The number 6 Porsche 963 of Porsche Penske Motorsport finished the 24 Hours of Le Mans in second place. In a thrilling battle for overall victory, Matt Campbell, Kévin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor were just 14.084 seconds behind the victorious Ferrari.

The works team's two identical hybrid prototypes, also with 511 kW (695 hp), crossed the finish line in seventh and ninth place after 387 laps. In the LMGT3 category, Team Manthey celebrated its second consecutive class victory after 2024 with the Porsche 911 GT3 R.

The 24-hour classic in Le Mans is one of the greatest challenges in global motorsport. In front of 332,000 spectators during the race week, the competition in the top class offered high tension until the end. In summer conditions, the No. 6 Porsche 963 had to start from the back of the hypercar field. However, this did not stop Matt Campbell from Australia, Kévin Estre from France and the Belgian Laurens Vanthoor. On the first lap, the 511 kW (695 hp) hybrid prototype from Weissach overtook seven competitors.

After around two hours, the Porsche 963 had established itself in the leading group and from then on fought for overall Le Mans victory until the very last of a total of 387 laps. After 24 intense hours of racing, only 14.084 seconds were missing for the 20th overall triumph for record winner Porsche.

Tire Damage and Penalties at Night

The No. 5 sister car was also in the fight for the lead for long stretches. From third on the grid, Julien Andlauer took the lead on the first lap. However, the Frenchman, his compatriot Mathieu Jaminet and the Dane Michael Christensen were thrown back during the night by punctures and penalties – in the end, the trio finished seventh. Two positions behind, the number 4 Porsche crossed the finish line. At the wheel of the third 963, Britain's Nick Tandy and Felipe Nasr from Brazil shared driving duties with reigning Formula E World Champion Pascal Wehrlein. The German impressed on his Le Mans debut with extremely fast and consistent lap times.

"Pioneering spirit, courage and sportiness are part of Porsche's self-image. That's why we never gave up and fought until the end with all consistency. We did a lot of things right in the closing stages. That made it even more exciting," sums up Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Porsche Motorsport. "We got the absolute maximum out of our No. 6 Porsche and certainly don't have to hide. Nobody would have expected a podium finish for us during the night. We can be very proud of that. Of course, we also look at the result with a tear in our eyes: In the end, we were just 14 seconds short of the overall victory. However, the joy and thanks to all those who were involved outweigh the joy. Congratulations to our customer team Manthey on their second Le Mans class victory in a row!"

"With three cars in the top ten, we have clearly shown what this organisation can achieve. In the fight for overall victory, our factory team never gave in. A big thank you to everyone in the WEC team in Mannheim, to the IMSA team from the USA and to our top people in Weissach – that was great work by everyone together," says Urs Kuratle, Vice President Factory Motorsport LMDh. If you finish second after 24 hours, just a few seconds behind, you certainly don't have to worry. Our Porsche 963 has once again underlined its status as the most successful LMDh car since the regulations were introduced."

"It was an absolutely unbelievable race: it stayed dry throughout, there was almost always a clear run and everyone was pushing like crazy," says Jonathan Diuguid, Executive Director Porsche Penske Motorsport. " Our three works cars ran through technically flawless. We had to look after the number 6 car the least in the pit lane – which is why it achieved the best position within our team. We played flawlessly, we just lacked a little speed in certain phases of the race. Next year we'll come back even stronger."

500 euros per lap for "Racing for Charity"

The works team's three Porsche 963s completed a total of 1,159 laps of the 13.626-kilometre circuit during the race. As part of the "Racing for Charity" initiative, Porsche is donating 500 euros per lap driven. The total amount will go to the two children's aid organisations Interplast Germany e.V. and Kinderherzen retten e.V. As in 2023, Porsche has received the "Sustainability Award" from Le Mans organiser ACO for its commitment.

The Porsche 963 of the Proton Competition customer team drove an inconspicuous 24-hour race. The No. 99 car with the Swiss Neel Jani, Nico Varrone from Argentina and the Chilean Nico Pino was unable to keep up with the pace of the works cars for long stretches and finished the endurance classic in 14th place overall.

