IMSA | Porsche confident: “963 competitive for the 24h of Daytona”

The Porsche will start from the second row of the grid for the 24h of Daytona, the first seasonal event of the IMSA SportsCar Championship which will be held next weekend.

Felipe Nasr was the fastest of the 963 entered in the event, placing the #7 of Team Penske third, a couple of tenths behind the very fast poleman Pipo Derani in the Action Express Racing Cadillac, and with Sébastien Bourdais second in the V-Series. R by Chip Ganassi Racing.

Although his teammate Nick Tandy did not go beyond seventh place in the timed trials held on Sunday in Florida, there is no concern at all in the official team of the German brand.

Indeed, as the two competitors who took part in the Qualifying explained, the speed of the 963 was satisfactory and from a race perspective there are great hopes of being able to fight for success in the GTP Class.

“Third place is good, I got everything I could from our car and the team did a great job. I am absolutely convinced that we will go into the race with a strong package,” says Nasr.

“We will continue to focus on consistency with long distance in mind in the next practice sessions starting on Thursday. We need to be perfectly prepared to be fighting for the win next weekend.”

Tandy adds: “The Cadillac was incredibly strong, which surprised me a little; however, we want to win the race, not Qualifying. At Daytona, the important thing is to be the fastest in the final and decisive phase next Sunday” .

“We are racing in an endurance race and the aim is always to get to the finish line. Our cars work perfectly, we have worked hard over the winter and the results are visible. I am preparing for the race week with good sensations.”

Photo by: Jake Galstad / Motorsport Images

#6 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963: Nick Tandy, Mathieu Jaminet, Kevin Estre, Laurens Vanthoor

Porsche and Penske also make it clear that the excellent state of form of the Cadillacs seen during the Roar tests deserves attention, but with the knowledge that the means to run a good race between Saturday and Sunday are all there.

“We would have loved to get Pole, but unfortunately it didn't happen that way, so congratulations to Cadillac: their crew simply did better”, recognizes Urs Kuratle, Director of the official LMDh program.

“We didn't make any mistakes, all the teams were very close and I think we are in a good position on the grid for the race. After all, the event lasts 24 hours, so anything is possible.”

“The forecast for the race weekend is for warmer temperatures, we are ready for this and feel optimistic for the opening of the season.”

Jonathan Diuguid, CEO of Porsche Penske Motorsport, echoes this: “The drivers of our two 963s did an excellent job, as did the entire crew, as Felipe set the third fastest time.”

“Even though the sister car is only seventh on the grid, I am confident that we have managed to get a good starting position. The drivers are very satisfied with the handling of the car in race trim, so I am confident for the 24 hours.”

Photo by: Art Fleischmann

#85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963: Tijmen van der Helm, Richard Westbrook, Phil Hanson, Ben Keating

On the private Porsche front, the only 963 on the track in Qualifying was the #85 of JDC-Miller Motorsports in the hands of Tijmen Van Der Helm, given that the #5 of Proton Competition remained in the pits after the accident in which it had been an unfortunate protagonist during the short Test Session 6 with Neel Jani at the wheel, however suffering damage to the bodywork that could be repaired without worries.

“We are closer to the other teams than last year, so we have made progress, even if we still have a long way to go – highlights Van Der Helm, ninth in the order – Today was qualifying for an endurance race. We are facing at a 24-hour event, so grid position doesn't really matter.”

“The important thing is to keep up with the others, that's what makes the race exciting and beautiful. If we get to the checkered flag without incidents, we should be able to achieve something good.”