IMSA News Roundup: April 8, 2016

April 9, 2016 Leave a comment

Please see attached press release, below is a text-only version.

IMSA News Roundup: April 8, 2016

Notebook Items Include Hunter-Reay Doing Double Duty; Balzan Set For GTLM Debut In

Ferrari 488 GTE; Galante Combines Love Of Racing, Golf In Monterey

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (April 8, 2016) – Ryan Hunter-Reay will be tackling a rare double at Long Beach the weekend of April 16-17. Before competing in his regular ride in Sunday’s Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach IndyCar race, he will join Visit Florida Racing to tackle Saturday’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship BUBBA burger Sports Car Grand Prix at Long Beach.

The 2012 Indianapolis 500 winner will co-drive with Marc Goossens in the No. 90 Visit Florida Corvette DP. He will be filling in for Ryan Dalziel, who has his lone schedule conflict of the season as he also competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship. Hunter-Reay drives the No. 28 DHL Honda for Andretti Autosport in Verizon IndyCar Series competition, winning for that team at Long Beach in 2010.

“It’s a new challenge,” Hunter-Reay said of doing double duty. “I love mixing things up, and hopefully it will benefit me in both cars.”

The South Floridian mixed things up at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2009, when he finished 11th with Scott Tucker in the DP class of a GRAND-AM race on the 2.3-mile road course, and then placed 13th for A.J. Foyt on the venue’s 1.5-mile oval. Hunter-Reay planned double duty at Long Beach in 2010, but the Level 5 Motorsports prototype qualified but did not start. Hunter-Reay then went on to win the IndyCar race.

Hunter-Reay opened the 2016 WeatherTech Championship season by placing third in the Rolex 24 At Daytona and then finished fifth in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida.

“We didn’t quite have the pace for the two Action Express cars at Sebring – a little lack of balance – but I had a good time in the car before the cooling system went south,” Hunter-Reay said. “We know what we need to do heading into Long Beach – hopefully that will be the race where we break through.”

Scuderia Corsa Adds Balzan To GTLM Lineup

Facing a weekend off from WeatherTech Championship GT Daytona (GTD) competition, Alessandro Balzan is ready to visit the beach. Long Beach, to be exact, where he will co-drive Scuderia Corsa’s No. 68 Ferrari 488 GTE with Daniel Serra in the GT Le Mans (GTLM) class.

With regular driver Alessandro Pier Guidi set to compete in the World Endurance Championship race at Silverstone, it made sense for Scuderia Corsa to put Balzan in the car.

“It is a big honor to get drive the Scuderia Corsa No. 68 Ferrari 488 GTE at Long Beach,” Balzan said. “The last time I drove a GTE car was in 2012 and I am looking forward to racing for the first time in the GT Le Mans class. The level of competition with all of the factory teams is very, very high but this is very fun for the drivers.

“I am very excited to race at Long Beach. I really enjoy the street circuits, and on the simulator where I am training it looks like a very fun and very challenging circuit. Long Beach is a very special event, and for us it is more than another race as it is the home circuit for Scuderia Corsa with the Ferrari South Bay, Ferrari Beverly Hills and the Ferrari Los Angeles dealerships near the circuit. And after winning at Sebring, I would love to bring them another great result.”

Scuderia Corsa is expected to field both Ferraris in the Continental Monterey Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on Sunday, May 1. Balzan rejoins Christina Nielsen in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida GTD class-winning No. 63 Ferrari 488 GT3, with Serra and Pier Guidi expected to share the No. 68 Ferrari 488 GTE in the Prototype/GTLM race.

Galante Finds Best Of Racing, Golf Worlds In Monterey

Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge driver Nick Galante grew up in Massachusetts, where he caddied in the summer and worked at ski resorts in the winter, but his life-long dream was to drive race cars.

“One of my buddies told me I should move to Monterey, California,” Galante recalled. “I said, ‘Where the heck is that? When he told me that Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca was right next to the Pebble Beach golf course in Monterey, I decided that was where I wanted to be. So I drove across the country. I went to the Pebble Beach Pro Shop and found a job there, and then I went to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and told them I wanted to learn how to race cars. They helped me get into a driving school.”

Starting out at age 27, Galante worked his way up the ladder, winning several titles in karting and the Jim Russell F3 Championship. He’s been competing in the Continental Tire Challenge since 2011, finishing 10th in last year’s Grand Sport (GS) points.

