A little over a year from first announcing its commitment to develop a race car for the new LMDh (Le Mans Daytona hybrid) sports prototype category, Porsche has now completed the first major test session of its car.
Porsche’s LMDh race car, whose name is yet to be revealed, was recently put through its paces at Spain’s Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, where it racked up more than 1,200 miles in just a few days. Dane Cameron and Felipe Nasr, the first confirmed drivers for Porsche’s LMDh program, were able to sample the car during the test session.
The focus of the session was to set up various systems, develop the tires, and optimize the interaction between the internal-combustion and electric sides of the car’s hybrid powertrain. Porsche’s LMDh features a twin-turbocharged V-8 working in combination with a single electric motor-generator.
While the V-8 on its own can generate anywhere between 643 and 697 hp to suit any Balance of Performance parameters, the peak output needs to be reduced when the engine is working with the electric motor, as both power sources can only generate 670 hp combined as measured at the half-shafts, per LMDh rules.
Teaser for 2023 Porsche LMDh race car
2023 Porsche LMDh race car tests at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
Teaser for 2023 Porsche LMDh race car
Porsche is using a chassis sourced from Canada’s Multimatic, one of four firms supplying chassis for the LMDh category, and intends to enter its car in both the FIA World Endurance Championship and IMSA SportsCar Championship, in the respective Hypercar and GTP (Grand Touring Prototype) premier classes. Both classes are also open to cars from the rival Le Mans Hypercar category, with organizers relying on Balance of Performance measures to help even the playing field.
Porsche has teamed up with America’s Team Penske for the LMDh program, in both the WEC and SportsCar championships. The squad, known as Porsche Penske Motorsport, is based out of Penske’s headquarters in Mooresville, North Carolina, the same site where Penske oversees its IndyCar and NASCAR campaigns.
The next step will see Porsche test its LMDh race car at various racetracks across Europe and North America. Homologation is scheduled for the fall and the first race will be next January’s 2023 24 Hours of Daytona, the opening round of the 2023 SportsCar Championship. An appearance at next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans is also planned, as the French classic is the main event of the WEC.
Other automakers committed to LMDh include Alpine, Audi, BMW and Cadillac. Automakers committed to LMH include Ferrari, Peugeot, Toyota and Glickenhaus.
Keyword: 2023 Porsche LMDh racer hits Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in first major test