Porsche Penske Motorsport Aims to Defend Its Lead at the 12 Hours of Sebring

After a victorious start at Daytona, Porsche Penske Motorsport faces a new challenge at the 12 Hours of Sebring. With fierce competition and a demanding track, can they secure another win?

Following their triumphant season opener at the 24 Hours of Daytona, Porsche Penske Motorsport is heading to Sebring for another grueling battle. The second round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the 12 Hours of Sebring, is notorious for pushing both cars and drivers to their limits.

For Porsche, this race is more than just a championship challenge—it’s a true test of endurance. The Sebring International Raceway is famous for its punishing surface, a mix of asphalt and concrete slabs from its days as a military airfield. The rough terrain puts extreme stress on suspensions, making car setup a crucial factor in the race’s outcome.

GTP Battle Heats Up

In the GTP class, Porsche is entering two factory-backed Porsche 963 prototypes, supported by two additional hybrid prototypes from customer teams Proton Competition and JDC-Miller MotorSports:

• №6 – driven by Matt Campbell, Mathieu Jaminet, and Kévin Estre.
• №7 – featuring the Daytona-winning trio of Felipe Nasr, Nick Tandy, and Laurens Vanthoor.
• №5 (Proton Competition) – driven by Neel Jani, Tristan Vautier, and Nico Pino.
• №85 (JDC-Miller MotorSports) – featuring Gianmaria Bruni, Nico Müller, and Tijmen van der Helm.

Competition is set to intensify this year, as Aston Martin makes its debut in IMSA’s top category, adding another strong contender to the mix.

Porsche's GT Presence

Porsche is also well-represented in the GTD Pro and GTD categories, with four 911 GT3 R entries, fielded by teams such as Iron Dames, Wright Motorsports, AO Racing, and Proton Competition.

GTD Pro Class:

• AO Racing #77 – Klaus Bachler, Laurin Heinrich, Alessio Picariello.
• Proton Competition #20 – Richard Lietz, Claudio Schiavoni, Matteo Cressoni.

GTD Class:

• Iron Dames #83 – Michelle Gatting, Rahel Frey, Sarah Bovy.
• Wright Motorsports #120 – Adam Adelson, Elliott Skeer, Tom Sargent.

Porsche Penske Motorsport is eager to take on the Sebring challenge after a dramatic end to last year’s race. In 2023, both Porsche 963 prototypes were leading with just 20 minutes to go before an incident forced them out of contention. This time, the goal is clear—to stay in the fight until the checkered flag and aim for victory.

Porsche has been preparing extensively for Sebring, including a crucial IMSA test session in February. Matt Campbell set the fastest lap during the two-day test, and the team has been fine-tuning their setup for Sebring’s notorious bumps.

Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President of Porsche Motorsport, emphasized the importance of this race, noting that while the Daytona win was a hard-fought battle, Sebring presents an entirely different challenge. He highlighted the arrival of Aston Martin as a new competitor in the GTP class and reiterated that Porsche welcomes strong competition, as it makes victories even more meaningful.

The 12 Hours of Sebring kicks off on March 15 at 10:10 AM local time, and Porsche is determined to strengthen its championship lead. With a highly competitive field, success will require precision, endurance, and flawless execution.

Source: porsche.com