Porsche Penske Motorsport has clinched its second consecutive victory at the 24 Hours of Daytona. Last year’s winner Felipe Nasr from Brazil, Nick Tandy from the United Kingdom, and Laurens Vanthoor from Belgium steered the number 7 Porsche 963 to the top step of the podium.
This milestone marks Porsche’s 20th overall win at the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship opener, further cementing its illustrious legacy. The number 6 Porsche 963, piloted by Matt Campbell (Australia), Mathieu Jaminet, and Kévin Estre (both France), rounded out the team’s success with a third-place finish. Once again, the Porsche 963 demonstrated its dominance as the most successful LMDh prototype since its racing debut.
The Race
At 1:40 PM local time on Saturday, January 25, 61 cars across four competition classes took the green flag at the Daytona International Speedway to begin the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season. Under Florida’s sunny skies, the GTP class prototypes engaged in fierce battles from the start. Among them: the 707 PS (520 kW) Porsche 963, which claimed victory at Daytona in 2024 and dominated last season’s championship standings.
The works drivers and the whole Porsche Penske Motorsport team delivered a flawless performance over the 5.73-kilometer Daytona circuit. By late evening, both Porsche 963 entries had established themselves at the front of the field. They maintained their commanding positions through to the final hours of the race, with a decisive sprint to victory occurring in the last 40 minutes after the final yellow flag period.
Ultimately, Felipe Nasr in the number 7 car emerged victorious after an intense battle between both Porsche 963 for the lead, showcasing precision and endurance. Despite traffic complications in the closing stages, the number 6 sister car relinquished second place but secured a commendable third. For Nasr, this victory marked his second consecutive Daytona triumph. Vanthoor and Tandy celebrated their first overall wins at this prestigious event. Tandy also achieved a historic milestone, becoming the first driver to win all four major 24-hour endurance races: Le Mans, Spa-Francorchamps, Nürburgring and Daytona.
‟My emotions are difficult to put into words,” said Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Porsche Motorsport. ‟Winning the 24 Hours of Daytona twice in a row – one of the longest and toughest races in the IMSA series – is a monumental achievement. The tension was huge. We did not always have the fastest car, but we were consistent and made the fewest mistakes. This is a fantastic result for our drivers, mechanics, engineers, and the team, including our colleagues back home in Weissach. I am delighted. This victory is a perfect start to the new season!”
Roger Penske, founder and CEO of Penske Corporation, echoed this sentiment: ‟What an incredible day for the entire Porsche Penske Motorsport organization. Both of our Porsche 963 and the drivers showed great speed and reliability. The crews performed flawlessly due to meticulous preparation by everyone on the team. 2024 was an unmatched season of success starting with a win at the 24 Hours of Daytona and it’s great to repeat that success to start 2025 with the 3rd overall win for Team Penske and the 20th victory for Porsche.”
Urs Kuratle, Director of Factory Motorsport LMDh, added: ‟An ideal season opener. This year’s result, with first and third place, surpasses last year’s success. The factory cars performed impeccably over the long distance, with perfect strategy and pit stops – a phenomenal effort by the entire team. I could not be prouder!”
“It’s impossible to put this success into words. The crews of number 6 and number 7 did an outstanding job,” summarized Jonathan Diuguid, Managing Director of Porsche Pense Motorsport. “This triumph is not down to the fact that our car was the strongest – it was down to the impeccable work of the drivers and the team. We led the race for very long stretches and were rewarded. Now I hope that things continue like that and that we finish this year just as successfully as last year.”
With this success, Porsche has taken the lead in the championship standings of the top GTP class. The 24-hour race at Daytona also marks the start of the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup. In this classification, Porsche also holds the lead in the manufacturers’, team’s, and drivers’ championships. The special classification within the IMSA season also includes the 12 Hours of Sebring, the two 6-hour races at Watkins Glen and Indianapolis, and the “Petit Le Mans” at Road Atlanta.
The customer teams experienced mixed fortunes with the Porsche 963. Proton Competition was forced to retire early due to suspension damage during the night, while JDC-Miller MotorSports secured a solid sixth-place overall finish. The striking yellow No. 85 car, driven by Gianmaria Bruni (Italy), Tijmen van der Helm (Netherlands), Bryce Aron (USA), and Porsche works driver and Formula E World Champion Pascal Wehrlein (Germany), showcased strong resilience. Meanwhile, Wehrlein’s TAG Heuer Formula E teammate, António Félix da Costa, endured a tough race and failed to finish with the LMP2 team Inter Europol.
GT categories: Porsche 911 GT3 R of Wright Motorsport on the podium
In GTD class, Wright Motorsports continued their strong form. Starting from pole position, the American team secured second place after 24 hours of racing. Former Porsche Junior driver Ayhancan Güven (Turkey), alongside Adam Adelson and Elliott Skeer (both USA) and Tom Sargent (Australia), celebrated a well-deserved podium finish. The Iron Dames made their IMSA debut in the Porsche 911 GT3 R, finishing eighth in class.
The ‟Rexy” Porsche 911 GT3 R from AO Racing faced misfortune in the GTD-Pro category. Defending champion Laurin Heinrich (Germany), Klaus Bachler (Austria), and Alessio Picariello (Belgium) led at times but dropped to eighth after sustaining damage from a collision. Proton Competition’s identical, up to 478 kW (565 PS) race car finished the endurance race in tenth place.
Race results
GTP Class:
- Nasr/Tandy/Vanthoor (BRA/GBR/BEL), Porsche 963 #7, 781 laps
- Blomqvist/Braun/Dixon/Rosenqvist (GBR/USA/NZL/SWE), Acura #60, -1.335 seconds
- Jaminet/Campbell/Estre (FRA/AUS/FRA), Porsche 963 #6, -4.423 seconds
- Van der Helm/Bruni/Wehrlein/Aron (NLD/ITA/DEU/USA), Porsche 963 #85, -1 lap
- Andlauer/Jani/Vautier/Pino (FRA/SUI/FRA/CHL), Porsche 963 #5, DNF
GTD-Pro Class:
- Mies/Vervisch/Olsen (DEU/BEL/NOR), Ford #65, 723 laps
- Garcia/Sims/Juncadella (ESP/GBR/ESP), Corvette #3, -1.909 seconds
- Rockenfeller/Priaulx/Cindric (DEU/GBR/USA), Ford #64, -5.766 seconds
- Heinrich/Bachler/Picariello (DEU/AUT/BEL), Porsche 911 GT3 R #77, -1 lap
- Schiavoni/Cressoni/Preining/Lietz (ITA/ITA/AUT/AUT), Porsche 911 GT3 R #20, -4 laps
GTD Class:
- Fidani/Bell/Kern/Kirchhöfer (CAN/GBR/DEU/DEU), Corvette #13, 719 laps
- Adelson/Skeer/Sargent/Güven (USA/USA/AUS/TUR), Porsche 911 GT3 R #120, – 1.454 seconds
- Gamble/Stevenson/Robichon/Drudi (GBR/GBR/CAN/ITA), Aston Martin #27, – 4.817 seconds
- Bovy/Frey/Gatting/Gaillard (BEL/SUI/DNK/SUI), Porsche 911 GT3 R #83, – 10.547 seconds
All results and championship standings are available HERE
