DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Legendary and perennial sports car racing powerhouse Porsche will be the featured marque at this year’s Historic Sportscar Racing Classic Daytona presented by IMSA.
The classic 24-hour race at Daytona Int’l Speedway runs for the seventh time Oct. 27-31.
The Porsche celebration at the HSR Classic Daytona pays tribute to the Stuttgart-based manufacturer’s decades of unmatched success in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, and the earlier iterations of the twice-around-the-clock race, which has annually been run on the Daytona road course for nearly 60 years.
“We are honored to be selected as the featured marque of the 2021 HSR Classic Daytona,” said Kjell Gruner, President and CEO of Porsche Cars North America, Inc. “Daytona has been the backdrop for many thrilling races for Porsche – some filled with joy, some heartbreaking. But that’s racing! We’ve learned a lot along the way – and made many friends. We’re excited and grateful to celebrate this rich motorsport history with our loyal racing fans here in the United States.”
Porsche is the most successful manufacturer in the history of the Rolex 24 At Daytona, amassing a record 22 overall wins, with the first coming in 1968 and the most recent in 2010.
The winning run includes a record 11 consecutive overall victories from 1977 through 1987.
“For more than half a century, Porsche has set the standard for excellence in international sports car racing,” said HSR President David Hinton. “For many, Porsche has been and remains today the globally recognized benchmark for success in international sports car racing. Daytona is one venue where the famous Goldcrest has shined particularly bright, and we are honored to be able to celebrate Porsche’s amazing success at the ‘World Center of Racing’ this year at the HSR Classic Daytona presented by IMSA.”
Porsche’s Rolex 24 At Daytona class win record is just as impressive as its record tally of overall victories.
Including the Daytona Continental races – which paved the way, starting in 1962, for the inaugural 24-hour race in 1966 – Porsches have been driven to 78 class wins at Daytona.
The most recent class win came in the GT Daytona (GTD) division in 2017 when HSR regulars Alegra Motorsports scored its second Rolex 24 At Daytona GT class victory.
Porsches are fixtures on HSR race weekends where they are regularly driven to victory lane in several different run groups and classes.
The HSR Classic Daytona in particular draws a diverse and competitive lineup of Porsches each year, and the race has never been run without a Porsche taking overall honors in at least one run group.
The 2021 HSR racing season begins Wednesday with the HSR Spring Fling at Sebring (Fla.) Int’l Raceway, March 31 through April 2.
This year’s Spring Fling dates have been slightly adjusted for a Wednesday through Friday format, allowing competitors and fans to be home for the Easter weekend.