Porsche 963
All cars achieved a top 5 finish
The three drivers of car number 7 celebrate on the finish podium. All four Porsche 963s that competed in the Daytona 24 Hours, including the winning car number 7, achieved a top five finish.
At the opening round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the Daytona 24 Hours, Porsche achieved its 20th overall victory, marking its second consecutive victory since 2024. Porsche Penske Motorsports’ No. 6 car (Matt Campbell, Kevin Estre, and Mathieu Jaminet) also took third place on the podium.
Additionally, JDC-Miller Motorsport’s #85 (Bryce Aaron, Gianmaria Bruni, Timmen van der Helm, Pascal Wehrlein) came in fourth, and Proton Competition’s #5 (Julien Androel, Neel Jani, Nico Pinot, Tristan Vautier) also came in fifth, giving every Porsche 963 a top-five finish, once again proving that it is the most successful LMDh prototype.
Porsche Vice President Motorsport Thomas Rodenbach expressed his delight at the team’s second consecutive Daytona victory:
“It’s hard to put into words how I feel. We’ve won the Daytona 24 Hours, the longest and toughest race in IMSA, for the second time in a row. This is a monumental achievement. There was a lot of tension within the team. We didn’t always have the fastest car, but we were consistent and completed the 24 hours with minimal mistakes. It’s a great result for the whole team, including the drivers, mechanics, engineers and my colleagues back home in Weissach. I’m really happy and it’s the perfect start to the season.”
The race will be decided in a sprint battle with 38 minutes remaining
The race resumed with 38 minutes remaining, and the No. 7 car won a battle between the Porsches. The No. 6 car was passed by an Acura in the final stages and finished in third place.
The final race kicked off at 1:40 pm local time on Saturday, January 25th, with 61 cars from four classes racing in a tough 24-hour race. Under clear Florida skies, the GTP class prototype racing cars, including four Porsche 963s, engaged in a fierce battle right from the start.
Throughout the 24 hours, the two Porsche Penske Motorsports cars delivered flawless performances on the 5.73km Daytona International Speedway, with the Porsche 963 maintaining its lead until the GTD cars came to a halt on the course with one hour remaining, bringing out the yellow flag.
The race resumed with 38 minutes remaining, and a fierce sprint battle ensued. The No. 7 and No. 6 Porsche 963s battled for the lead, but the No. 7 car broke away and finished in first place, achieving its second consecutive victory since 2024. The No. 6 car was caught in unfortunate traffic and allowed the No. 60 Acura ARX-06 to get ahead in the final stages, finishing in third place.
Felipe Nasr, who drove the final stint and brought home Porsche’s 10th Daytona win, reflected on the race as follows:
“It’s an incredibly great feeling. This victory makes me even happier than 2024. Winning at Daytona for the second year in a row will be something special in my career. I’d like to thank the entire team once again. I don’t know how to put my emotions into words right now. I feel such a happiness inside me that I can’t put it into words.”
