Porsche and its customer teams are looking back on a successful "Roar Before the 24" at Daytona. As part of the official tests before the season opener of the 2026 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the Porsche 963 was always in the top field of the top GTP class. In four of the six test sessions, a hybrid prototype "Made in Flacht" was number one on the timesheets. The Porsche Penske Motorsport works team is optimistic about the upcoming 24-hour race on 24/25 January as the defending champion.

At the 24 Hours of Daytona, Porsche is starting its anniversary year "75 Years of Motorsport" with the successful hybrid prototype 963. During the three-day tests, the works team's two GTP race cars with around 500 kW (680 hp) completed a total of 637 laps at the Daytona International Speedway together with the 963 fielded by JDC-Miller MotorSports. This corresponds to a total distance of 3,650 kilometres. Porsche Penske Motorsport is not only going into the competition in Florida as the defending champion of the IMSA series: In the past two years 2024 and 2025, the overall victory at Daytona was achieved in each case.

"We carried out the test drives cleanly and concentrated exclusively on our programme at all times," said Urs Kuratle, Vice President Factory Motorsport LMDh. "The Porsche 963 worked flawlessly, the drivers delivered strong performances. The results of JDC-Miller MotorSports show that our customer squad has also made noticeable progress over the winter. We are optimally prepared for the start of the season, but we will only learn to assess the balance of power in the race week."

The bright yellow hybrid prototype of the customer team JDC-Miller MotorSports from Minneapolis, often referred to as the "Banana Boat", lapped the combination of NASCAR oval and narrow passages in the infield a total of 220 times (1,260 kilometers). The team fields the Porsche 963 in last year's specification, while the Porsche Penske Motorsport works team relies on the latest updates that further improve the handling. The 963 is the most successful LMDh car since the regulations were introduced for the 2023 season.

#Raceborn: The Porsche brand identity for 75 years

Motorsport runs in the family at Porsche. Ferdinand Porsche already used the competition to test technologies and redefine boundaries. With the founding of the Porsche brand, vehicles were used in motorsport from the very beginning. The class victory at the 1951 24 Hours of Le Mans with the 356 SL, driven by the two Frenchmen Auguste Veuillet and Edmond Mouche, marked the beginning of a unique success story. For 75 years now, countless victories and innovations have shaped the brand.

GT classes: Revised Porsche 911 GT3 R completes important test laps

In the two GT categories, the Porsche customer teams focused on getting to know the latest version of the 911 GT3 R. The highly successful GT3 car has been equipped with extensive updates for the 2026 season, including in the areas of drivability and aerodynamic stability. In the GTD-Pro class, the two nine-elevens fielded by AO Racing ("Rexy") and Manthey ("Grello") completed a total of 373 laps. In the GTD class, in which amateurs and professionals alternate at the wheel, the cars of RS1, Wright Motorsports, Muehlner Motorsport and Manthey 1st Phorm completed successful test drives.

Drivers' comments on the "Roar Before the 24

Matt Campbell (Porsche 963 #6): "The tests before the start of the first race week of the year went impressively smoothly. We had no worries with the car, stayed on the track at all times and got through absolutely clean – everything according to plan. After our last test in November at Daytona, we arrived with an extensive list that we worked through consistently. Now we're all looking forward to the coming race week."

Felipe Nasr (Porsche 963 #7): "It was important and good to collect a lot of data and impressions. The focus was on the tyres, among other things, because Michelin has developed a new specification for the season. On the first day it was cool, on the second much warmer. So we were able to learn a lot under different conditions. We're going into the race week with the same goal as in previous years: we want to win!"

Ayhancan Güven (Porsche 911 GT3 R #911): "It was a successful test weekend for all of us. We were also concerned with the special procedures in IMSA that we drivers and everyone in the team have to internalize. Over the next two days, we will analyze the insights and data gained."

Harry King (Porsche 911 GT3 R #77): "It was my first laps in the IMSA series and on the famous Daytona circuit. I had a lot of fun. The integration into my new team AO Racing works splendidly. I'm very happy that the race week is about to start. We want to translate our good test work into at least equally good results in the race."