Champions of Daytona: Porsche Penske Motorsport celebrates grandiose season premiere
When victors write legends
What a race, what a start into the new IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar season: Porsche Penske Motorsport had clearly set out with high goals for their second season with the Porsche 963 hybrid prototype. That was made clear during the season opener in Daytona. But what the drivers Felipe Nasr (Brazil), Dane Cameron (USA), Matt Campbell (Australia) and Josef Newgarden (USA) achieved with their car #7 was beyond the wildest expectations.
For 24 hours they gave their all, pushing ahead with an iron will until they brought their Porsche 963 to the front of the grid in the final duel and steered it across the finish line under massive cheers. A brilliant victory for the quartett of factory drivers and the entire team. Especially here at the legendary endurance race at the Daytona International Speedway, which is considered the US equivalent of the European Le Mans. Maximum driver performance, an incredible amount of experience and great assertiveness were demanded of the drivers here.
Incredible race in front of a record audience
The green flag was swung to open the new season in front of filled stands in Florida. Finally, the engines of the four IMSA vehicle classes roared once more across the track so steeped in tradition. It provided an amazing backdrop for the drivers, who had just arrived in Daytona after an intense period of preparation. And the preparations paid off: In the early hours of the race, both Porsche Penske Motorsport teams with the car numbers #6 and #7 were able to set themselves up for success close to the lead. The best conditions for the start of the particularly challenging night.
This is what makes Daytona the pinnacle of motorsport: After the sun sets around 6 p.m., the drivers continue to race in nighttime conditions until the morning hours. Although the track remains lit, the performance is reduced to about 20 percent. For the drivers, this long period of darkness means increased effort and vigilance.
Pure Adrenaline and duel on the final straight
Daytona turned out to be a nerve-wracking experience. Again and again, the lead switched between the Porsche 963 #6 and #7 along with the Cadillac with the number 31. After night had fallen on Saturday evening, the driver team consisting of Mathieu Jaminet (France), Nick Tandy (Great Britain), Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium) and Kévin Estre (France) managed to place the car #6 in the lead. But the team was set back due to some penalties, while the colleagues in the sister car #7 blazed further ahead.
The decision fell – much to the surprise of the fans – 1 minute and 30 seconds ahead of time after Felipe Nasr in the Porsche 963 #7 had duelled with the Cadillac driver Tom Blomqvist for half an hour. A cheer went up for Porsche as the checkered flag was swung. One thing became clear: The Porsche Penske Motorsport Team had won the first spot in the 24 Hours of Daytona. The sister car with the #6 just barely missed the podium and finished fourth.
Porsche in the lead for the manufacturer title
The Porsche Customer Racing Teams Proton Competition and JDC-Miller-MotorSports also joined the battle for the lead – and with a finish on spots five and six, they achieved great results in the top class GTP.
A great success for Porsche: With that, the Stuttgart-natives were in the lead for the manufacturer title directly after the season began. As a result, they and their teams will start the second race highlight on March 16 as leaders of the standings when the starting flag drops at the 12 Hours of Sebring.
Success course for the 911 cars in the GTD Pro class
Meanwhile in the GTD Pro class, the AO Racing team finished on second with the Porsche 911 GT3 R. A great result for the team consisting of Laurin Heinrich, Seb Priaulx and Michael Christensen – a team that also celebrated its GTD Pro class debut this year.
Wright Motorsports finished on seventh position. Andretti Motorsports, Kelly-Moss with Riley and MDK Motorsports concluded the race with their Porsche 911 GT3 Rs on spots nine, eleven and twelve respectively.