He currently co-drives the No. 17 RS1 Legistics/RickieFowler.com Porsche Cayman, opening the season with a second-place finish in the BMW Performance 200 at Daytona. He and co-driver Spencer Pumpelly are third in the Street Tuner (ST) standings, only seven points behind leaders Sarah Cattaneo and Owen Trinkler.

In addition to racing, Galante is recognized as one of the top 10 professional caddies at Pebble Beach – the top public golf course in the world.

This weekend, he’s avidly following the action in Augusta, Georgia, where he will be pulling for Rickie Fowler, a leading contender to win the coveted Green Jacket in the Masters. He’ll also be keeping an eye on competitor Nick Watney, for whom he’s caddied in the past.

“Every year following the Masters is a big-time thing,” Galante said. “I have a few buddies who will be caddying, and of course I’m watching Rickie Fowler, whose name is on the hood of our Porsche. I’m also looking forward to our upcoming race. I’ll play some golf with our sponsors – Legistics is big into golf and sponsors a tournament – and then Spencer and I will go out there in our Porsche and try to beat those Mazdas.”

End Quote:

Jordan Taylor, Driver of the No. 10 Konica Minolta Corvette DP: “We’ve always seemed to run well on both street courses and sprint races. We’ve had a first and second at Long Beach, and then two wins at Detroit. Everything has to go right in these races, from the drivers maximizing every lap, to the guys in the pits for that one crucial stop, to the strategy. So I think it just shows how well our team executes in those situations.”

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BUBBA burger Sports Car Grand Prix At Long Beach Features 25-Car Entry

April 6, 2016 Leave a comment

Please see attached press release and entry list, below is a text-only version.

BUBBA burger Sports Car Grand Prix At Long Beach Features 25-Car Entry

Konica Minolta Corvette DP, BMW Team RLL Return To Defend 2015 Victories

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (April 6, 2016) – The International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) today released a 25-car entry list for the BUBBA burger Sports Car Grand Prix at Long Beach on Saturday, April 16, Round 3 of the 2016 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

The 100-minute race on the 11-turn, 1.968-mile temporary street circuit begins at 4:05 p.m. PT on Saturday, April 16. Live television coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET on FS2 and the FOX Sports GO app, with a rebroadcast on FS1 airing at 12:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 17.

The Prototype (P) class features eight entries, including the No. 10 Konica Minolta Corvette DP of brothers Ricky and Jordan Taylor, which won last year’s event after finishing second in 2014.

“I’m really looking forward to going back to Long Beach,” Ricky Taylor said. “We had a rough Sebring, so going somewhere that we have had a win and a second place is very encouraging to hopefully get some points back in the championship. It is always nice to go back when you are the defending race winners. It gives you a little extra confidence and a boost in your step walking into the track on Thursday.”

Other Corvette DPs include for two Action Express Racing and the No. 90 Visit Florida Corvette DP, with Marc Goossens joined by IndyCar driver Ryan Hunter-Reay. The entry also features a pair of Mazda Prototypes, the Honda Ligier JS P2 for Michael Shank Racing, and the unique Panoz DeltaWing Racing coupe.

The GT Le Mans (GTLM) class has a 10-car entry, with BMW, Corvette, Ford, Ferrari and Porsche each racing a pair of factory-backed cars. BMW Team RLL is the defending winner, with Bill Auberlen of nearby Redondo Beach, Calif. rejoining Dirk Werner in a new-for-2016 race car, the No. 25 IHG Rewards Club BMW M6 GTLM.

The Prototype Challenge (PC) class will be racing for the first time at Long Beach as part of the WeatherTech Championship. Colin Braun and Jon Bennett – who won in the class in an American Le Mans Series race in 2013 – return in the No. 54 CORE autosport Flex-Box/Composite Resources ORECA FLM09. Starworks Motorsport will field a pair of cars, joining entries from BAR 1 Motorsports, Performance Tech Motorsports, PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports and Rolex 24 At Daytona winners JDC-Miller Motorsports.

Practice for the BUBBA burger Sports Car Grand Prix at Long Beach begins at 7:40 a.m. PT on Friday, April 15, with qualifying that afternoon beginning at 5:35 p.m. PT. The complete entry list is attached.

