The Duo Are Among 10 Drivers Named to Pilot the Porsche Penske Motorsport Prototypes in the WeatherTech Championship and WEC
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Porsche Motorsport rounded out its LMDh driver lineup for 2023 on Monday by adding a pair of familiar names. Nick Tandy and Fred Makowiecki became the ninth and 10th drivers on the list for the Porsche Penske Motorsport effort that will run two of the new hybrid-based Porsche 963 prototypes each in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and FIA World Endurance Championship.
The LMDh platform cars will make their worldwide competition debut in January at the Rolex 24 At Daytona in the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class.
Tandy, the 38-year-old Brit, rejoins Porsche after co-piloting a Corvette Racing entry the past two seasons in the WeatherTech Championship and WEC. As a Porsche factory driver from 2011-20, Tandy collected 15 wins in the WeatherTech Championship and was the overall winning in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2015 driving a Porsche 919 Hybrid.
Makowiecki, the 41-year-old Frenchman, has six career WeatherTech Championship victories – all with Porsche’s GT Le Mans (GTLM) class program. Five of those wins came from 2018-20 in a pair of the series’ marquee endurance races, the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Advance Auto Parts and the Motul Petit Le Mans, with Tandy as a teammate each time. While he had yet to officially be named a driver to the Porsche 963 program, Makowiecki has played an instrumental role in the car’s development this year.
“We’re delighted to welcome Nick Tandy back and to have Frederic Makowiecki join the squad,” said Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President, Porsche Motorsport. “With Nick and Fred, we know exactly what we’re getting: total commitment, a wealth of experience and incredible talent.
“The results from the years 2013 to 2020 underlined very clearly what Nick Tandy is capable of. He has on the major endurance classics at Le Mans, Sebring, Daytona, Spa-Francorchamps and the Nurburgring-Nordschleife. Nick belongs to real winners. I’m certain he’ll bring all of his expertise in 2023.
“Fred Makowiecki knows our new Porsche 963 inside out. He drove the first meters in the LMDh prototype in January and he has worked meticulously in the simulator, tirelessly testing the car to advance its development. I have no doubt that our 10-man squad for 2023 is a force to be reckoned with!”
Tandy and co-driver Tommy Milner won four WeatherTech Championship GTLM races in 2021 in the Corvette before they moved to the WEC’s GTE Pro class this year. Tandy said he “couldn’t be happier or more excited” to rejoin the Porsche program at its top level.
“As I well know, Porsche is synonymous with sports car racing and globally known as one of the very best in the business,” Tandy said. “I’ve also long since deeply admired everything that Mr. (Roger) Penske and his racing team have accomplished in every series they turn their hand to. I believe we all share the same desire to compete at the highest levels and win at the biggest events and championships.
“I can see 2023 becoming the start of a fantastic era in our sport. With GTP and Hypercar racing across the two biggest series in the world, I hope we can all live up to the sporting expectation. Porsche Motorsport gave me the big break in my career and my life. We went on to achieve some unbelievable successes together, but that is hopefully just the beginning.”
The other drivers previously named to the Porsche 963 program are Dane Cameron, Matt Campbell, Michael Christensen, Kevin Estre, Mathieu Jaminet, Andre Lotterer, Felipe Nasr and Laurens Vanthoor. The team has not announced the series in which the drivers will compete.