The story of the Porsche Jota team at the 24 Hours of Le Mans
Both Jota 963s finished in the points. A fine reward after the impressive work carried out by the mechanics to bring the #12 back to life. They were also honored.
Le Mans can be cruel. But sometimes, it offers us beautiful stories. This year, the audience was able to witness both. And it affected the same team. The Porsche Jota team. During the second free practice session, Callum Ilott sent car 963 N°12 into the wall in the esses of the forest.
The damages were considerable. So much so that the mechanics had to rebuild an entire car. This prevented the #12 crew from driving during the last two practice sessions and during the Hyperpole. The team members finally fully reassembled the Hypercar on Friday afternoon. An impromptu test session was held on the aerodrome track next door to check everything.
Read also: The beautiful story of Le Mans: Jota resurrects its Porsche
Once the organizers of the 24 Hours gave the green light, the Porsche was able to take part in the race. This XXL challenge successfully achieved by the Jota mechanics allowed them to be rewarded during this intense week. The prize for the best support team was awarded to them.
We’re so proud of the crew for being awarded the ESCRA award👏
The award is given for the best technical assistance team during the 24 hours of Le Mans#HertzTeamJOTA #JOTASport #WEC #LeMans24 pic.twitter.com/Du4gAqYNaU
— Jota Sport (@JotaSport) June 16, 2024
Their work was as fast as it was efficient. The #963 finished these 24 Hours in eighth place, in the same lap as the winning Ferrari #50. This result is a double-edged sword. Finishing the race in the leading pack and without any technical issues – if someone had offered us that on Saturday, we would have accepted without hesitation. On the other hand, we didn’t come here to finish eighth. We had problems with our race pace. The accident on Wednesday was a tough blow. A big congratulations to the whole team, nuances Will Stevens of the #12.
The two cars in the points, a first
On the other side of the garage, disappointment prevails. Car #38 finished the race in ninth place. However, it was still able to finish in the same lap as the winning team. But it was close. The trio Rasmussen – Hanson – Button arrived 3 minutes 36 seconds behind Ferrari No. 50. It was a matter of about fifteen seconds, it was unable to achieve this symbolic result.
« It is one of the toughest races I have ever done under such conditions. It was really brutal. I was constantly pushing the car to the absolute limit and I couldn’t relax for a second. Staying focused for so long is quite exhausting. The result is not what we had hoped for. But we brought both cars into the leading group, which we can be proud of. », Jenson Button from the #38.
Porsche #12 is the highest-ranked car at Jota. With 66 points, it is in fourth place. The sister car is much further back in thirteenth place with four points. It is the first time it has scored points this season.