2016 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Long Beach Preliminary Pre-Event Entry List.pdf

BUBBA GP Entry Release.pdf

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Tony Kanaan To Participate in Grand Prix Night with the Detroit Pistons Tuesday

March 28, 2016 Leave a comment

INDYCAR STAR TONY KANAAN, BORG-WARNER TROPHY HELP CELEBRATE
CHEVROLET DETROIT BELLE ISLE GRAND PRIX NIGHT WITH THE DETROIT PISTONS

Fans can meet the former Indy 500 Champ and Belle Isle Race Winner at the Palace Tuesday

DETROIT, Mich. (March 28, 2016) – Building on a successful partnership between the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix and the Detroit Pistons, the Palace of Auburn Hills will host Grand Prix Night on Tuesday, March 29 as the Pistons continue their push towards the playoffs against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

One of the most popular drivers in the Verizon IndyCar Series will be the guest of honor at the Palace as NTT DATA Chip Ganassi Racing driver Tony Kanaan will visit the Motor City and participate in activities both before and during the game. Kanaan, the former INDYCAR champion and the 2013 Indianapolis 500 winner, has had an emotional history competing in Detroit. He suffered his worst career injury in a practice crash in 2000 on Belle Isle and he came back to win the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Grand Prix when the race returned to the island in 2007.

Known for his aggressive driving style on the track and his fun personality and intense physical training off of it, Kanaan will participate in a local media tour Tuesday to promote the game and the Grand Prix before he arrives at The Palace. Fans will have a chance to meet Kanaan and get his autograph during Power Hour starting at 6:35 pm Tuesday evening in the North Pavilion.

Those in attendance at the game will also be able to see and take pictures with the world-famous Borg-Warner Trophy, which will be on display on The Palace concourse throughout the game along with the Grand Prix IndyCar. The Borg-Warner Trophy features the likeness of all past Indy 500 winners, including Kanaan, and fans can help celebrate a historic year with the trophy as the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 takes place in just a few weeks, on Memorial Day weekend.

In other activities celebrating Grand Prix Night at The Palace with the Pistons, Kanaan will deliver the ceremonial game ball at half court prior to the opening tip-off and he will be introduced to the crowd with a special video presentation. The Pistons are planning some in-game activities for Kanaan as well during the course of the night.

“It’s going to be a fun evening for sure as we celebrate Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix Night with the Detroit Pistons,” said Kanaan. “I always like visiting the Motor City and I’m looking forward to meeting the fans and getting everyone excited about coming down to Belle Isle the first weekend in June.”

For tickets and more information about Tuesday’s night’s game, visit www.Ticketmaster.com or www.DetroitPistons.com.

ABOUT THE CHEVROLET DETROIT BELLE ISLE GRAND PRIX
The Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix is a 501(c)3 organization and a subsidiary of the Downtown Detroit Partnership. Scheduled for June 3-5, 2016, the event will include the Chevrolet Dual in Detroit presented by Quicken Loans featuring cars of the Verizon IndyCar Series, the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic presented by the Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers with the sports cars of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the high-flying trucks of the SPEED Energy Stadium SUPER Trucks presented by Traxxas and the return of the Trans Am cars in the Motor City 100. Partners for the 2016 Grand Prix include General Motors, Quicken Loans and MotorCity Casino Hotel. For more information, visit www.DetroitGP.com and follow our social media pages at www.facebook.com/detroitgp, www.twitter.com/detroitgp and www.instagram.com/detroitgp.

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Tequila Patrón ESM Honda, Action Express Corvette Tied Following Round Two Of Patrón Endu rance Cup At Sebring

March 25, 2016 Leave a comment

Tequila Patrón ESM Honda, Action Express Corvette Tied

Following Round Two Of Patrón Endurance Cup At Sebring

GTD Points Also Tied, Other Classes Close In Patrón Cup Standings

Ferrari’s Christina Nielsen Scores First Victory In GTD

Honda’s Sarah Cattaneo Takes ST Points Lead With Victory

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 23, 2016) – Tequila Patrón ESM won the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring with its Honda Ligier JS P2 Prototype, while Action Express Racing took maximum points in both mid-race segments in the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Corvette DP in Saturday’s second round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, which also served as the second round of the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup.

As a result, the two teams are tied for the lead in the Prototype class in the Patrón Endurance Cup, the unique competition among the four longest races in the WeatherTech Championship which opened with January’s Rolex 24 At Daytona. Competition continues with the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen on July 3 at Watkins Glen International, and Petit Le Mans powered by Mazda on Oct. 1 at Road Atlanta.

