Experience the Thrill: 24 Hours of Daytona 2025 - IMSA Season Opener Highlights
The 24 Hours of Daytona, the iconic season opener for the North American IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, is set to take place on January 25-26, 2025, at the Daytona International Speedway in Florida, USA. Four Porsche 963 hybrids will line up on the grid, including two from Porsche Penske Motorsport, one from Proton Competition, and another by the customer team JDC-Miller MotorSports. Pascal Wehrlein, Germany's Formula E World Champion, will make his Daytona debut driving the GTP car. Sharing the No. 85 with Dutch racer Tijmen van der Helm and American Bryce Aron, Wehrlein aims to make a strong impression. The No. 7 Porsche 963 from the factory team, fresh from its victory in January this year, seeks to add to Porsche's record with a 20th overall victory at Daytona.
Pascal Wehrlein expressed his excitement about his transition to sports cars, noting that the test sessions with JDC-Miller MotorSports in mid-November went well and that the Porsche 963 felt similar to the DTM cars he had raced. Despite recovering from an accident in São Paulo, Wehrlein is eager to return to complete competitive form by January.
Wehrlein first experienced the 963 at Sebring in October 2022 and continued to refine his skills with further tests in Daytona. His upcoming appearance at the "Roar before the 24" official test days starting January 17 at Daytona International Speedway will mark the commencement of the new IMSA season. His teammate, António Félix da Costa, will also compete, driving an LMP2 for the Inter Europol Competition team.
António Félix da Costa is thrilled to be racing with the LMP2 championship-winning team from last season and anticipates a triumphant return to the LMP2 class. With extensive endurance racing experience, including four appearances at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Team Jota, da Costa is well-prepared for the challenges ahead.
Porsche Racing Team Lineup at the 24 Hours of Daytona:
GTP Class (Porsche 963):
Porsche Penske Motorsport #6: Matt Campbell (AUS), Mathieu Jaminet (FRA), Kévin Estre (FRA)
Porsche Penske Motorsport #7: Felipe Nasr (BRA), Nick Tandy (GBR), Laurens Vanthoor (BEL)
Proton Competition #5: Gianmaria Bruni (ITA), Neel Jani (SUI), TBC
JDC-Miller MotorSports #85: Pascal Wehrlein (GER), Bryce Aron (USA), Tijmen van der Helm (NLD)
LMP2 Class (Oreca 07 Gibson):
Inter Europol Competition #43: António Félix da Costa (PRT), Tom Dillmann (FRA), Bijoy Garg (USA), Jon Field (USA)
GTD Pro Class (Porsche 911 GT3 R):
Proton Competition #20: Thomas Preining (AUT), Richard Lietz (AUT), Claudio Schiavoni (ITA), Matteo Cressoni (ITA)
AO Racing #77: Klaus Bachler (AUT), Laurin Heinrich (GER), Alessio Picariello (BEL)
GTD Class:
Iron Dames #83: Michelle Gatting (DNK), Rahel Frey (SUI), Sarah Bovy (BEL), Karen Gaillard (SUI)
Wright Motorsports #120: Ayhancan Güven (TUR), Adam Adelson (USA), Elliott Skeer (USA), Tom Sargent (AUS)
AWA #13: Lars Kern (GER), Matt Bell (GBR), Marvin Kirchhöfer (GER), Orey Fidani (CAN)
