Porsche completes driver lineup for 2023 963 LMDh campaign

Porsche on Monday named Nick Tandy and Frederic Makowieckij as drivers for its 2023 Porsche 963 LMDh campaign, completing a 10-driver lineup for Porsche's return to top-level endurance racing.

The campaign will see Porsche enter the new 963 racing car in both the FIA World Endurance Championship and the IMSA Sports Car Championship, competing in the pinnacle Hypercar and GTP classes respectively.

Tandy previously drove for Porsche in LMP1 and GT and will return to the team after a two-year absence. The highlight of his career was winning the 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans driving a Porsche 919 Hybrid LMP1. He has also won the 24-hour races at Daytona, Spa-Francorchamps, and the Nürburgring.

Makowiecki already drives for Porsche in GT racing and has been involved in the development of the 963 since its early track days.

Drivers confirmed so far include American driver Dane Cameron and former Formula 1 driver Felipe Nasr, as well as Matt Campbell, Michael Christensen, Kevin Estre, Mathieu Jaminet, Andre Lotterer, and Laurens Vansœur. Vanceur, and others.

Launched at the 2022 Goodwood Festival of Speed in June, the 963 is the first of a new generation of top-level endurance racers built to LMDh regulations. The car will compete alongside similar cars built under existing LMDh regulations

with balance-of-performance rules to ensure a level playing field.

Based on LMDh regulations, the hybrid powertrain of the Porsche 963 is capable of producing a maximum output of approximately 670 hp at any given time. The internal combustion component is a twin-turbo 4.6-liter V-8 related to the engine in the hypercar 918 Spyder.

Porsche is running the LMDh campaign with Team Penske under the Porsche Penske Motorsports banner. The team is based at Penske's headquarters in Mooresville, North Carolina, where Penske oversees the IndyCar and NASCAR campaigns.