P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Porsche delays plans to introduce revised 963 LMDh engine
The decision to delay the update for the 963’s engine was made after discussions with WEC, FIA, ACO, and IMSA officials governing the LMDh category. The governing bodies demanded the engine to debut at the Imola WEC round in April for performance evaluation before Le Mans. Porsche’s project chief, Urs Kuratle, stated that there wasn’t enough time for necessary endurance testing and engine production before Le Mans. The conflicting schedules of the Imola WEC round and the Long Beach IMSA event complicated the engine supply logistics for both Porsche Penske Motorsport and customer teams. The introduction of the new hybrid system at Daytona 24 Hours alleviated Porsche’s reliability concerns, prompting the decision to revise the engine for vibration reduction. The timeline for introducing the engine revisions this season is still undetermined, pending completion of endurance testing with the current engine. Porsche is considering counting the engine update as one of the performance upgrades allowed under LMDh regulations.
