welcome further vehicles within the GTP division, regardless that the general sequence grid is at capability this yr.
Collection boss John Doonan mentioned final month further GTP vehicles can be “welcomed with open arms”, whereas outlining a hope that different producers would be a part of Porsche in supplying privateer groups.
Porsche prospects Proton and JDC-Miller Motorsports are the one independents in GTP at current.
