Estre Disputes Porsche’s Pre-Race Favorite Tag

Kevin Estre has brushed off suggestions that Porsche is heading into this weekend’s Rolex 24 at Daytona as the favorite for victory among the GTP manufacturers, suggesting things are too close to call between the leading contenders.

Estre is sharing the No. 6 Penske Porsche 963 with Laurens Vanthoor and Matt Campbell as he embarks on a first full season of IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship competition in the top class with the Weissach marque.

The trio will start fifth, two places behind the sister No. 7 machine driven by Felipe Nasr, Julien Andlauer and Laurin Heinrich.

Although pole position went the way of Acura Meyer Shank Racing, the brand’s drivers have stated they view Porsche as the “ones to beat” on long-run pace.

When those remarks were put to Estre, the FIA World Endurance Championship title-winner said he felt the picture remains inconclusive considering the changing temperatures throughout Roar testing and practice, and other factors.

“I think we are in a good position, but I think the other brands are too,” Estre told Sportscar365 following final practice on Friday. “It’s hard to say.

“The conditions have been changing so much all weekend and most of the cars are all new with the [Evo joker] updates, the new tires. It has been quite close in qualifying, so I think it will be a good show, but it’s difficult to know.

“The last session in hotter conditions was good for us, but we don’t know what the others are doing. We can only go by the feeling of the car, and it has felt quite ok.”

When asked to rank Porsche’s opposition, Estre highlighted the No. 31 Action Express Cadillac V-Series.R that initially qualified on pole in the hands of Jack Aitken, only to be moved to the rear of the field after qualifying, as a car to watch.

“The No. 31 Cadillac was always pretty strong in all the sessions, so we’ll see where we are with them in the race,” said Estre. “It looks like they have been strong everywhere. They were on pole, they lost it, but they were strong on one lap and over a long run.

“Top speed is pretty close between everyone. I think we are ready, and we will be alright, but it is difficult to know if we are favorite.”

Campbell offered a similar view to Estre, saying both Cadillac and Acura, which inherited pole with its No. 93 entry, will be contenders for the victory.

“We are happy with where we are and the changes we’ve made,” Campbell told Sportscar365. “Even in Practice 3 [on Friday] we tried changing something overnight and we were reasonably happy with what we did. But it’s hard to tell.

“Cadillac has been very fast at night time, Acura has shown good speed this week on long consistent running, and that’s where you see who has the speed.

“On top of that, looking at the temperatures, it will be a warm race compared to last year, so as soon as we get into a rhythm [in the race], we’ll quickly see where we stand.

“But at the moment, everyone is close so it’s hard to tell.”

Porsche Hat-Trick Opportunity Doesn’t Faze Estre

Although the past two Rolex 24s have been won by Porsche, the race-winning lineup did not feature Estre on either occasion, with the Frenchman having been part of the the sister No. 6 crew that finished third in last year’s race.

Asked whether the chance to earn Porsche and Penske a hat-trick of wins increased the stakes, Estre suggested that he was approaching the race with his usual mentality.

“It’s more than that the No. 7 car edition won the past two editions, and the No. 6 didn’t,” he said. “But for sure we [as Porsche] have a target on our backs with having won the last two championships and the past two races at Daytona.

“To be honest, the wins were not on pure pace; they were more won on execution and on being there at the right moment. That’s what we have to reproduce this weekend.

“The pressure is there like every year. We just need to execute the race well.”

John Dagys contributed to this report