Porsche 963 Shines at 24 Hours of Daytona

Porsche 963 Shines at the 24 Hours of Daytona: A Strong Start from the Second Row

The Porsche 963, one of the top-performing hybrid prototypes from Porsche Penske Motorsport, is set to make its mark at the iconic 24 Hours of Daytona. In the intense qualifying session, Felipe Nasr, the Brazilian Porsche factory driver, secured an impressive third-place position on the starting grid, setting a fast lap time of 1:34.280 minutes. This places the Porsche 963 firmly in the mix for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season opener.

Despite the challenging cold conditions of just 9°C, the Porsche Penske Motorsport team managed to showcase its impressive engineering capabilities. The qualifying session, cut short due to a red flag, left less than six minutes for drivers to post competitive lap times. Nasr, however, skillfully warmed up the Michelin tires and performed flawlessly under pressure. Unfortunately, his teammate Matt Campbell wasn’t as fortunate, only managing two flying laps, preventing him from reaching his full potential. Consequently, Porsche's #6 car will start from tenth position.

In addition to Porsche Penske Motorsport’s performance, the customer team JDC-Miller MotorSports also showed great strength, with their Porsche 963 qualifying in fifth place. This demonstrates the wide-reaching potential of the Porsche 963 in the GTP category.

The Intense Competition in GTD and GTD-Pro Categories

While the Porsche 963 was a standout in the GTP class, the Porsche 911 GT3 R made waves in the GTD category, thanks to Wright Motorsports. The team’s driver, Elliott Skeer, secured pole position with an outstanding lap, further cementing Porsche's dominance across multiple categories. Wright Motorsports’ success comes on the back of solid preparations, with the team’s earlier performance at Daytona boosting their confidence for the 24-hour endurance race.

The Iron Dames, a team representing female drivers, also impressed by qualifying 11th in the highly competitive GTD category. Their driver Michelle Gatting was just 0.347 seconds off the pole time set by Skeer, showcasing how close the competition is within the class.

In the GTD-Pro category, Porsche factory driver Laurin Heinrich qualified 7th with the #77 Porsche 911 GT3 R, while teammate Thomas Preining encountered challenges with the car’s top speed, qualifying 14th. The weather conditions, which shifted from light rain to drying, certainly added to the complexities of the session.

Looking Forward to the Race

As the 63rd edition of the 24 Hours of Daytona approaches, the focus for Porsche Penske Motorsport and the entire Porsche lineup shifts to the race itself. Despite some challenges during qualifying, the team remains optimistic about their prospects, especially with the #7 Porsche 963 starting in third position. As Nasr remarked, qualifying times matter less in a 24-hour race, where consistency, strategy, and reliability are key.

The race promises to be an exciting spectacle, with Porsche at the forefront, supported by their strong driver lineup and competitive cars. Fans around the world will be watching closely, and the entire race will be streamed live on imsa.tv for those outside the USA and Canada.

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