These French who hope to be in LMDh with Porsche
These are two natural candidates. Porsche factory drivers for years, Kévin Estre and Frederic Makowiecki have known almost everything in GT with the German manufacturer. The second even finally managed to hang the 24 Hours of Le Mans on his record in the GTE Pro category, for the last of the 911-RSR in Sarthe. Both will not spit on a continuity in GT, but running through their heads a serious desire for a prototype.
And for good reason, Porsche has been developing an LMDh for several months which will allow it to return to the top of Endurance next year. A machine which relies on a Multimatic chassis and which has already racked up thousands of test kilometers since last December. Porsche has also teamed up with Penske to build its future team, and there are still places to be taken.
Frédéric Makowiecki, 41, was the very first driver to debug the Porsche LMDh. However, he is not guaranteed to drive this car in competition, but he will do everything for it! « My desire is to be in the premier category »he admits. « Afterwards, it’s not me who decides. The only thing I have in my hands is to do the best job I can. Once I have done what I consider to be the best job I can, I’ll look myself in the mirror, and if they didn’t choose me, I know I couldn’t have done better. So at the end of the day, I won’t be disappointed. »
Frédéric Makowiecki has debugged the Porsche LMDh… and has just won Le Mans in GT!
At the height of his 33 years, Kévin Estre has a solid experience and an age which perhaps opens up more options for him. Nevertheless, the native of Lyon remains cautious and, like his compatriot, assumes the objective while awaiting the verdict. “I hope to be in the ranks for this, I have fought to be in the ranks for this for the last few years”he repeats when Motorsport.com asks him about his future. « It’s my goal, then I hope it will. For the moment, it’s still a little too early to know, but in any case I’m doing everything for it. »
« A unique opportunity » for Nasr
« For the moment, Porsche has announced two drivers, there are still a lot to announce », also recalls Kévin Estre. A direct reference to the first two names that have been formalized for a few months already: Dane Cameron and Felipe Nasr. The Brazilian took part in the tests of the LMDh prototype and he is enthusiastic. More talkative too, since his place is guaranteed!
« The feelings are great »he lets go with a big smile next to Motorsport.com. « It’s very different from a DPi and what I was used to, but it’s an amazing car to drive, it’s got a lot of power. It’s a bit heavier due to the regulations. But we did a lot of testing with the car, on different circuits, and it was quite interesting to see how it behaves on different tracks and in different configurations. Again, we are doing all this to prepare ourselves for 2023.
Felipe Nasr is one of two drivers already confirmed by Porsche.
« For me, a driver, this is a unique opportunity to join Porsche and its history, with the Penske Group. These two entities have won so many legendary races, they have been in motorsport for a very long time. And that gives us confidence about the fact that if you work hard, you will have the best possible equipment and the best car to fight for victories next year and beyond. »
The questions will continue to dissipate in the coming hours since Porsche has planned to make new announcements around its LMDh program from Friday evening…
