PORSCHE/PENSKE

The Porsche/Penske 963 LMDh prototype made important progress in two days of testing at the legendary Daytona International Speedway

The Porsche Penske Motorsport team made important strides in the development of the Porsche 963. During two days of testing at Daytona International Speedway in Florida, the flaming LMDh prototype completed a total of 397 laps on the oval and indoor circuit.

These tests simulate what the Porsche Penske Motorsport team can expect when the 963 makes its racing debut at the end of January 2023 at the 24 Hours of Daytona. In these first tests it ran a total of 2,274 kilometers.

Journeys on the legendary American circuit were very demanding for the 680 hp (500 kW) hybrid prototype. The external conditions, with temperatures around 35 degrees centigrade, high humidity above 90%, and sporadic rains pushed man and machine to the limit. It was a really complex scenario and therefore great to prepare the Porsche 963 for the intense competitions of the 2023 season.

On the first of the two days, the weather conditions were already an inconvenience: a lightning strike near the circuit forced all track marshals to look for safe buildings for these situations, in accordance with American legislation. 

Therefore, the start of training was delayed by 90 minutes. Subsequently, the session began with the new prototype, which in 2023 will compete for absolute victory at Le Mans, Daytona and Sebring, among other circuits.

Official drivers Dane Cameron (USA), Matt Campbell (Australia) and Mathieu Jaminet (France) took turns at the wheel of the car with chassis number 03. Under the watchful eye of the experienced founder of the American team, Roger Penske ('Captain '), the team improved the tuning of the Porsche 963 and also optimized the interaction between engineers, drivers and mechanics.

Everything worked perfectly until 10 pm on the second day and the end was impactful: bright lightning lit up the night sky for the last few minutes. It was a preview of the Porsche 963's first racing appearance, because the sky will also light up when the car makes its debut in the IMSA WeatherTech championship on January 28/29, 2023: at the 24 Hours of Daytona, organizers often launch spectacular fireworks. artificial at dusk.

Autonews