10/5/2022
Behind the Scenes: Porsche 963 in Daytona
Fast, faster, Daytona.
The challenging Daytona Superspeedway features a combination of the Highspeed Oval and the normal circuit. Up to 31° superelevation in the banked corners of the NA SCAR Tri-Oval allow high cornering speeds and thus very high average tempos.
The Porsche Penske Motorsport team has made key progress on their way to the first races for the Porsche 963.
During the two-day test drives at the Daytona International Speedway in the US state of Florida, the brand-new LMDh prototype lapped the combination of the oval and twisty infield a total of 397 times.
The team will face this exact track layout at the race debut of the 963 in late January 2023 on the occasion of the 24 Hours of Daytona. The 2,274-kilometre distance covered on this track during these first test runs is about the same as driving from Stuttgart to Istanbul.
Ideal prospects for endurance racing.
The test drives at Daytona threw tough challenges at the 500 kW (680 PS) hybrid vehicle. The external conditions, with temperatures hovering around 35 degrees Celsius and high humidity of over 90 per, pushed man and machine to the limit – such enormous stresses offer the ideal environment to prepare the Porsche 963 for the fierce competition at Le Many, Daytona and Sebring in the 2023 season.
The race car, built according to the LMDh regulations, is expected to cause furor and score victories in the FIA World Endurance Championship WEC and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship from 2023.
High performer: Optimized team interaction.
The works drivers Dane Cameron (USA), Matt Campbell (Australia) and Mathieu Jaminet (France) shared duties at the wheel of the hybrid racing car. In the presence of experienced American team founder Roger Penske (The Captain), the team improved the setup of the Porsche 963 and refined the interaction between the engineers, drivers and mechanics.
The 963 test runs concluded with a highlight.
Bright flashes lit up the night sky over Daytona during the last few minutes of the race. A positive omen for the race on January 28/29, 2023: Following tradition, the organisers of the 24 Hours of Daytona will set off spectacular fireworks. And the skies above the new Porsche 963 will shine bright.