Racing is Porsche's DNA

The stars of the Porsche booth were two racing cars, the "919 Hybrid" and "911 RSR," which will compete in this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans. Porsche President Matthias Müller, who took the stage for the presentation, emphasized the importance of motorsport by saying:

"Racing is Porsche's DNA. Every Porsche car incorporates elements of a racing car, and every Porsche employee is a racer. What we have learned on the circuit over generations lives on in today's Porsche. At this year's Geneva show, we are not introducing new road cars, but announcing that Porsche's motorsport activities have entered a completely new and exciting era."



The first car introduced, the 911 RSR, is eligible to compete in the GT category of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the World Endurance Championship (WEC). The designation "RSR" is given to the highest-performance models among racing cars based on the911, and the 991-type 911 RSR debuted in the 2013 season.

The 2014 model was unveiled this time, and according to the presentation, it features "improved aerodynamics, more precise steering, and enhanced cockpit comfort."

A Machine Aimed at Overall Victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans

However, the car that captured the world's attention was the other racing car, the 919 Hybrid. While also competing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and WEC, this car challenges the highest class, LMP1, making it a machine designed for overall victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Furthermore, starting this year, the vehicle regulations for the LMP1 class have been significantly revised, greatly increasing the importance of hybrid systems (more precisely, energy recovery systems). Notably, similar to F1, it is now possible to incorporate two recovery systems. However, at Le Mans, the specific form these two systems take is left to the discretion of the manufacturers developing the racing cars.

As a result, while Toyota has equipped two recovery systems, one for the front wheels and one for the rear, the notable aspect ofPorsche's approach is the inclusion of a heat recovery system in addition to the front-wheel recovery system.



The term "heat recovery system" may be unfamiliar, but its principle is to extract rotational energy from exhaust energy using a mechanism similar to a turbocharger's turbine, generate electricity with this power, and recover energy.

While an identical system is being adopted in F1 this season, and Audi's "R18 e-tron quattro," also competing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, features a similar system, Audi's characteristic lies in storing energy in a flywheel-type energy storage device, unlike Porsche, which stores it in a lithium-ion battery.

Furthermore, the adoption of a 2.0-liter V4 single-turbocharged engine significantly differentiates it from Toyota (V8 naturally aspirated gasoline) and Audi (V6 turbo diesel).

What If Audi Wins Le Mans Five More Times?

Meanwhile, why wouldAudi, which has long dominated the 24 Hours of Le Mans, allow a fellow member of the Volkswagen Group likePorscheto enter? While Müller's words at the beginning are certainly to the point, they alone do not explain the necessity of resuming the "challenge for the top class of the 24 Hours of Le Mans" in 2014, after a hiatus since 1999.

Meanwhile, speculation is circulating. Porsche holds the record for the most wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with 16 victories. Audi, on the other hand, has secured 12 wins in the past 15 years. The gap to Porsche is only four wins. If Audi were to win Le Mans five more times, Porsche would be dethroned from its glorious position. This sense of urgency is said to have driven Porsche's decision to return to Le Mans.



If this is the case, an all-out war between Audi and Porsche, even as sister companies, is inevitable. Moreover, with Toyota also involved, this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans promises to be a fiercely contested battle.

Additionally, Porsche unveiled the road car "Macan S Diesel" as a world premiere and the911 Targaas a European premiere. However, the Macan S Diesel had already been introduced in workshops, and the 911 Targa was announced at theDetroit Auto Show, so it seems correct to view the racing cars as the main attraction for Porsche in Geneva.