Newgarden “More Prepared” for Second Race in Porsche 963

Josef Newgarden feels he is “definitely more prepared” as he returns to the cockpit of the Porsche 963 for his second appearance with Porsche Penske Motorsport, joining the team at the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

The defending Indianapolis 500 winner will share the No. 7 car with Dane Cameron, Felipe Nasr and Matt Campbell for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season opener.

Newgarden made his GTP debut at last year’s Motul Petit Le Mans as the third driver alongside the then full season pairing of Nasr and Campbell, finishing fourth overall.

Next week’s edition of the Rolex 24 will mark the third WeatherTech Championship start for Newgarden, having made his series debut at Daytona 12 month ago with Tower Motorsports in LMP2.

Now with both a 24-hour race and an appearance aboard the Multimatic-chassised GTP car under his belt, Newgarden feels he is ready to return to the 963 cockpit for the Florida endurance classic.

“I’m definitely more prepared,” Newgarden told Sportscar365.

“I think the more time you get in the car and in the program, the more comfortable you are, the more fluid everything is. It is different.

“The IndyCar is purely mechanical, whereas this is part mechanical, part electronic. So I would say the big thing that jumps out to me with the GTP platform is [that] it’s not super intuitive.

“When you drive a purely mechanical car, it’s very intuitive for your inputs and what the car does reaction-wise. This one, it sometimes reacts differently than what you would expect.”

Newgarden explained the lack of an “instinctual feel” for the car’s behavior adds to the challenge of racing the Porsche 963 at Daytona, adding that it will allow him to grow as a driver.

“It forces you to thrive in an uncomfortable situation,” he said.

“I’ve been driving an IndyCar for the last 12 years, and I’ve gotten very comfortable with the IndyCar process and the system of an IndyCar.

“It’s very routine for me and I think if you do something that routine for too often, you can become complacent. So I do think this pulls you out of that and it can make you a better driver.

“It can really sharpen your tools, if anything. So I’ve loved it from that standpoint, but it is definitely different than my normal challenge.”

The 33-year-old explained that his race outing with Porsche at Petit Le Mans was a “helpful” part of his learning curve, getting to experience the GTP class car in a competitive environment.

“For me, it was a great experience,” he said.

“Obviously, we didn’t realize our ultimate goal. We were there to try and win a championship, win a race.

“I just think just being a part of the mix, driving the car in those conditions, under those circumstances, is only going to help me here. Like I said, the more you drive the car, the more comfortable you become, the more fluid everything is.

“I’m better prepared for it and I think the team has taken a step too from then. I really think there’s going to be improvements from Porsche and PPM.

“I’m excited to be a part of that. I think they’re going to have a good baseline here for the Rolex 24, and hopefully for the entire 2024 season.”