It has been quite a start to the IMSA season for Porsche Penske, especially in their Florida swing, securing another 1-2 finish to win the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring.

Porsche Penske Motorsports became the first team to win both the Rolex 24 and the Sebring 12 Hour since Wayne Taylor Racing in 2017 and secured the first overall win for the German brand since 2008.

Felipe Nasr sent the #7 Porsche 963 to the checkered flag in a race highlighted by the battle between the #31 Whelen Cadillac and the two Porsche Penske entries.

The Action Express Cadillac stood out throughout the entirety of the race, with Jack Aitken and Frederik Vesti looking strong. However, pit stop strategy and a late yellow played into the result, allowing the Porsche Penske camp to pick up the race win.

In LMP2, contact from Malthe Jakobsen to the #13 AWA Corvette resulted in a late-race drive-through penalty that practically took away the race win for the #04 Crowdstrike by APR Oreca team. The penalty allowed Tom Dillmann and the #43 Inter Europol Oreca to secure their second IMSA victory, their first since CTMP last season.

The GTD classes provided some late-race drama, especially in the quintessential Pro-Am class, with Philip Ellis’ aggressive move on the leading #12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus for Jack Hawksworth, allowing the #57 to claim a second straight Sebring 12 Hour victory in class. GTD Pro saw “Rexy’s” dental upgrade come to good use by grabbing the GTD Pro win—though not by the skin of their teeth.

A Porsche Penske Precedent

Beyond the strong start for the Porsche Penske crew, history is being made for the team.

The race win for Nick Tandy made him the 10th driver of all time to win overall at Le Mans, Daytona, and Sebring, with opportunities for Felipe Nasr and Laurens Vanthoor to join the list come Le Mans.

“It’s incredible because I never realized how big a thing it would be winning all the four 24 Hour races,” Tandy said. “It went global. People are talking about it globally. The Triple Crown is probably one of the more historic kinds of – what do we call them – accomplishments, groups. It’s one of the most historic. You look at the names of the people that are on that list, I mean, one of these two is also going to join it this year, most likely Felipe – sorry, buddy (smiling).

You look at the names that you’re linked with. That is just an unbelievable thing. Again, on top of the unbelievable stuff that happens when you win a single race like Daytona, let alone the other bits and pieces. I remember when I won Sebring in 2018 the first time, I said, This completed my set. I was racing Le Mans spec cars. There were six major races. No, there were four major races. Three? I don’t know. Four, that’s right. There were four that raced Le Mans spec cars, the three IMSA endurances and Le Mans. I think somebody said it’s the sixth Tuplet, which is again something that nobody’s ever done. Hopefully it’s even harder for somebody to match that rather than just the four 24 Hours. Yeah, I’m glad I’ve got some good people to help me along the way to do it. It’s just great, yeah.”

The team has also led around 30% of the laps this season and continues to find ways to execute to perfection.

Overall, it was a strong effort for the faction and brought a lot of momentum heading into Long Beach in early April.

Between the two race wins and an IMSA championship to hang their hat on from last season, there are signs of a dynasty program in the making for the group.

At Any Cost

The most notable battle late in the race came between the #12 Vasser Sullivan, driven by Jack Hawksworth, and Philip Ellis’ #57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG.

Ellis’ contact—a move that Hawksworth disapproved of following the conclusion of the race—brought a lot of eyes to race control to see what the decision of fate would be for last year’s Sebring-winning team.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t be happy if I lost first place either,” Ellis said. “I understand that he’s not super happy with it. To be honest, I just gave him back what he gave me a couple laps before in turn seven. We all know Jack. I have a lot of respect for him. He’s a great guy. But that’s how he races, as well. You reap what you sow.”

Overall, it was a rather aggressive move. However, given that it was at night and for the race win, there may not have been enough to make a definitive call, allowing the Winward crew to go back-to-back at Sebring.

One in the Books

Beyond the class winners, the Aston Martin Valkyrie put in a valiant performance in the team’s first race with the prototype program.

The entry experienced some late-race problems, slowing down in Turn 16. However, the team put together a respectable performance for its stateside debut.

Given the youthfulness of not only the drivers in terms of prototype experience but also the car’s track time, it will be a process for the Heart of Racing-backed program to find podium-level success, but there is a lot of optimism.

Mentioned by Heart of Racing Team Principal Ian James yesterday, the goal is to hopefully “mix it with the midfield by the end of the year. That will be a mission accomplished for us.”

With the car running a full season the rest of the way, there will be plenty of opportunities for growth. Only time will tell if THOR and Aston Martin can achieve their threshold.