In just a few weeks, everything has changed. And, on Tuesday, Porsche officially confirmed that it will end its World Endurance Championship Hypercar programme at the conclusion of the current season.
Now, the question everyone is asking is whether, despite this announcement, there will still be Porsche 963s on the grid for the 2026 Le Mans 24 Hours.
On paper, it's possible. Moreover, by winning the IMSA SportsCar Championship title - which remains in its hands - Porsche Penske Motorsport would secure an invitation to La Sarthe next June.
But it's not that simple.
Will there be Porsche 963s in the 2026 WEC?
That's the first question. While there will still be factory-entered Porsche 963s in the IMSA SportsCar Championship, that won't be the case in the WEC.
However, since last year, Proton Competition has also fielded a privately run 963. Will that still be the case next year?
That's where things get complicated, because the FIA and Automobile Club de l'Ouest have slightly revised the WEC sporting regulations last year. As of this season, Article 3.2.3 stipulates that a manufacturer must enter two cars in the Hypercar FIA World Endurance Championship. That's the reason Lamborghini Iron Lynx was unable to continue its WEC programme.
Admittedly, Proton Competition isn't a manufacturer but a private team. Yet, when the FIA and ACO added this rule, they justified it partly by the need to collect data from two cars to establish the Balance of Performance, and also to switch to a system where two cars, nominated by each manufacturer, score points in the manufacturers championship, rather than just one as was still the case in 2024.
Having likely not foreseen this situation of a privateer team still using a car from a manufacturer that's no longer running a factory team in the WEC, will the governing bodies reconsider their regulation? That's far from certain.
Thus, if Proton Competition wants to continue next year, it would have no choice but to field a second 963. Team boss Christian Ried is not opposed to the idea - quite the contrary - but the necessary funding still needs to be found. And why couldn't that support come directly from Porsche?
Clearly, Proton Competition's survival depends on backing from Porsche, especially in terms of spare parts and driver support. Even more so if it intends to compete at the front. And ultimately, wouldn't that be a cost-effective way for Porsche to maintain a presence in the WEC?
Could Porsche use a potential Le Mans invitation?
As mentioned, Porsche Penske Motorsport will aim this Saturday at Petit Le Mans to defend its IMSA titles. That would secure, for the second consecutive year, an invitation to the Le Mans 24 Hours. Should that happen, given Roger Penske's well-known obsession with the race, it's safe to assume he would want to use it. But what about Porsche?
Here, too, a regulatory reminder is in order. The Le Mans 24 Hours supplementary regulations stipulate that if a manufacturer wishes to appear on the grid, it must enter two cars in the Hypercar World Endurance Championship.
This was actually one of the reasons that pushed Wayne Taylor Racing to leave Acura for Cadillac last winter. Since GM's premium brand is present in the WEC, that switch allowed WTR to compete at Le Mans with its V-Series.R, something that wasn't possible with the ARX-06, which races exclusively in IMSA.
Therefore, the entry of two private Porsche 963s in the WEC is the essential condition for a Porsche presence at the Le Mans 24 Hours. Without it, Porsche Penske Motorsport wouldn't be able to use its potential invitation. Could that encourage Porsche to offer at least some level of support to Proton Competition?
If that were to happen, nothing would prevent Porsche Penske Motorsport from even requesting an additional slot to travel to Le Mans with two cars. But in that case, it would be up to the selection committee to decide its fate. The question is whether the ACO would look kindly on a non-WEC entrant potentially stealing the show at the year's flagship event. Let's just say...we have our doubts.
The announcement is still too fresh to know more. But officially, despite Porsche Penske Motorsport's WEC withdrawal, there is currently nothing that rules out the 963 getting a fourth opportunity to etch its name into Le Mans history, even if its chances of doing so have dropped considerably with this news.
Have there been precedents?
Customer racing has always been a cornerstone of Porsche Motorsport. In fact, Porsche owes at least five of its Le Mans victories to private teams.
In 1979, Kremer Racing triumphed with a 935 driven by Klaus Ludwig, Don Whittington, and Bill Whittington. The German team had heavily modified the car, hence its name: the 935 K3.
In 1984, after disagreements with the organisers, the Porsche factory decided not to defend its title. Joest Racing took up the mantle and scored its first Le Mans 24 Hours victory with a 956 driven by Henri Pescarolo and Klaus Ludwig. The following year, Joest repeated the feat, this time beating the factory 962Cs.
Joest Racing did it again in 1996 and 1997 with the TWR-Porsche WSC95, defeating the factory 911 GT1s both years. First with Manuel Reuter, Davy Jones, and Alex Wurz, then Michele Alboreto, Stefan Johansson, and Tom Kristensen. Frustrated, Porsche brought Joest Racing under its official umbrella in 1998.
It’s fair to say Proton Competition would relish the chance to make history repeat itself.
