Porsche Wins 24 Hours of Daytona Again for Record 21st Win
Porsche has celebrated its third straight outright victory at the 24 Hours of Daytona. This triumph cements the sports car manufacturer’s record with 21 wins. It also means 25 winning vehicles have run with a Porsche engine. At the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship opener in Florida, the Porsche 963 from the Porsche Penske Motorsport factory team drove to victory with factory drivers Felipe Nasr from Brazil, Julien Andlauer from France and Laurin Heinrich from Germany. The sister car finished the 64th running of the endurance classic in fourth.
Porsche has started the IMSA season in North America in the best possible way. The two factory hybrid prototypes controlled the 24 Hours of Daytona for long stretches and set the pace at the front for almost the entire race. In a thrilling run to the flag, the No. 7 car took the win in front of a record crowd.
‟Three Daytona wins in a row – every team dreams of such an achievement,” declares Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President of Porsche Motorsport. ‟The race was a gripping spectacle. This level of competition and passion is what drives Porsche on racetracks around the world. A huge thanks to the team, to everyone working at the track, and to all the top people in Weissach and at the Penske facility in Mooresville. This outstanding victory is ours forever. It’s an early cherry on the cake for our 75th motorsport anniversary and for Team Penske’s 60th birthday. Our hat-trick will go down in the history books."
Porsche and the Porsche Penske Motorsport factory team have become the first outfit in the new era of GTP cars to secure three consecutive wins at Daytona. Nasr has also become only the third driver in more than 60 years of the endurance classic to deliver a winning streak of this kind. His team-mates, former Porsche Juniors Andlauer and Heinrich, have each secured their first overall victory in Florida.
‟Winning at Daytona is the perfect way to kick off the celebrations to mark the Penske team’s 60th anniversary,” says Roger Penske, founder and CEO of Penske Corporation. ‟I’d also like to congratulate Porsche on an outstanding start to their ‘75 Years of Motorsport’ year. Together, we continue to write our success story. Today’s triumph reflects the determination and dedication of everyone working for Porsche Penske Motorsport in Mooresville and Germany.‟
‟Three wins in a row for Felipe and our team. The 24 Hours of Daytona is a dream event for us,” sums up Jonathan Diuguid. The Managing Director Porsche Penske Motorsport adds: ‟It was a nailbiter right to the flag. Felipe again underlined his brilliance in situations like these. His new teammates, Julien Andlauer and Laurin Heinrich, were just as impressive. No driving errors, no team mishaps, no penalties. That’s how a great team makes it to Daytona’s Victory Lane.”
‟The race wasn’t as easy for us as it may have looked at times,” explains Urs Kuratle, Director Factory Motorsport LMDh. ‟We worked hard and had to give absolutely everything in the incredibly tense finale. During the six-and-a-half-hour overnight yellow flag triggered by thick fog, some fans may have grown restless, but I’m sure our fight to the finish line more than rewarded them. Thanks to everyone on the team, our fantastic partners, and all our supporters.”
Strong customer teams missed out on top results in the GTP and GT categories. In the top GTP class, customer team JDC-Miller MotorSports delivered an impressive performance, and its Porsche 963 even led at times, but the car dropped back to seventh in the final stages. Manthey and AO Racing finished the 24-hour race with their two 911 GT3 R entries in the GTD Pro class in fifth and ninth. In the GTD category, Manthey 1st Phorm and Muehlner Motorsports finished 12th and 15th, respectively.
Further information supports coverage of the Daytona 24 Hours. Porsche has provided photos and videos from the event, plus live timing and full results. Team Penske has also shared crew information, while Daytona statistics capture the race in numbers and underline Porsche’s status as the record winner.
Felipe Nasr (Porsche 963 #7) says: ‟I don’t have the words to describe what this victory means to me. In the final laps, I left it all on the track, every ounce of strength and, above all, my heart – because it was so important to bring this triumph home for my teammates and our team! Like in previous years, the battle raged to the very end. The first emotions hit me on the last lap, and by the finish line, I could barely contain myself. I now want to celebrate this most beautiful moment of my career with everyone.”
Julien Andlauer (Porsche 963 #7) says: ‟From the first test runs eleven days ago to crossing the finish line, we gave everything, worked incredibly hard, and remained 100% focused. Here we stand, holding a beautiful trophy as the winners of the 24 Hours of Daytona. I’m just so proud of all of us.”
Laurin Heinrich (Porsche 963 #7) says: ‟It’s unbelievable – my first IMSA race for Porsche Penske Motorsport and we win the 24 Hours of Daytona! I joined the Porsche family as a junior in 2022, and now, as a factory driver, I’m on the top step of the podium at North America’s biggest endurance race. What a massive honour. I’m so grateful to Porsche for their trust and for the development opportunities I’ve been given.”
Kévin Estre (Porsche 963 #6) says: ‟First, it’s amazing for the team to score another win. Unfortunately, we nudged another car at the start. The team couldn’t fully fix the damage, so we’ll never know just how strong our 963 could have been without that incident. Compared to our sister car, we were always slightly on the back foot – competitive, yes, but never quite matching the No. 7 Porsche.”
Ayhancan Güven (Porsche 911 GT3 R #911) says: ‟We were consistent and made no mistakes – that’s exactly what everyone expects from our top Manthey team. After a disappointing qualifying result, we systematically fought our way back with a strong performance. In the final quarter of the race, we were running at the front, but in the battle for the class win, we didn’t have quite enough pace. It’s disappointing, but overall, it was still an impressive showing from our team.”
