24h Le Mans
After a first win in 2024, the Porsche Penske Motorsport #7 Porsche 963 took victory at the 63rd Rolex 24 at Daytona. The German hypercar’s record now includes two 24-hour race wins.
The Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963, driven by Felipe Nasr, Nick Tandy and Laurens Vanthoor, triumphed at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the opening round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. This win marks the German manufacturer’s 20th victory at the Florida classic and a second 24-hour race win for the Hypercar since its racing début in 2023.
Porsche Penske Motorsport demonstrated remarkable mastery throughout the 63rd running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Late in the evening, both Porsche 963s took the lead and maintained their position at the front of the pack until the final hours of the race, culminating in a decisive sprint to victory against the #60 Acura fielded by Acura Meyer Shank Racing. The #6 Porsche 963, driven by Jaminet/Campbell/Estre, finished third.
This was Felipe Nasr’s second consecutive victory at the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Meanwhile, Nick Tandy became the first driver to win all four major 24-hour races: Le Mans, Spa-Francorchamps, Nürburgring and Daytona. “Eleven years ago was the last time I was on the top step of the Daytona podium – back then in the GT class with a red and white Porsche. Three years of hard work have brought us here. We all did it together. At some point years ago, someone told me that nobody had ever managed to achieve overall victory in the four biggest 24-hour races. Since that day, this goal has been in the back of my mind. Now it has been realised. It feels great to be the first person to achieve something like this.”
“Winning the 24 Hours of Daytona twice in a row is a monumental achievement,” points out Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Porsche Motorsport. “The tension was huge. We did not always have the fastest car, but we were consistent and made the fewest mistakes. This victory is a perfect start to the new season!”
At the 63rd Rolex 24 at Daytona, Porsche was up against Acura, BMW, Cadillac and Lamborghini. The #24 BMW M Hybrid V8 could have been a contender for victory, but a mistake by Dries Vanthoor wiped out its chances. Nevertheless, the car finished fourth, ahead of the Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing #10 Cadillac V-Series.R.
The Tower Motorsports #8 Oreca 07-Gibson, steered by John Farano, Sebastian Alvarez, Sébastien Bourdais and Job Van Uitert, triumphed in the LMP2 class. In GTD Pro, the Ford Multimatic Motorsports #65 Ford Mustang GT3 took the win, while the AWA #13 Corvette Z06 GT3.R secured first place on the podium in GTD.
With 138 days to go to the 93rd 24 Hours of Le Mans (11-15 June 2025), this performance puts Porsche firmly on the list of favourites. However, the Stuttgart-based brand will face fierce competition from the Alpine, Aston Martin, BMW, Cadillac, Ferrari, Peugeot and Toyota hypercars. Let’s not forget the Porsche 963’s achievement in the Hyperpole session last year. However, as the race unfolded, it became clear that the assignment was going to be tougher than expected. Porsche was held back by some questionable strategic choices, especially where tyres were concerned, combined with a lower top speed than Ferrari and Toyota. Since then, Porsche has clearly stated its main goal for 2025: securing a 20th victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. We also know that significant modifications have been made to the 963’s suspension.
The 1812 km of Qatar race, the first round of the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) scheduled for February 28, will be an opportunity to see how the German Hypercar has evolved over the winter.
