Porsche Penske Motorsport scores one-two victory at 12 Hours of Sebring

Atlanta. In summer temperatures reaching 88 degrees Fahrenheit, a fierce battle among the top GTP contenders unfolded as soon as the green flag waved at 10:10 a.m. Eastern Time. Felipe Nasr swept to the front at the wheel of the No. 7 Porsche 963 just 15 minutes into the race after starting third. While the Brazilian and his teammates Nick Tandy and Laurens Vanthoor relinquished the lead around an hour later, they ultimately fought their way up the order to regain the lead in the evening after overcoming difficult conditions on the extremely hot track at the Sebring International Raceway.

The decisive moment came after the ninth and final full course caution when the field went head-to-head in a thrilling sprint during the final 31 minutes of the race. Nasr fought off his attacking rivals to bring home Porsche Penske Motorsport’s second victory of the young season. The win marked Porsche’s 19th overall victory at the endurance classic in Florida, and the first since 2008. For Nick Tandy, who earned himself the nickname “Mister 24 Hours” after his victory in Daytona, this latest triumph was another dream come true: The UK ace is just the tenth racing driver in the world to achieve the so-called Triple Crown of endurance racing after scoring overall victories at Sebring and the 24-hour races in Le Mans and Daytona.

Porsche Penske Motorsport #6

The No. 6 sister car also ran among the frontrunners for much of the 12-hour race. Matt Campbell, Mathieu Jaminet, and Kévin Estre ultimately crossed the finish line just 2.239 seconds behind their victorious teammates. Thanks to the one-two finish at Sebring, Porsche has extended its lead in the manufacturers’ championship while the two driver crews now hold the top two positions in the drivers’ championship.

“Congratulations to the whole team for a flawless performance,” Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President of Porsche Motorsport, said. “As expected, the 12 Hours of Sebring delivered some fierce competition. Drivers, mechanics, and engineers – everyone did an absolutely perfect job today. It couldn’t have gone better. The Porsche 963 has again upheld its reputation as the most successful LMDh car since the regulations were introduced. This is something we can all be very proud of. Thanks to everyone who contributed to these successes. I’d also like to congratulate our customer team AO Racing. They scored a well-deserved class victory with the Porsche 911 GT3 R.”

“Victory at Daytona, and now Sebring: We’ve won the 36 Hours of Florida,” said a delighted Urs Kuratle, Director Factory Racing LMDh. “That was one of our most outstanding races, absolutely flawless. I’m ecstatic. All the drivers and the entire team put in an incredibly strong effort: pit stops, strategy, car – everything went perfectly.”

“A superb performance from all six drivers and the whole team,” declared Jonathan Diuguid, Managing Director of Porsche Penske Motorsport. “Just two seconds separated our two cars after twelve hours. This underlines just how perfectly and smoothly everything went for us. We were able to set a strong pace, especially in the dark when temperatures got cooler. Several other team members and I witnessed the last overall victory for Porsche at Sebring in 2008, so it’s simply wonderful to be at the front together again now.”

Porsche 963, JDC-Miller MotorSports (#85)

The customer teams in the top GTP class also showcased the prowess of the Porsche 963 at times. Proton Competition finished the race in sixth overall, with JDC-Miller MotorSports’s identical hybrid prototype crossing the finish line in eighth place. In the No. 85 car, Porsche works driver Nico Müller celebrated his debut in the Porsche 963. The Swiss driver, who also contests Formula E for the Andretti customer team, put in some strong stints.

Porsche 911 GT3 R, AO Racing (#77), Alessio Picariello (BEL), Klaus Bachler (AUT), Laurin Heinrich (DEU)

GT classes: AO Racing’s Porsche 911 GT3 R triumphs after fierce battle

In the GTD Pro class, customer racing team AO Racing celebrated its first-ever victory in one of the major endurance races of the IMSA series with the Porsche 911 GT3 R. At the wheel of the fan favourite “Rexy”, two former Porsche Juniors in Laurin Heinrich from Germany and Klaus Bachler from Austria joined forces with Belgian Alessio Picariello to drive a flawless race. After an intense fight for the lead, the trio ultimately won by a margin of 4.371 seconds. Proton Competition’s No. 20 Porsche 911 GT3 R finished eighth.

In the GTD class, the Wright Motorsports customer team was plagued by a raft of setbacks despite the pace to contest for the win. The Ohio-based team was at times in contention for the lead with the 911 GT3 R, only to have two penalties during pit stops cost them crucial ground. The No. 120 Porsche 911 GT3 R driven by full-season American drivers Adam Adelson and Eliott Skeer, along with Austrialian Tom Sargent, took the flag fifth in its class. The Iron Dames team, complete with a full female driver line-up of Michelle Gatting, Rahel Frye and Sarah Bovy, wrapped up their second IMSA outing of 2025 with the in 11^th place.

Porsche 911 GT3 R, Wright Motorsports (#120), Adam Adelson (USA), Elliott Skeer (USA), Tom Sargent (AUS)

The famed Long Beach street race hosts round three of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season April 11-12. The spectacular Southern California street race is a 100-minute long sprint, a stark contrast to the 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring to open the season.

Drivers’ comments after the race

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Full results and championship standings: https://results.imsa.com.