Porsche 911 GT3 R of Manthey 1st Phorm wins the LMGT3 class

In the LMGT3 class, Team Manthey celebrated its second Le Mans victory in a row. In the Porsche 911 GT3 R under the entry Manthey 1st Phorm, Porsche works driver Richard Lietz from Austria, the American Ryan Hardwick and Riccardo Pera from Italy crossed the finish line first. For Lietz, who competed in Le Mans for the 19th time, it was already the sixth success with a Porsche in the GT category. With 112 class wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Porsche remains the most successful manufacturer.

"I'm overwhelmed," said Sebastian Golz, Project Manager Porsche 911 GT3 R. "An excellent team has grown together. The decisive factors included perfect cooperation, proven routines and an irrepressible belief in success – this was the only way Manthey was able to achieve the second Le Mans victory in a row with the 911 GT3 R. Congratulations and big thanks to all! I'm already looking forward to next weekend, when the next 24-hour race is already on the agenda at the Nürburgring."

The two identical 911 GT3 R with up to 416 kW (565 hp) under the entry of Manthey and Iron Dames finished the race in sixth and 16th place. The No. 85 Iron Dames car got stuck in a gravel trap after a collision through no fault of its own, losing a possible place in the top 10.

More quotes on the race

Laurens Vanthoor (Porsche 963 #6): "Tomorrow we will look at the result and think that we have achieved more than we could have expected after practice and qualifying. Today, however, disappointment prevails. We delivered an absolutely perfect race and had one hand on the biggest trophy – you don't often get that close to such a triumph. What a pity!"

Julien Andlauer (Porsche 963 #5): "A fantastic week! Working with the entire team across all three cars was a lot of fun. Our start to the race was good and the pace of the Porsche 963 was really strong. Then we got a puncture and some penalties – that threw us out of the leading group. We kept fighting like lions, but I've never experienced such close competition at Le Mans. At an enormously high speed, it was incredibly exciting. If you have to take a setback in the process, the train has unfortunately left. We'll attack again next year!"

Pascal Wehrlein (Porsche 963 #4): "We lost all chances of success relatively early on due to a penalty and bad luck with a caution phase. You can hardly make up for a lost round under such circumstances. After that, of course, such a race drags on extremely. Personally, however, I had a lot of fun – it was a great new experience. I learned a lot and got faster and faster. My first 24-hour race at Le Mans: mega awesome."

Neel Jani (Porsche 963 #99): "Things went really well for us at the beginning. Until midnight, we were even able to fight for a place in the top ten and drove close to the No. 4 works Porsche. During the safety car phase, however, we dropped out of the lead lap and couldn't do much after that – too bad. Nevertheless, boredom did not arise: shot down, rim broken and much more. There was always something going on."

Nicolas Raeder (Managing Director Manthey Racing GmbH): "I am overwhelmed and deeply impressed by our entire team. Such an operation represents an absolute feat of strength. Nevertheless, we did an absolute top job in all areas. I'm incredibly proud. The number 92 drove a perfect race, really good! Now we're off to the Nürburgring. We have big plans there too."

Ryan Hardwick (Porsche 911 GT3 R #92): "Wow – I still can't believe our class victory! This is certainly one of the most beautiful experiences in my entire life. My family, close friends and business partners accompanied me on site. In this sport and at such an event, you always win as a team. Manthey and Porsche supported us optimally. Only the best teams win at Le Mans. I'm very proud to be a part of it."

Klaus Bachler (Porsche 911 GT3 R #90): "A very exciting and tough race. We gave it our all. It went back and forth. Sometimes we had bad luck with caution phases and slow zones, but then we were lucky with a safety car at the perfect time for us. However, more than sixth place was not within reach for us. Congratulations to the sister car: the crew delivered a perfect performance and fully deserved to win."

Célia Martin (Porsche 911 GT3 R #85): "I will remember my first participation in Le Mans for the rest of my life because I associate it with a lot of emotions. Before my first start, I never really understood why Le Mans was supposed to be so difficult. Now I know. It wasn't so easy for us on the pitch – and ultimately it wasn't successful either. We would have deserved much more than 16th place in our class. But I learned a lot for the coming years."