Proton Confirms End of Privateer Porsche 963 Hypercar Effort

Proton Competition has confirmed that it will not field a privateer Porsche Hypercar effort in the FIA World Endurance Championship next year, closing the door on the prospect of any continuing presence of the 963 LMDh car at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The Christian Ried-led squad has fielded its non-works 963 program in WEC since 2023, debuting at that year’s 6 Hours of Monza.

In the wake of Porsche’s withdrawal from the world championship with its factory Hypercar program, it became evident that a two-car privateer effort from Proton would be the only way for the brand to remain present in the category, as well as at Le Mans.

This came after ACO President Pierre Fillon stated that there would be “no exception” made regarding the rule that a manufacturer must enter two cars in the WEC’s Hypercar class to be allowed to compete in the French endurance classic.

Such an exception would have allowed Porsche Penske Motorsport to take up an auto-invite for Le Mans, awarded by IMSA for winning its GTP championship, without two full cars in the series.

An expansion of Proton’s existing single-car 963 effort to a two-car assault, which would be the only path towards a continuing presence in the series, was quickly deemed unlikely without a significant injection of financial support and resources.

Talks were held between Proton and Team Penske regarding a possible collaboration that would ensure the necessary resources, but those plans failed to come to fruition.

On Friday, Proton outlined in a statement that it “was not possible to reach an agreement with Porsche that would have allowed the cars to be entered privately” thus bringing an end to the Multimatic-chassised car’s run in the world championship after three seasons.

“We would like to thank all of our partners and supporters who have fought so hard over the past few weeks to realize this project,” said Ried.

“We gave it everything, but unfortunately it was not possible to find a solution together with Porsche.

“We feel particularly sorry for Porsche fans, who won’t be able to see a 963 on the grid in the FIA WEC or at Le Mans.

“Endurance racing has always been a part of Porsche’s DNA, and that was a huge source of motivation as we attempted to reach an agreement with them.”

Proton stated that the end of its Hypercar effort “does not affect any other programs involving Porsche cars” with the team also still active in a number of other championships.

The team’s LMGT3 program with Ford, meanwhile, is expected to continue.