Component developer and manufacturer Schaeffler is helping Porsche to return to Le Mans 16 years after the iconic sports car maker’s last victory in the famous 24 Hour endurance race.

The company that supplies LuK clutches, INA tensioners, FAG wheel bearings and many other components to the independent automotive aftermarket  has been working with Porsche in the areas of hybrid and powertrain technology leading up to this year’s race which takes place on June 14th and 15th.

Porsche will be competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship event with the newly developed 919 Hybrid LMP1 sports car, which recently finished third in its debut race at Silverstone.

This year marks the beginning of a new era in sports car racing as technical regulations have come into effect for the global racing series which limit the usable amount of energy, but allow considerable freedoms in the areas of hybrid and powertrain technology. This type of competition provides a perfect opportunity for manufacturers and suppliers to demonstrate technical expertise and in many ways is more technologically advanced that even the Grand Prix arena.

Schaeffler’s Chief Technology Officer Professor Peter Gutzmer said, “In the new regulations the topics of energy efficiency and forward-thinking technology play the crucial role. These are the topics that drive Schaeffler in automotive technology as well. The parallels between motorsports and production make the WEC and the co-operation with Porsche an ideal platform for Schaeffler.”

Porsche and Schaeffler have been working together for many years in motorsport as well as on vehicle production. The first-ever production sports car made by Porsche, the 356, was equipped with innovative needle roller bearings by Schaeffler, while the 917, a legendary Le Mans victor in 1970/71 was a development prototype for hydraulic valve train components made by the company.