Porsche has announced it will return to Le Mans in 2014 with an all-new car and factory team.

The car will compete in the LMP1 prototype category, which is the top class at the 24-hour race. Hartmut Kristen, Head of Porsche Motorsport, said: "We're looking forward to the task of developing new technologies and to continue on with the success of the Porsche RS Spyder.

"After the conclusion of our works-supported sports prototype programme in the American Le Mans Series we have kept up with the latest technological advances. Now we will begin with detailed research in order to evaluate the various concept alternatives for our new car. These obviously depend on how the regulations for the year 2014 look in detail. In principle, these regulations are interesting for us because the integration of our hybrid technology in the vehicle concept is one possible option."

Porsche is the most successful manufacturer to race at Le Mans with 16 overall wins. Most recently, it has competed with factory-backed teams with its RS Spyder.

President of Porsche, Matthias Muller, said: "Motorsport was always an essential part of the Porsche brand, so it was only a matter of time before we returned as a factory to the top league of racing. The success of Porsche at Le Mans is unrivalled. We want to follow up on this with the 17th outright victory."

Alisdair Suttie - 1 Jul 2011