It had been all but confirmed already, but now the official announcement is out: The Porsche 963 is going to join iRacing's roster of GTP cars. Endurance racing fans will not have to wait long to get behind the virtual wheel of the car, as it will be part of the 2023 Season4 build in September.
Image credit: iRacing
In early August, iRacing had teased two more GTP vehicles that are going to join the service, specifically referencing IMSA - the class is called Hypercar in WEC, with both LMDh cars like the Porsche and scratch-built LMH ones like Toyota's or Peugeot's competing - and its lineup. That means only two vehicles could be coming up to accompany the BMW M Hybrid V8 and the Cadillac V-Series.R, as four different prototypes are running in the 2023 IMSA season.
The Porsche 963 made its racing debut at the 2023 24 Hours of Daytona and has since claimed two victories in IMSA. Image credit: iRacing
Porsche is also one of the few manufacturers of LMH and GTP/LMDh cars to already field customer cars: The works effort in cooperation with Penske is joined by cars fielded by JDC-Miller MotorSporrts, Proton Competition and Jota.
Sebring was a promising outing for Porsche with a third and fifth place in IMSA as well as a fifth and sixth place in WEC in the double header of both series. Image credit: iRacing
Image credit: iRacing
In early August, iRacing had teased two more GTP vehicles that are going to join the service, specifically referencing IMSA - the class is called Hypercar in WEC, with both LMDh cars like the Porsche and scratch-built LMH ones like Toyota's or Peugeot's competing - and its lineup. That means only two vehicles could be coming up to accompany the BMW M Hybrid V8 and the Cadillac V-Series.R, as four different prototypes are running in the 2023 IMSA season.
Two IMSA Wins in 2023
While the fourth car, the Acura ARX-06, is yet to be confirmed, iRacers now have certainty that the 963 is coming. Having made its debut at the 2023 24 Hours of Daytona in January, Porsche's current top-tier prototype has already scored two IMSA victories with the Penske team. In WEC, the car's best result is a third place in the 6 Hours of Portimao. The best-placed 963 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans finished in ninth.The Porsche 963 made its racing debut at the 2023 24 Hours of Daytona and has since claimed two victories in IMSA. Image credit: iRacing
Porsche is also one of the few manufacturers of LMH and GTP/LMDh cars to already field customer cars: The works effort in cooperation with Penske is joined by cars fielded by JDC-Miller MotorSporrts, Proton Competition and Jota.
Acura & Rain to Follow Soon?
With the Season 4 build for 2023 is scheduled for release in September, expect the announcement of the Acura ARX-06 to complete the GTP grid soon. Could rain also be on the horizon? The latest dev update on the weather system looked fairly advanced, although it might be more realistic to arrive with December's Season 1 2024 build - unless iRacing has a big surprise up their sleeves for sim racers.Sebring was a promising outing for Porsche with a third and fifth place in IMSA as well as a fifth and sixth place in WEC in the double header of both series. Image credit: iRacing
