Newgarden, McLaughlin to Test for Porsche Penske at Sebring

Photo: Jake Galstad/IMSA

Porsche Penske Motorsport will run NTT IndyCar Series stars Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin in the team’s pair of Porsche 963s in next week’s IMSA-sanctioned test at Sebring International Raceway.

Both Team Penske drivers Newgarden and McLaughlin are set to turn laps in the factory Porsche 963s, having been confirmed on the 37-car entry list for the Feb. 11-13 test in advance of next month’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.

McLaughlin will be in the No. 6 Porsche 963 alongside the already confirmed trio of Matt Campbell, Mathieu Jaminet and Kevin Estre for Sebring, with Newgarden aboard the Rolex 24 at Daytona-winning No. 7 car with Felipe Nasr, Nick Tandy and Laurens Vanthoor.

It will mark Newgarden’s first laps in the Porsche 963 since winning last year’s Rolex 24 with the team, while it’s understood to be McLaughlin’s first outing altogether in the 963 after recently taking part in the Rolex 24 in Trackhouse by TF Sport’s Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R in GTD Pro.

No word has been given on the reason for the test opportunities, especially with neither driver able to compete in this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, in Penske’s third 963, due to a clashing IndyCar race.

The entry list features ten GTP cars, nine LMP2s, six GTD Pro and 12 GTD cars for the three-day test.

Wayne Taylor Racing will bring only one of its Cadillac V-Series.Rs after apparent chassis damage from Louis Deletraz’s accident has ruled out its No. 40 car from the test.

The full season driver pairings of Ricky Taylor, Filipe Albuquerque, Deletraz and Jordan Taylor will instead turn laps in the No. 10 Cadillac.

Heart of Racing Team will have its Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH on hand for newly named IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTP drivers Ross Gunn and Roman De Angelis, plus Alex Riberas, ahead of the car’s North American race debut next month.

2022 British GT4 champion Sennan Fielding, meanwhile, is set to test JDC-Miller Motorsports’ Porsche alongside full season drivers Gianmaria Bruni and Tijmen van der Helm, while BMW M Team RLL and Acura Meyer Shank Racing will have both of its GTP entries as well.

Notably absent is the factory Lamborghini SC63, which dropped out of the Rolex 24 early in the running with cooling-related issues. It’s understood the team had planned to utilize the Sebring test for further development opportunities.

Of the LMP2 entries that are set to be on hand, Honda Racing Corporation factory ace Kaku Ohta is set to turn laps in the No. 18 Era Motorsport Oreca 07 Gibson, in what’s likely to be the LMP2 component of his WeatherTech Championship campaign this year.

Matias Perez Companc, meanwhile, is listed in the No. 88 AF Corse Oreca, in what’s believed to be his debut in LMP2 machinery.

Ben Barker is set to make his return to the wheel after breaking his collarbone during the holidays, with the Ford Performance factory driver slotting into the No. 64 Multimatic Motorsports Ford Mustang GT3.

Jonny Edgar, meanwhile, is slated to drive both AO Racing entries, including the No. 77 Porsche 911 GT3 R for the first time.

The first day of track action is reserved for GTD Pro and GTD teams only, followed by all four classes on Wed. Feb 12, with GTP and LMP2s closing out the activities on Thurs. Feb. 13.