Porsche reveals dual fix for hybrid issues at Daytona 24 Hours

Porsche has revealed that it resolved the hybrid issues that blighted the 963 LMDh ahead of its victory in last weekend’s Daytona 24 Hours with a dual fix.

Porsche Penske Motorsport explained that a mixture of changes to procedures and the fitment of old parts from last season allowed its pair of GTP entries to run through the IMSA SportsCar Championship season-opener to first and third positions without issues.

The two PPM 963s were among multiple cars across the 12-car IMSA GTP field afflicted through the pre-event Roar test and then practice and qualifying by what was described as a high-voltage problem.

PPM managing director Jonathan Diuguid disclosed that the team had been forced to change “parts and pieces” relevant to the energy storage system (ESS) six times across its two 963s.

“We found a smoking gun that we were able to address before the race,” he said.

“It was more of an operational thing, even specific to PPM to be honest.”

PPM and, it is understood other manufacturers, returned to components in the HV system that had been run in the past rather than a new batch of parts that could have played a part in the pre-race issues.

“We picked some components that used to be on the car and were still okay on mileage,” explained Urs Kuratle, project leader on the LMDh programme at Porsche Motorsport.

“These were components around the ESS: we had some spare components, and Fortescue Zero [the battery supplier formerly WAE Technologies] were on-site and Bosch Motorsport [which makes the motor generator unit [MGU} had some spare parts.”

Diuguid revealed that the fix had resulted from meetings between the manufacturers and the suppliers of components that make up the one-make hybrid system used on all LMDh prototypes.

“It was everyone getting in a room and throwing ideas on the table,” he said.

Diuguid and Kuratle stressed that the HV issue has yet to be fully understood.

Diuguid said that PPM could not be sure if its trouble-free run to a second consecutive Daytona victory was the result of the changes it made or “just luck”.

Kuratle stated that there is still the need to “analyse what happened at the Roar and in the practice sessions”.