Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Autosport
Autosport
Sport
Gary Watkins

Tandy, Jaminet complete Porsche LMDh driver line-up for Le Mans 24 Hours

The IMSA SportsCar Championship team-mates have been named alongside Felipe Nasr in the additional car that will join Porsche Penske Motorsport’s two full-season World Endurance Championship entries in the Hypercar class for the double-points round on 10-11 June.

Tandy’s 11th Le Mans start reprises his debut in the top class at the French enduro in 2015 when he drove the third Porsche 919 Hybrid LMP1 to victory with Nico Hulkenberg and Earl Bamber.

Jaminet will be making his second start at Le Mans after racing a factory Porsche 911 RSR in 2019 in GTE Pro.

Tandy told Autosport: “When I first talked to Porsche about the four-car PPM programme I always said that racing in IMSA was high on my list of priorities, but if and when there was an extra car or cars at Le Mans, I would love to drive the 963 there.

“It wasn’t sure at the beginning when that would be possible, but it’s great that it’s happening in the first year of the programme and that I’m delighted to be part of it.

“The last time we went to Le Mans with a third entry, it didn’t end too badly, did it?”

Porsche had played down the chances of bringing its IMSA squad to Le Mans in the first year of the 963, but marque motorsport boss Thomas Laudenbach said on the publication of the entry list at the end of February that the move was “all about maximising our chances”.

Nico Hulkenberg/Earl Bamber/Nick Tandy, Porsche 919 Hybrid celebrate in parc ferme at the 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours (Photo by: Andre Vor / Sutton Images)

“That’s why we’re fielding a third car,” he continued. “The history of the race has shown that the additional cars deployed are often the factor that ultimately tips the scales.

“We don’t have to look far back in Porsche Motorsport’s history to see evidence of this.”

The third Porsche will run race number #75 in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the marque.

Matt Campbell, who partners Nasr in IMSA, has been named as the reserve for the three-car PPM squad.

The two regular WEC PPM entries will be driven by the line-ups that came together at the Sebring 1000 Miles series-opener earlier this month. Dane Cameron, Michael Christensen and Frederic Makowiecki drive #5 and Andre Lotterer, Kevin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor race #6.

The presence of the British Jota team’s customer 963 on the grid means there will be four Porsche LMDhs participating at Le Mans.

The Proton Competition team’s car is due to join the WEC at the Monza round in July.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.