While Tequila Patrón ESM won at both Daytona and Sebring with Pipo Derani, Ed Brown, Johannes van Overbeek and Scott Sharp in the No. 2 Honda Ligier JS P2, Action Express Racing has captured three in-race segments to share the lead with its No. 5 Corvette DP and drivers Christian Fittipaldi, Joao Barbosa and Filipe Albuquerque, with 26 points each.

“Wow – the 36 Hours of Florida,” said van Overbook. “Tequila Patrón ESM has successfully won overall at both Daytona and Sebring. It was certainly our objective coming here, but so many things can happen. We had the red flag, crazy weather, but everything ran flawlessly. Thanks to Patrón for allowing us to be here, and hats off to Pipo for driving one heck of a last stint.”

The No. 31 Action Express Whelen Engineering/Team Fox Corvette DP is third in the team standings with 23 points. Scott Pruett – who has driven both Action Express cars – is third in the driver standings with 25 points, while teammates Eric Curran and Dane Cameron each have 23.

The Patrón Endurance Cup also is tied in GT Daytona (GTD), with close battles in GT Le Mans (GTLM) and Prototype Challenge (PC).

Alex Job Racing’s No. 23 Team Seattle/Heart of Racing Porsche GT3 R, with drivers Mario Farnbacher and Alex Riberas has won two in-race segments to tie Rolex 24 GTD class winner Magnus Racing and drivers John Potter, Andy Lally and Marco Seefried with 21 points. Christina Nielsen and No. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 488 GT3 co-drivers Alessandro Balzan and Jeff Segal share third with Paul Miller Racing’s No. 48 Audi R8 LMS GT3 drivers Bryan Sellers, Madison Snow and Bryce Miller, with 19 points each.

Corvette Racing has won both of the Florida endurance classics with Tommy Milner, Oliver Gavin and Marcel Fassler in the No. 4 Corvette C7.R, but the team has only a one-point lead over the two Porsche North America Porsche 911 RSR entries and drivers Earl Bamber, Michael Christensen, Kevin Estre, Frederic Makowiecki, Patrick Pilet and Nick Tandy, 23-22.

In PC, PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports and drivers Tom Kimber-Smith, Robert Alon and Jose Gutierrez hold a three-point lead, 28-25, over Rolex 24 winners JDC-Miller Motorsports and drivers Kenton Koch, Misha Goikhberg, Chris Miller and Stephen Simpson. Sebring class winners CORE autosports and BAR 1 Motorsports are tied for third with 20 points.

NOTEBOOK

• After leading the GT Daytona (GTD) class in podium finishes in 2015, Nielsen scored her first WeatherTech Championship victory in Saturday’s 64th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida. The victory in the No. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 488 GT3 with Alessandro Balzan and Jeff Segal moved her team into contention in both the GTD season championship and the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup.

On Friday, Sarah Cattaneo won the Street Tuner (ST) class in the Sebring 150 in the No. 44 CRG-I Do Borrow Honda Civic Si along with co-driver Owen Trinkler, capturing the points lead in the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge.

“We aimed for a podium finish, so it’s absolutely amazing to win it,” Nielsen said. “That’s a bonus I couldn’t imagine. I was the driver with the most podiums last year, but we never had a win. To finally take that first win feels great. There were two females on the podium (Ashley Freiberg finished second in GTD), so that’s a step in the right direction.”

• Pipo Derani became the first driver to win the Rolex 24 At Daytona and Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in his first attempt. The Tequila Patrón ESM Honda Ligier JS P2 became the fifth car to win both Florida enduros in the same year, joining the JLP Racing Porsche 935 (1982); T-Bird Swap Shop Porsche 962 (1985); Doyle Racing Oldsmobile Riley & Scott Mk III (1996); and Doran/Moretti Racing’s MOMO Ferrari 333SP (1998). Sharp was part of the Daytona-winning lineup in 1996 with Wayne Taylor and Jim Pace, but missed that year’s Sebring event due to a schedule conflict.

• Also in the historic category, Scuderia Corsa’s triumph – in its first race with the Ferrari 488 GT3 – celebrated the 60th anniversary of Ferrari’s first major North American victory at Sebring in 1956.

• GTD featured great racing all the way to the checkered flag. Balzan passed Jens Klingmann’s BMW for the lead with eight minutes remaining, while Andy Lally nipped Mario Farnbacher for the final podium position in the last turn on the checkered flag lap. The class saw 13 of the 20 entries take turns in the lead, with all seven manufacturers leading multiple laps.

