Le Mans: The thrilling 24 Hours of Le Mans race in 2024, which will take place on June 13, 2024, is a highly anticipated event in the world of motor sports. (Photo by Juergen Tap)
For Roger Penske, owner of the Penske team, the opportunity to represent Porsche at Le Mans is a dream come true. Penske, who manages Porsche’s factory team in IMSA and WEC competitions, has a long-standing relationship with the iconic brand.
Penske recalls his early days in racing, when he started his career with a Porsche Spider in the 1960s. Witnessing the growth of the Porsche brand from the perspective of a dealership and a customer, and its unwavering commitment to motor sports over the years, fills him with pride. The legendary 917/10 and 917/30 models, displayed on the screen today, serve as a testament to Porsche’s commitment. Being able to represent Porsche as a factory team at Le Mans is a dream come true for Penske.
Although Penske raced at Le Mans once in 1963, driving a Ferrari 330 TRI/LM for the North American Racing Team (NART) alongside Pedro Rodriguez, he is best known as the owner of the Penske team or Penske Racing. With an impressive record of 20 overall victories at the Indianapolis 500, the Penske team has never won at Le Mans.
The team’s first foray into Le Mans was in 1971, in partnership with NART, with drivers David Hobbs and Mark Donohue piloting a Ferrari 512M. Unfortunately, their race ended prematurely after completing 58 laps. It was only in 2022 that the Penske team returned to Le Mans, this time with an Oreca 07-Gibson in the LMP2 class, as part of their preparation for the following year’s race and their collaboration with Porsche. In 2022, they finished fifth in their class and ninth overall.
In 2023, the Penske team competed in the Hypercar category with the newly-formed Porsche Penske Motorsport team. However, their first year with the Porsche 963 did not bring the desired results. However, Penske and Porsche are back this year, and they started off on the right foot, with Kevin Estre securing the pole position in the Porsche 963 #6.
Reflecting on their chances at Le Mans, Penske expresses confidence in their performance, highlighting their recent success at the 24-hour race in Daytona. He believes that having strong cars is crucial, but execution will be the key to victory. When asked about the competition they will face, Penske mentions BMW, Ferrari, Toyota, and Cadillac as formidable opponents. It remains to be seen who will emerge victorious in this fierce battle for glory at Le Mans.
