A year ago, speculation was that the first race of IMSA’s new Grand Touring Prototype era would be a disaster. And certainly several of the cars had their issues, with both Porsche 963s and B…
A year ago, there was speculation that the first race of IMSA’s new Grand Touring Prototype era would be a disaster, as several cars experienced issues. However, the problems with the hybrid units, batteries, and controllers were quickly resolved. Throughout the spring and summer, medium-sized issues continued to be addressed. By the end of the season, most major problems were resolved and it was down to fine-tuning details.
Porsche had high expectations for the new GTP era, but their cars faced problems in the season-opening Rolex 24 at Daytona. However, Porsche Penske Motorsports recovered quickly and had a shot at winning the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. Both PPM squads were in contention for the title heading into the season finale, Motul Petit Le Mans.
The teams have been working on figuring out the adjustments and settings that bring optimal performance to the cars. The complexity of the hybrid car formula, along with new heave and roll damper setups, has posed challenges for the teams. Additionally, software integration and electronic systems play a significant role in performance and driver feedback.
To address these challenges, PPM has added new engineering talent, such as Brandon Fry, who will oversee the engineering of their cars. There is a focus on efficiently utilizing the support of the software system experts to make informed decisions and communicate effectively with race engineers and drivers.
Porsche is also making physical changes to the car through homologation updates in the off season.
