Rather than spend Le Mans in some nearby hotel, Porsche’s CEO decided to spend his weekend in the middle of the action with his employees
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Recently, we’ve seen Porsche come out with a few stories about sending influencers out camping in its vehicles. However, rarely has a 911’s roof tent been used by someone with as much actual influence as Porsche (and Volkswagen Group) CEO, Oliver Blume, who spent Le Mans trackside.
The 55-year-old CEO and his wife spent two nights at the track while attending the 100th anniversary of the legendary race. They drove there in a black 911 that, in the context of the campground, was pretty nondescript.
That’s because he spent the weekend with his employees, at the Porsche Employee Camp. Capable of holding up to 400 people, the automaker offered 200 tickets to the event (so that people could bring a plus one) that employees could enter to win by lottery.
Read: Porsche Wants 911 Owners To Use This Roof Tent For Their Adventures
It was a pretty hot ticket, though, and more than 1,200 employees entered to win. Not only did the winners share the grounds with their CEO, but they also got musical entertainment, visits from factory drivers André Lotterer, Dane Cameron, and Nick Tandy, and brand ambassador Mark Webber.
As the CEO, Blume was officially at Le Mans to do more than just watch the race – in fact, he had a tightly packed schedule over the weekend’s running but he was able to enjoy the race from the campground, something he says was important to him.
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“I’m lucky that through my work I can get as close to the action as anyone could dream,” said Blume. “But this year was incredibly special: camping on a Porsche, in amongst the Porsche community, is something I’ll never forget. The fans are at the heart of Le Mans, and this is what keeps drawing us back.”
Unfortunately for the employees, and Blume, Porsche had a pretty tough weekend at the event. Its hypercar, the 963, finished ninth, 22nd, and 38th, far from its aspirations of winning the race outright – an honor that went to Ferrari. Perhaps that makes Blume’s presence among his employees all the more important.
“On the Monday after the race, I sent out a survey for feedback on the whole experience,” said Richard Schramm, Assistant to the Executive Board Human Resources and Social Affairs. “Lots of people commented on how meaningful it was that our CEO was sleeping in the camp and standing in line to get breakfast. Everyone loved that he was there, in shorts and sandals, totally relaxed and just part of the Porsche crew.”
