The new Porsche LMP1 prototype has completed its first test run at Porsche's test track near Stuttgart.
The car, which will compete in the World Endurance Championship and Le Mans next year, finished its first laps on the Weissach track several weeks earlier than planned.
Head of the LMP1 programme Fritz Enzinger said: "We are well on schedule. Our newly formed team has worked with utmost concentration on getting this highly complex vehicle on the track as soon as possible.
"This allows us a few additional weeks for more testing and further development. From 2014, the regulations are primarily based on efficiency. This makes the competition amongst engineers more interesting and presents us with completely new challenges.”
Around 200 employees at Porsche's Motorsport Centre have been given responsibility for the design, assembly and deployment of the racing car.
Since Porsche made the decision to return to endurance motorsport as a works team in mid-2011, the centre has had to expand alongside Porsche's ambitions.
The LMP1 prototype now faces a gruelling testing schedule on various international circuits, with Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas becoming its first two regular drivers.
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Whilst a fair assumption, Porsche have yet to actually confirm the WEC as part of the programme.
Well...............
Doesn't matter if it looks like the rest of the competition, does it?,as long as it wins,that the criteria.
With Porsche coming under the
With Porsche coming under the VW Group banner, it'll be interesting to see if Audi compete next year, and if they do, whether it'll be a works outfit, or whether we see a repeat of what happened with Bentley and Audi, with the former not being 'allowed' to win until the works Audi didn't compete in 2003.
Lanehogger wrote: With
Audi *will* run for at least one season against Porsche in 2014 and with an all-new car required for next year, I suspect to see them coming back until at least 2016. As long as Audi and Porsche continue to employ different philosophies to each other (electromechanical diesel hybrid vs. petrol electric hybrid) and thus, continue to get their own respective benefits from being there, they'll be allowed to race each other. Porsche have even said that because Audi have made Le Mans their own in Porsche's absense, they *want* to race against Audi to prove to they can beat the best.
The Bentley thing is just idle gossip, it wasn't a case of "being allowed" to win, the Bentley programme was always going to be a three year programme, which culminated in the ultimate goal on merit alone.