• Both versions of BMW’s new M6 finished second in their respective classes, and all four cars led. Bill Auberlen gave the BMW M6 GTLM its first pole in GTLM. The two BMW Team RLL cars ran 1-2 on occasion in GTLM, with Auberlen, Dirk Werner and Bruno Spengler giving the car its first podium.

In GTD, Turner Motorsport had two cars in podium position with 13 minutes remaining, with Klingmann, Freiberg and Bret Curtis finished second – the first podium for the BMW M6 GT3.

• While it finished sixth in GTLM, the No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 GTE visited the podium, winning its first DEKRA Green Award of the season. The award is determined through green racing protocols established by the United States Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency and the Society of Automotive Engineers International as part of their alliance with IMSA.
“One of the advantages of the new Ferrari 488 is it’s probably the most efficient car in the field,” said Risi Competizione race engineer Rick Mayer. “Typically if we do well we will win the DEKRA Green Award. We won it four times last year and hopefully, we’ll win it a lot more times this year.”

• The next race for the GTLM competitors will be the BUBBA burger Sports Car Grand Prix of Long Beach on Saturday, April 16. All four WeatherTech Championship classes will be in action in the Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix powered by Mazda at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on Sunday, May 1.

End Quote:

Ed Brown, No. 2 Tequila Patrón ESM Honda Ligier JS P2: “At that last yellow, I thought we’d get third, and that’s a good day’s work. Then Pipo drove the wheels off the car for the last 20 minutes. He’s amazing. The team was great, and so was the strategy. We rolled the ball. Pipo was out there for an hour and a half on slicks when everybody else was on rains. He was running better laps than those guys. It’s pretty crazy. What a great way to start the year. It kind of spoils you, winning the two biggest races in the U.S.”

Contact:
Nate Siebens
Senior Manager, IMSA Communications

(386) 310-6568

nsiebens

Release Patron Cup Recap.pdf

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IMSA News Roundup: March 10, 2016

March 10, 2016 Leave a comment

Please see attached press release, below is a text-only version.

IMSA News Roundup: March 10, 2016

Notebook Items Include: Pruett’s Switch To Whelen Corvette; Change Racing Adds Second

Lamborghini For Defending GTD Champs; Team TGM Steps Up To GS With Clubsport

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 10, 2016) – Driving both of Action Express Racing’s Corvette DPs in the recent IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship test at Sebring International Raceway was an eye opener for Scott Pruett. The 60-time race winner in major North American sports car competition recently tested to prepare for the 64th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida on Saturday, March 19.

“Now I understand why we were beaten so badly by them,” said Pruett, who finished fourth last year at Sebring for Chip Ganassi Racing. “I drove both of the team’s cars, and was incredibly impressed.”

Action Express Racing is the defending winner of the event, with Christian Fittipaldi and Joao Barbosa returning in the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Corvette DP, to be joined by Filipe Albuquerque.

After finishing fourth in the No. 5 Corvette DP in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, Pruett switches to the team’s No. 31 Whelen Engineering/Team Fox Corvette DP for Sebring, joining Eric Curran and Dane Cameron.

“It’s a pleasure to drive either of their cars,” Pruett continued. “Sebring is difficult to drive – being as rough as it is – and the guys at Action Express definitely know what they’re doing. I think we’ve got a good shot at winning. They were incredibly fast last year, and do exceptionally well at Sebring. They may not have the fastest overall blistering speed, but their pace throughout a full fuel run will be the one to beat.”

After Sebring, Pruett is looking forward his first test in the new No. 14 F Performance Racing Lexus RC F GT3 and hoping for a mid-season competition debut. Sage Karam will co-drive.

“I saw the car last Friday in Lansing, (Michigan), where we had two wonderful days of meetings,” Pruett said. “We’re just waiting on suppliers to deliver the goods so we can get the car and the engines together. We’ll hope to have our first test by the beginning of May. I plan to be at both Long Beach and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, but it’s certainly not going to be the same watching it.”

Benton Adds Second Lamborghini For GTD Champs To Change Racing Lineup

Defending GT Daytona (GTD) champions Bill Sweedler and Townsend Bell suddenly found themselves without a ride when O’Gara Motorsport withdrew from competition following the Rolex 24.

