Words by Stephen Kilby for RACER Magazine's May/June 2024 Issue

With 20 factory cars on the Hypercar entry list for the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans, it would be easy to look past the trio of privately-run Porsche 963s that are part of the storied German marque’s six-car fleet tasked with earning it a 20th overall victory. But ignore them at your peril, as both HERTZ Team JOTA and Proton Competition are in it to win it, and both believe they have a shot.

Privateers have long been the bedrock of sports car racing. Through thick and thin they’ve been on hand, pushing hard to keep factory-funded outfits honest. The 963 customers are no different and have been threatening to win races since JOTA became the first to run one at the 6 Hours of Spa in May of 2023.





SUBSCRIBE TO RACEROffering customer 963s so early was a colossal task for Porsche, and significantly impacted its ability to deliver cars on time and focus on results in year one of the LMDh/Hypercar era. Now, though, the gamble is beginning to pay off and it heads to the year’s biggest race with six expertly-run challengers.

Since JOTA’s Hypercar debut, there have been real flashes of potential from the Porsche privateers. JOTA led the centenary Le Mans into the fifth hour before an off at the Porsche Curves, and came achingly close to winning the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship opener in Qatar. Proton, meanwhile, scored a ’23 podium at Petit Le Mans in IMSA’s GTP class and challenged the front runners in the final hour of the Twelve Hours of Sebring in March.

Of course, matching and beating the likes of Toyota, BMW, Ferrari, Peugeot, Cadillac and Porsche’s revitalized Penske factory effort will be a monumental task. But for the first time since the mid-2000s, it genuinely feels like a privateer could win Le Mans on merit, without relying on a wafer-thin entry or disaster striking the factory teams.

Previously, JOTA gained a reputation for operating at the highest level in LMP2, winning titles and Le Mans three times. Now in the top class, the feeling is that it’s taken a further step and is on par with the factories. That’s why it’s equipped to throw a cat among the pigeons with its pair of handsomely-liveried 963s, crack team of engineering staff, and suite of high-end commercial backers that includes HERTZ, Singer…and NFL legend Tom Brady.

The work behind the scenes to build up the team’s resources has been tireless and began long before the program was launched in March 2023. Looking back, the efforts of co-owners David Clarke and Sam Hignett were worth their weight in "HERTZ Racing Gold."

JOTA’s 963 started at the back in the 2023 24 Hours, but led into the fifth hour before a crash put it out of winning contention. Photo: Steffen Heise



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"It’s been a crazy journey going from zero cars, to surviving Spa last year, to now running two," says Hignett. "To do it, we’ve stuck to what we know. There’s a lot of ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ in this paddock. We’re not in that game. To make this happen, all the money we have we invest in human talent, keeping our group together and giving them resources."

The commitment to pouring as much of its resources as possible into the personnel side is why JOTA’s been able to attract star drivers like Jenson Button, Will Stevens and Callum Ilott. Button, who drives the No. 38 963, has a unique perspective on this. Prior to the start of the 2024 WEC season, he drove an Acura ARX-06 for WTR with Andretti at the Rolex 24.

"Wayne Taylor Racing is probably the best team you’re going to find racing in the States," he tells RACER when asked for a comparison. "I’ve come from that, to a pure racing team that is probably the best I’ve ever been with. Factory teams are different; this is a true out-and-out race team. That’s what’s exciting for me.

"It’s what I’ve always loved about Formula 1. The privateer teams stay, while manufacturers dip in and out. Coming here has been fun, yet so professional; I was surprised. Stepping up to two cars in Hypercar is a big challenge, but it’s been so natural to them. They focus on the fine details, more than some F1 teams. I certainly have more meetings with them on a race weekend than I did when I was in F1!"
Jenson Button, the 2009 F1 World Champion, is among JOTA’s driver firepower. Photo: Porsche AG
Phil Hanson, who shares the No. 38 with Button and Oliver Rasmussen, raced against JOTA for years in the LMP2 class with United Autosports before signing for the team late last year. He feels the same.

"You’d be hard-pressed to find a team with a better Le Mans record," he says. "It’s their strongest circuit, which is great, because it’s the one we all care about the most."

The way a team operates is one thing. The capability of its car is another. The question, therefore, is if Porsche’s early-season wins in IMSA and WEC are a sign of things to come?