Porsche explains late slump by the No. 6 in 2026 Rolex 24 at Daytona

Whilst celebrating the third victory in succession for the #7 Porsche 963 at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the #6 crew experienced a difficult finish to a race they had dominated alongside their sister car.

The #6’s race began to unravel when it stayed out as the only GTP car once the pitlane opened during the final caution. Motorsport.com has learned that a widespread communication issue at Daytona International Speedway was to blame, which also affected other teams and even the official timekeeping office.

In this instance, the #6 Porsche was caught off guard by this malfunction and was forced to pit later during the caution, subsequently dropping down the order. The crew managed to work their way back into the top three, only to suffer a mysterious late-race slump when Kevin Estre’s pace suddenly vanished.

Race damage and lingering issue

Asked at the official post-race press conference, Porsche’s Director Factory Motorsport LMDh Urs Kuratle denied that there was a lingering issue with the #6 car in the final stint.

However, in a later press release, Estre blamed the contact with the LMP2 car earlier in the race, which had also necessitated repairs during the long caution period overnight: “The team couldn’t fully fix the damage, so we’ll never know just how strong our 963 could have been without that incident.”

When asked for clarification, a Porsche spokesperson revealed to Motorsport.com: “The hit by the LMP2 car had damaged the car and led to higher fuel consumption. That’s why the #6 car had to save fuel to make it to the finish with what was left in the tank.”

The #6 Porsche had been placed on an earlier pitstop cycle than the sister #7 car to regain ground lost from the missed stop under yellow. This strategy initially paid off, as the #6 climbed as high as second before its final service. 

That final stop was completed with 48 minutes remaining. Under normal circumstances, it is no problem for a GTP car to reach the finish on that amount of fuel, but the damage sustained meant the Porsche LMDh car suffered from significantly higher consumption than usual.

“Repair attempts were made and the drivers largely managed to compensate for this through their extraordinary efforts. But the car was wounded,” the spokesperson continued.

As Competition Director Travis Law explained during the post-race press conference, Porsche Penske Motorsport was hoping for a full-course caution in the final hour, which would have aided the #6’s fuel situation. However, the yellow never came, costing Penske a potential 1-2 victory.