Even before the race started, Hertz Team JOTA had plenty to contend with. Callum Ilott’s spin off in the Forest Esses with the #12 Porsche 963 in the second free practice session spelt sleepless nights for the team’s mechanics. With grit and determination, they managed to rebuild the car in under 36 hours, ready for the race start, earning the esteem of those around them. The #12 Porsche 963 went on to finish in eighth place, in the same lap as the winners.

Remarkable teamwork

Callum Ilott expressed his gratitude: “Firstly, thanks to the team who put this together and made it happen in the time that we had. We owe the congratulations to them.” The British driver also emphasised the team’s consistency and their clean run, despite not having quite the pace they had hoped for.

Norman Nato underlined the importance of finishing the race to reward the mechanics and engineers for their hard work. The race had its challenges: “Obviously we lacked a bit of pace and we tried to optimise what we had and run mistake-free. Honestly, we did pretty well on that. In the end, what we can be proud of is to have reached the finish in such crazy conditions. The mechanics worked on the car, but the engineers were there late at night too, and they took care of the all-important tyre strategy, and gave us all the right information.”

Will Stevens stressed the reliability of the Porsche 963 and the chassis provided by Porsche Penske Motorsport, although he couldn’t hide his frustration: “We had good pace all week and we were definitely better than P8 leading up to the incident. I think as a team we’re not here to finish eighth. We’re here to compete at the front and be competitive. At points today it was a struggle, we weren’t in the optimum window but that’s a consequence of a brand new race car that you take to the track.”

An exercise in resilience

Hertz Team JOTA’s performance at the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans is a lesson in resilience and technical prowess. The mechanics, engineers and drivers demonstrated exceptional ability to overcome hardship, and work under pressure to deliver solid performance. A top ten finish when retirement loomed before the race had even started is a feat to be proud of. Thanks to the eighth place, Hertz Team JOTA top the FIA Hypercar team leader board, 57 points ahead of Proton Competition (#99 Porsche 963).

The 92nd 24 Hours of Le Mans will be remembered for Ferrari AF Corse’s second win in a row, but also as the time Hertz Team JOTA worked a miracle. The term were awarded the ESCRA prize for the best technical assistance at the race. Once again, technical excellence and team spirit are the essence of endurance racing.