Fortunately for them, team owner Robby Benton quickly stepped up, expanding his operation to two cars. His team, Change Racing, now will field the No. 11 Robert Graham Lamborghini Huracán GT3 for Bell and Sweedler, in addition to the No. 16 Pertamina/Monster Energy Huracán GT3 for Corey Lewis and Spencer Pumpelly.

“Tom O’Gara is a close friend and I’m happy he turned to us to continue what he started,” Benton said. “It took a tremendous amount of effort and planning for us to prepare and be ready for the move up to IMSA WeatherTech with our own team, but a lot of that work actually put us in a good position to be able to grow to a two-car team like this.

“To have the defending champions join us reflects well on our organization, and having guys of that caliber to build on a great driver roster that we have with Spencer and Corey puts us in a very advantageous position. Lamborghini has done an outstanding job to help us with this transition as we ramp up and we are very focused on executing and delivering all year long.”

Posey To Join Sebring Hall Of Fame

Sam Posey, overall winner of the 1975 Sebring race, will be inducted into the Sebring Hall of Fame at a special luncheon at the Chateau Elan Hotel and Conference Center on Friday, March 18.

Posey competed in Formula One, IndyCar, Can-Am, Trans-Am and several other series during a 26-year driving career. He won the 1975 12 Hours of Sebring 12-hours driving a BMW CSL. As a network commentator, he covered a variety of sports, winning an Emmy in 1989. Posey is also a noted author, artist and designer.
Joining Posey in the class of 2016 are Alex Job Racing, 10-time Sebring-winning team; six-time overall Sebring winner Tom Kristensen; Dick Smothers, two-time class winner; Tres Stephenson, president of Sebring Raceway for more than three decades; and former Tampa Tribune Sports Editor Tom McEwen.

The Sebring Hall of Fame luncheon is open to the public, but tickets are very limited. Admission is a $200 contribution to the Sebring Hall of Fame (a 501 3(C) Florida not for profit corporation). Teams and sponsors may purchase individual tables. For more information and reservations please call Ariel Starling at 863-655-1442 or 655-7721.

Five Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsports Entered For Sebring 150

The new Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport will be well represented in the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge Sebring 150 on Friday, March 18. While two of Porsche’s new turn-key race cars competed in the Grand Sport (GS) class at the season opener in Daytona, five are entered in Round 2 at Sebring.

CJ Wilson Racing and Team TGM have each entered a pair of Cayman GT4s, with Bodymotion Racing entering one car. CJ Wilson Racing doubles its effort after capturing the TOTAL Pole Award and finishing third at Daytona with Daniel Burkett and Marc Miller in the No. 33 ONE Capital Management/MotorOilMatters.org entry.

No drivers have been named for the team’s No. 35 entry. Team TGM has car owner Ted Giovanis and David Murry listed on both its No. 46 and No. 64 JKTG Foundation/Camp Boggy Creek entries, with the team expected to race one car in the event.

“We tested the new Clubsport at both Sebring and Road Atlanta, and once you make some adjustments to it, it will be a decent-running car,” Giovanis said. “We won’t know until we get more hours on the track whether it will be on the top step of the podium, but it’s in the right direction.”

Giovanis is making the move to the GS class after competing in Street Tuner (ST) since 2006. He scored his best professional finish at Sebring last year, joining Murry in placing second co-driving a BMW 328i.

End Quote:

Jan Magnussen, Driver of the No. 3 Corvette Racing Corvette C7.R: “I always like going to Sebring. It’s a classic, old-school track and one you can’t find anywhere else in the world. In a lot of ways you really like Sebring and you really dislike it, too. It’s great because the event is fantastic and we always have good support from the fans and Corvette owners. But it beats you physically like no other track. Your neck, arms, hands, knees… they’re incredibly sore after the race week. But winning there is worth it. I’m hoping we can repeat and give Corvette Racing our 10th Sebring win.”

Contact:
Nate Siebens
Senior Manager, IMSA Communications

(386) 310-6568

nsiebens

IMSA Roundup_3-10.pdf

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49 Cars Set For 64th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours Of Sebring Fueled By Fresh From Florida

March 10, 2016 Leave a comment

Begin forwarded message:

From: IMSA Communications <communications>

Subject: 49 Cars Set For 64th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours Of Sebring Fueled By Fresh From Florida

Date: March 9, 2016 at 3:00:46 PM EST

To: IMSA Communications <communications>

Please see attached press release and entry list, below is a text-only version.

