24h Le Mans
Hertz Team JOTA will be on the Hypercar grid with a Porsche 963 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans Centenary. Check out the car’s livery here!
The livery of the #38 Porsche 963 was designed by Singer Vehicle Design, an American company specialising in Porsche 911 modifications. The design was in part inspired by the centenary of the French endurance classic, as Rob Dickinson, Design Director, Chairman and Founder of Singer Group Inc. explains: “In designing the livery, we wanted to recognise both the past and the future. Growing up in the 1970s and 80s, drivers like Derek Bell, Hurley Haywood and Jacky Ickx were heroes, battling for hours in machines capable of well over 200 mph while winning races in a golden era for Porsche. We’ve always been inspired by motorsport at Singer so, in the centenary year of the Le Mans 24 Hours, this golden livery celebrates all those who have competed at the highest levels of endurance racing, Hertz Team JOTA’s first campaign in the top tier, and the Porsche 963’s role in driving the development of renewable fuels and hybrid technology. Spending time with this fabulous racing car gives us so much inspiration and learning. We can’t wait for the first race.”
The team, which won the FIA Endurance Trophy for LMP2 Teams in 2022, has scored ten podiums in the last nine years at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, including two LMP2 class wins. The #38 Porsche 963 will be driven by Portugal’s Antonio Felix Da Costa, Britain’s Will Stevens and China’s Yifei Ye.
David Clark and Sam Hignett, JOTA Co-Owners, said: “As a team, we have demonstrated our abilities to perform, securing 10 podiums in the last 9 years at the Le Mans 24 Hours. Thanks to the support of our new partners, we’re stepping up to the Hypercar class and Hertz Team JOTA will be competing against some of the world’s largest automotive manufacturers. We have a strong, experienced team and as one of the few private entries in the class, we’re keeping the spirit of Le Mans alive and look forward to getting out on track.”
Hertz Team JOTA will make its hypercar debut at the 1000 Miles of Sebring, the first round of the 2023 FIA WEC championship scheduled for Friday 17 March. The highlight of the British team’s season will, quite naturally, be the 24 Hours of Le Mans Centenary (10-11 June 2023).
The last private team to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans for Porsche was Joest Racing. That was in 1997 with the WSC-95 TWR driven by Michele Alboreto, Tom Kristensen and Stefan Johansson.
Cast your eye over the HERTZ Team JOTA Porsche 963 in the photo gallery below.
