Penske 963s race Italy and USA simultaneously

WEC & IMSA

The Italian region of Emilia-Romagna hosts the FIA WEC for the first time on the Formula 1 circuit. On the same weekend, the Porsche Penske Motorsport crew will race in Long Beach on the west coast of the USA. There, they aim to repeat last year’s success in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Preview

The Porsche Penske Motorsport works team spent two days of testing in preparation for the debut of the FIA WEC in Imola. In the second week of March, the Porsche factory drivers covered well over 1,000 kilometers in different conditions and collected extensive data for optimizing the vehicle setup. The Hertz Team Jota customer team also took this opportunity to get their first impressions of the new racetrack on the 2024 WEC calendar.

“Our clear objective is to immediately follow up with another top result after our good start to the season in Qatar and consolidate our position at the top of the championship,” explains Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Porsche Motorsport. “The track characteristics in Imola are completely different to those in Doha. Still, we’re determined to be a serious contender for another victory in Italy. It’ll be an intense and exciting weekend for Porsche and our Porsche Penske Motorsport works team. While the WEC team is fighting for championship points in Imola, our IMSA crew in Long Beach is aiming to repeat last year’s success. We want to be successful on both sides of the Atlantic next weekend.”

The races

The six-hour event in Imola is considered the home race of Porsche’s rival Ferrari – as underlined by the name of the permanent racetrack: Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari. Opened in 1953, the 4.909-kilometre circuit with its 17 corners has hosted 30 Formula 1 Grands Prix. Imola is famous for its passages “Tamburello”, “Tosa” and “Rivazza”, among other things.

Due to the nature of the asphalt, the teams expect significantly higher tire wear during the race in Italy compared to the season opener in Qatar. The storied circuit also features an interesting mix of fast corners and narrow chicanes, some of which are edged by high curbs. The Autodromo in northern Italy leaves little room for error. On the traditional racing circuit, there are only small run-off areas and many deep gravel beds.

2024 FIA World Endurance Championship. Photo: Michele Scudiero / Drew Gibson Photography

Car and driver lineup

Hypercar class (Porsche 963)

Porsche Penske Motorsport #5: Matt Campbell (AUS) / Michael Christensen (DK) / Frédéric Makowiecki (F)
Porsche Penske Motorsport #6: Kévin Estre (F) / André Lotterer (D) / Laurens Vanthoor (B)
Hertz Team Jota #12: Callum Ilott (UK) / Norman Nato (F) / Will Stevens (UK)
Hertz Team Jota #38: Jenson Button (UK) / Phil Hanson (UK) / Oliver Rasmussen (DK)
Proton Competition #99: Julien Andlauer (F) / Neel Jani (CH) / Harry Tincknell (UK)