Scott McLaughlin testing the Porsche 963 at Sebring

A newcomer is going to settle in the Porsche 963 of the German manufacturer next week in the person of Scott McLaughlin. The 31-year-old New Zealander is thus scheduled in the car n°6 during a test session planned at Sebring from February 11 to 13, before the event of theIMSA which will take place on the Florida circuit from March 12 to 15.

The Christchurch (New Zealand) native already knows this track, having won there two years ago in LM P2 with Tower Motorsports. He will not be the only driver ofIndyCar present at Porsche, since Josef Newgarden will drive the sister car. The 34-year-old American will not discover the car since he won the 24 2024 Hours of Daytona with Porsche alongside Felipe Nasr, Dane Cameron and Matt Campbell.

Porsche has not commented on the reason for McLaughlin's presence at Sebring. However, it is not expected to be in view of the 24 Hours of Le Mans (June 14-15) since there is a date conflict with an IndyCar round on the same weekend. This test could also be a reward for the work accomplished by the driver at Penske, the team in which he has been racing full-time in IndyCar since 2021.

It is also not impossible to see the Kiwi appear in the 963 at an IMSA race this season to make his racing debut in the GTP category. Petit Le Mans (October 8-11), the final round of the championship, could be the right slot for this. It was at this event that Newgarden made his racing debut with the Porsche 963 at the end of 2023, a few months before winning Daytona with the German firm. Will McLaughlin meet the same fate?

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