Porsche Penske Motorsport will not be entering the 24 Hours of Daytona this week in the position of the hunter but the hunted.
Titled in IMSA in 2024, winner of the double round of the clock in Florida twelve months ago, the alliance between the German brand and the legendary American team of Roger Penske has won almost everything on the other side of the Atlantic. last year.
Even if the transition from one season to another may constitute a “reset” on certain aspects, it is clear that the progress recorded by the Porsche 963 and the knowledge now gained by Porsche Penske on its GTP, equipped with a few developments for 2025, place the team in a position of favorite.
If Laurens Vanthoor signed “only” the 7th best time in the Roar before the Rolex 24 at the end of last week, optimism seems to be in order in the PPM clan.
“We are entering this year’s race exceptionally well prepared, says Jonathan Diuguid, director of Porsche Penske Motorsport. Our test sessions in November 2024 and last weekend were positive. There were a few small technical issues here and there, but that’s exactly what practice sessions are for: fixing things like that. I’m optimistic going into the next race. »
-And the 963 seems to have well integrated the developments put in place for this campaign.
« There are benefits of course, otherwise we would not have considered integrating them into the car, commented Felipe Nasr, driver of the No. 7 and reigning champion, interviewed during a Zoom ahead of the Roar. But as I said, it’s more a question of refining the balance that we had and trying to better combine the aero and mechanical balance. Daytona was one of our best races in 2024, so we had a good benchmark and basis for comparison. »
Just like for the 24 Hours of Le Mans (19 victories to date), Porsche will aim for a 20th victory at Daytona this year.
Belgium
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