The 2014 sportscar season will be Porsche's most comprehensive to date, marking the beginning of its LMP1 WEC program, two WEC works GT teams and a new, 51 per cent majority stake in Manthey-Racing GmbH, operators of the two 911 RSRs in WEC. Porsche North America will also contest the newTudor United Sports Car Championship (TUSSC) with CORE autosport.

During a press conference, the German automaker announced the name of its new prototype racer – the 919 hybrid – with a nomenclature that puts it numerically above its upcoming 918 hybrid supercar.

The 919 will provide a formidable challenge to the four-time defending 24 Hours of Le Mans champions Audi, who launched their new-generation R18 e-tron quattro last week.

With the new program comes numerous signings, starting with a 20-driver lineup that includes the WEC, TUSSC, four Porsche junior drivers and a scholarship candidate. Brandon Hartley (24) joins former Red Bull Formula 1 driver Mark Webber (37), Timo Bernhard (32), Romain Dumas (36), Neel Jani (30) and Marc Lieb (33) make up the six drivers as part of the LMP1 program. On the GT side, Frenchman Frédéric Makowiecki (33) moves over from the Aston Martin program to pilot the 911 RSR, bringing with him more than nine years of Porsche experience that includes the Porsche Carrera Cup France championship in 2010.

“We are very proud of our strong international driver line-up,” said Wolfgang Hatz, Board Member for Research and Development at Porsche AG. “Three of the six drivers come from our own Porsche driver squad, two were even Porsche juniors. This is something we are particularly proud of. “The vehicle name 919 hybrid follows on from the tradition of the Le Mans-winning 917, but it is also with a view to the 918 Spyder, and acknowledges the company’s embarkation into the hybrid future. Maximum efficiency in energy consumption is the directive of the new WEC regulations for the works-entered class 1 prototypes – and that is also the direction for the automobile future.”

The return of Porsche to the top ranks of sportscar racing marks the first time since 1998 that the manufacturer has fielded an entry worthy of winning the overall title at Le Mans. That year, the 911 GT1 finished one-two ahead of the Nissan R390 GT1.