The Porsche 963’s front suspension looks set to be updated ahead of the 2025 FIA WEC and IMSA seasons, according to Urs Kuratle, Porsche’s factory LMDh racing boss. If given the green light by the rule-makers, this will be the car’s second “Joker” evolution after the German marque debuted sensor updates ahead of the 2024 Rolex At Daytona back in January.
“We have wishes, we handed in our wishes to the governing bodies — IMSA and the ACO — and once we get approved we will introduce the changes to the front-suspension parts for the [IMSA] test at Daytona at the end of the month,” Kuratle told RACER.
The updates to the suspension, Kuratle believes, should have an impact at a variety of circuits next year, by providing 963 teams more flexibility with setup.
“This is an area that the engineers and drivers gave feedback on [and] we thought it was a route to explore,” he said. “It will give us more adjustments to the suspension. Throughout the year it will help us, it will make the 963 a more equal car at every track.
“Testing [at France’s Paul Ricard circuit and on the dyno] with it has been positive, and once we were sure we handed in the paperwork. We are just waiting for it to be approved so we can start producing parts and distributing them. We need to be ready for the race at Daytona (next January), getting the cars equipped and with relevant spares.
“We have to be careful because you only have so many ‘Jokers’ you can make. It has to make sense, and it has to make sense in the rules. But we are confident it’ll make the car better.”
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This news comes after Porsche previously shelved its plans to update the 963 with a new 90-degree crankshaft earlier in the year to counteract vibration issues with the car.
“It’s [about saving] tokens but to be really honest, it’s even more the money,” Kuratle told RACER back in June Le Mans week when asked why its plans to shift to the new crank were being scrapped. “If we would have to change the crankshaft for a good reason it will cost us a lot of money because we will have to update the customer cars as well. But the reliability of the 963 has improved a lot and it (vibrations) doesn’t seem to be an issue anymore.”