Kick-off: Porsche 963 in Daytona.

Daytona, Sebring, Le Mans – 2023 is bound to become a thrilling comeback in all premier leagues of endurance racing for Porsche. Kickoff are the 24 Hours of Daytona. And in the middle of it: the 963 in the red and white design of Porsche Penske Motorsport.

The 24 hours on the Daytona International Speedway on January 28 and 29 are both, the beginning of the IMSA season as well as the first race with the LMDh car in the revived GTP class.

The abbreviation LMDh is short for Le Mans Daytona hybrid. And with the LMDh program, Porsche returns to the league of these championships to battle for overall victories. The 24-hours race of Daytona will be the first official engagement of the hybrid prototype with a system performance of about 500 kW (680 hp). Additionally, it's a premier moment to be able to drive in both series – IMSA and WEC – with the same race car.

"With the new LMdH 963, we've set our sights on the 20th overall win in France," says Porsche Motorsport Head Thomas Laudenbach. "We also want to win titles in the North American IMSA series and the World Endurance Championship. Then the Porsche 963 will become an icon."

Over 70 vehicles applied for Daytona. However, the IMSA only permits 60 race cars in the starting grid this year – for safety reasons, the pit area of every participant has been expanded. Porsche enters the grid in Daytona with two 963 vehicles. And the competition is great: Acura, BMW and Cadillac have also introduced LMDh vehicles for the new prototype class of the IMSA.

With the dawn of the 963 era, the factory driver division has been reorganized. Among the major changes is the return of Nick Tandy. The Brit will be sharing the Porsche 963 with the starting number 6 in the IMSA series with Mathieu Jaminet. During the 24 Hours of Daytona, both drivers will receive support from Dane Cameron. The second LMDh vehicle with the starting number 7 will be manned by Matt Campbell and Felipe Nasr, along with Michael Christensen as third driver.

Throughout the FIA World Endurance Championship WEC three factory drivers per Porsche 963 will be on duty: Planned for starting number 5 are Dane Cameron, Michael Christensen and Frédérick Makowiecki. Its sister car with the number 6 will be piloted by Kévin Estre, André Lotterer and Laurens Vanthoor.