Don't miss a minute of the first round of the 2019 European Le Mans Series season this weekend (13-14 April).

Le Mans Series

ELMS

Infos pratiques

The Le Mans Classic is back! Watch live at lemansclassic.com or on YouTube.

The Le Mans Classic has positioned cameras all around the 13.626 km circuit to capture every second of action. The free livestream is to be produced jointly by B-Side, Peter Auto's partner since 2014, and AMP Visual TV, which has provided video of the 24 Hours of Le Mans since 2006.

English-speaking viewers can count on Radio Le Mans commentators Andrew Marriott, Peter Snowdownet and John Hindhaugh to discuss everything that happens on the track this weekend!

Live on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/peterautoofficial">YouTube</a> and at lemansclassic.com:

<ul><li>Saturday 2 July from 11:30 to 15:00 then from 16:00 to 21:00 local time</li>
	<li>Sunday 3 July from 08:20 to 10:50 then from 12:00 to 16:00 local time</li>
</ul>For more info on the Le Mans Classic, go to the <a href="https://www.lemansclassic.com/en/">official website</a>.

Le Mans Classic – How to watch the 10th running live this weekend

The new Porsche Hypercar presented on 24 June at the Goodwood Festival of Speed was given the moniker 963 as a tribute to the marque's rich and remarkable history at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

With an unrivaled – and who knows, perhaps perpetually unbeatable – track record at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with 19 overall victories and more than 100 all classes considered, Porsche has a knack for celebrating its major anniversaries with wins. The iconic 911 won in 1998 for the marque's 50th anniversary and again in 2018 (LMGTE Pro) for its 70th.

Porsche is known for honouring its legacy at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In 2015, the 919 Hybrid livery highlighted the 45th anniversary of the manufacturer's first win in 1970. In 2018, Kévin Estre, Michael Christensen and Laurens Vanthoor won the LMGTE Pro class with the "pink pig" livery seen on the 1971 Porsche 917. Now, the 963 Hypercar is set to carry on the prestigious line that catapulted the marque to win record-holder at the race.

<h3>The 956, 962…and 963</h3>

To understand why Porsche has named its new Hypercar the 963, let's go back 40 years. The Porsche 956 was built in 1982 to comply with new prototype regulations called Group C. The factory team went on to score two consecutive wins at the 24 Hours including a stunning hat trick for this car's rookie appearance in 1982.

The official team did not participate in the race in 1984, but Reinhold Joest did clinch his first victory as a team owner with the 956. That same year, a version of the 956 competed in the IMSA in the U.S., renamed the 962 with a modification imposed by the American championship's regulations concerning the position of the pedals, set back behind the axis of the front wheels.

In 1985, the 956 fielded by Joest secured Porsche's 10th overall win at Le Mans, allowing the German marque to surpass Ferrari's record of nine. The factory team returned that same year with three 962s, renamed 962 C for the occasion. At his very first 24 Hours, Hans-Joachim Stuck clocked a breathtaking lap record (3:14.88 at an average 251.712 kph) that remained unbeaten for 32 years (Kamui Kobayashi and Toyota). At the 1985 running of the race, the German driver finished third along with Derek Bell, and Jacky Ickx made his final appearance in the race in 10th place. In 1986 and 1987, Stuck and Bell earned back-to-back wins with the 962 C, joined by American driver Al Holbert who debuted the 962 in the U.S. in 1984.

During the same period, the 962 made its mark at two major American endurance races with four consecutives victories at the 12 Hours of Sebring (1985, 1986, 1987 and 1988) and three at the Rolex 24 at Daytona (1985, 1986 and 1987). Next year, the 963 will carry on this magnificent legacy by participating in both the FIA World Endurance Championship and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with three teams confirmed so far: the official Porsche Penske Motorsport team in both, JOTA in just the FIA WEC and JDC Miller in only the IMSA.

Porsche is sure to be laser-focused in 2023 on winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans the year of the race's 100th anniversary, and increasing the marque's win record to an whopping 20. Will the 963 achieve the same glory as the 956 did 40 years ago? The answer to come under the chequered flag on 11 June 2023.

PHOTOS (Copyright - PORSCHE AG): The red and white livery of the Porsche 963 harkens back to the 917 (#23) driven by Hans Herrmann and Richard Attwood (from left to right above) first-time overall winner for the marque at the 1970 24 Hours. Originally, black only figured on the racing number. At centre, the Porsche 962 C shared by Derek Bell, Al Holbert and Hans-Joachim Stuck, winner at Le Mans in 1986.

24 Hours of Le Mans – Porsche's legacy carries on with the 963

The 2022 24 Hours of Le Mans welcomed crowds back to the circuit after two years affected by restrictions. No fewer than 244,200 fans were trackside to see Toyota claim a fifth win, with many millions more following the race on digital platforms. Check out the key media statistics for the 90th 24 Hours of Le Mans right here.

24 Hours of Le Mans – Media audience numbers revealed!

Until now, only a few images of the camouflaged version of the Hypercar had been seen, but Porsche has finally taken the wraps off the 963 in its battle-ready livery and named the drivers who will occupy the cockpit.

It has been long awaited, but here it is at last! The Porsche 963, the Hypercar that the German marque will field in the 2023 FIA WEC and IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship has been unveiled with its race livery. It sports Porsche’s usual motor racing colours of white, red and black. 

At the wheel of these 680 hp Hypercars, there will be a crew of seasoned prototype racers and Porsche factory racers. They are Kevin Estre, Michael Christensen, André Lotterer, Laurens Vanthoor, Matt Campbell, Mathieu Jaminet, Dane Cameron and Felipe Nasr. Frédéric Makowiecki has played a key role in developing the car as he was at the wheel of the 963 during its shakedown on the Weissach circuit last January. Other experienced drivers will complete the line-ups for endurance races such as the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the 12 Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans (Road Atlanta). 

“After 7,889 test kilometres during the first half of 2022, we’re on a very good path but there is still work to be done before the start of next season,” points out Porsche Motorsport Vice-President Thomas Laudenbach. “Our new Porsche 963 should continue the legacy of legendary models such as the 917, 935, 956, 962 and the 919 Hybrid. I’m positive that we’ll be well positioned when it comes to technology and we’ve also created the relevant team structures to set us up for wins in the thrilling competition between many manufacturers and different concepts.”

<h3>Porsche has its eye on the 8 Hours of Bahrain</h3>

The Porsche 963 will make its official race debut in January 2023 at the 24 Hours of Daytona. In the meantime, the FIA WEC is accepting cars for testing at upcoming rounds of the championship. Porsche Penske Motorsport thus intends to run through a dress rehearsal at the final race of the season at Bahrain in November. 

“Over the past few months, our people at Porsche Motorsport and Team Penske have grown into an efficient and committed squad – the Porsche Penske Motorsport Team,” enthuses Urs Kuratle, director of the Hypercar programme. “We’ll have powerful driver crews in the four factory cars. The collaboration with our long-standing tyre partner Michelin and the chassis manufacturer Multimatic works flawlessly. The Porsche 963 should be homologated this autumn. Until then, we want to make further progress with test drives and gain additional insights.” 

<h3> 
The Porsche 963, successor to the 956 and 962</h3>

The new car’s genes can be traced back to the RS Spyder, with which Porsche and Team Penske claimed a series of wins between 2005 and 2008. The design of the new Porsche 963 takes its inspiration from the victorious 956 and 962 of the 1980s. The continuous light strip to the rear mirrors the distinctive feature found on the latest 992-generation 911. And tradition is upheld as the Porsche 963 will be available to customer teams from its first year of competition. The teams concerned will make their own announcements in the next few days. 
Until we see the car out on the track, admire the images of the Porsche 963 in the photo gallery below.

24 Hours of Le Mans – Porsche Penske Motorsport reveals its Porsche 963 Hypercar

4 Heures du Castellet 2019

For fans unable to attend the 4 Hours of Le Castellet in person at the Paul Ricard circuit&nbsp;Saturday&nbsp;13 and Sunday&nbsp;14 April, watch the race&nbsp;live uninterrupted&nbsp; and free of charge at&nbsp;the official <a href="https://www.europeanlemansseries.com/" target="_blank">European Le Mans Series</a>&nbsp;website. The broadcast will begin at 12:30 (in Europe).

This year, the list of broadcasters has increased and the&nbsp;4 Hours of Le Castellet will be available on various&nbsp;channels for European and American viewers:

<ul>
	<li>Motor Trend OnDemand</li>
	<li>Motorsport.tv&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Motorsport Network (Russian station)</li>
	<li>TV Maritime Norge (Scandinavian station)</li>
	<li>SportKlub (Europe)&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Sport TV5 (Portugal)&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Motorvision (Germany)</li>
</ul>

Schedule of qualifying sessions and race:

<ul>
	<li>LMGTE Qualifying: Saturday&nbsp;13 April at&nbsp;12:55 (10 mins.)&nbsp;</li>
	<li>LMP3 Qualifying: Saturday&nbsp;13 April at 13:15 (10 mins.)</li>
	<li>LMP2 Qualifying: Saturday&nbsp;13 April at&nbsp;13:35 (10 mins.)&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Race: Sunday 14 April at&nbsp;12:30 (240 mins.)</li>
</ul>

<a href="https://www.europeanlemansseries.com/" target="_blank">4 Hours of Le&nbsp;Castellet ENTRY LIST</a>

24H LE MANS

ELMS: Schedule and how to watch the 4 Hours of Le Castellet live

Related News

Le Mans Classic – How to watch the 10th running live this weekend

24 Hours of Le Mans – Porsche's legacy carries on with the 963

24 Hours of Le Mans – Media audience numbers revealed!

24 Hours of Le Mans – Porsche Penske Motorsport reveals its Porsche 963 Hypercar