49 Cars Set For 64th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours Of Sebring

Fueled By Fresh From Florida

DragonSpeed Joins Prototype Class In Debut Of Nissan ORECA 05

GTD Champions Sweedler, Bell Find New Ride With Change Racing

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 9, 2016) – The International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) today announced a 49-car entry for the 64th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida, Round Two of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup on Saturday, March 19.

Live television coverage of the endurance classic begins at 10:30 a.m. ET on FS1, with the entire race streamed on the FOX Sports GO app.

The Prototype (P) class features 12 entries, including the debut of the ORECA 05 chassis. DragonSpeed of Delray Beach, Fla., entered the No. 81 Nissan ORECA 05, driven by 2011 Sebring winner Nicolas Lapierre, Nicolas Minassian and Henrik Hedman. Also joining the class is Alegra Motorsports from nearby Tampa, with the No. 24 Insync BMW/Riley for Carlos de Quesada, Daniel Morad, Cameron Lawrence and Dominik Farnbacher.

Other changes in the Prototype entry include the American debut of female Japanese endurance racer Keiko Ihara, in the No. 70 Mazda Motorsports Castrol/ModSpace Mazda Prototype, and veteran Scott Pruett, who joins Dane Cameron and Eric Curran in the No. 31 Whelen/Team Fox Corvette DP.

Top returning Prototype teams include 2015 Sebring winners Action Express Racing, with Christian Fittipaldi and Joao Barbosa returning in the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Corvette DP, joined by Filipe Albuquerque, and recent Rolex 24 At Daytona winners Scott Sharp, Ed Brown, Johannes van Overbeek and Pipo Derani in the No. 2 Honda Ligier JS P2 of Tequila Patrón ESM from Riviera Beach, Florida.

GT Le Mans (GTLM) has a 10-car entry, with Corvette, Ford, BMW, Ferrari and Porsche each represented by a pair of factory-backed cars. Corvette Racing enters the race riding the momentum of endurance race success, with a 1-2 finish in January’s Rolex 24 At Daytona on top of 2015 victories at Daytona, Sebring and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Defending Sebring winners Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen will be joined by Mike Rockenfeller in the No. 3 Corvette Racing C7.R. Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner – the 2015 Le Mans class winners – will be joined by Marcel Fassler once again in the same Rolex 24-winning lineup and Corvette C7.R race car.

Ford makes its return to Sebring with a pair of Ford GTs driven by Joey Hand, Dirk Muller, Sebastien Bourdais, Ryan Briscoe, Scott Dixon and Richard Westbrook. Ferrari has a pair of new 488 GTEs, entered by Scuderia Corsa and Risi Competizione, while Porsche North America and BMW Team RLL both field two cars with star-studded lineups.

In the 20-car GT Daytona (GTD) field, Change Racing has added a second Lamborghini Huracán GT3, the No. 11 Robert Graham entry for defending class champions Bill Sweedler and Townsend Bell, who will be joined by Richard Antinucci.

“Townsend and I determined during pre-season testing that Robby Benton’s leadership at Change Racing was going to make it a serious contender based on his significant background in NASCAR and his desire to win,” said Sweedler, who drove for O’Gara Motorsport at the Rolex 24. “This deal could not have been possible without our friends at Lamborghini Squadra Corse, Boardwalk (Lamborghini Dallas), as well as personal support from Tom O’Gara.”

Another new Lamborghini will be fielded by Dream Racing, making its WeatherTech Championship debut with the No. 27 Huracán GT3 for Larry DeGeorge and Cedric Sbirrazzuoli. Also included in the six Lamborghinis are a pair of Konrad Motorsports entries.

Four Audis are entered in GTD, including the Rolex 24-winning No. 44 Magnus Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 of John Potter, Andy Lally and Marco Seefried. Alex Job Racing returns to defend its Sebring class victory with a two-car entry, including the 2015-winning lineup of Mario Farnbacher, Ian James and Alex Riberas in the No. 23 Team Seattle/Heart of Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R. Also joining the four-car Porsche entry are 2015 Rolex 24 runners-up Black Swan Racing.

The GTD field also includes a pair of BMW M3 GT3s fielded by Turner Motorsport; a pair of Ferraris, including the WeatherTech Championship debut of the Ferrari 488 GT3 by Scuderia Corsa; and single Dodge Viper and Aston Martin entries.

The seven-car Prototype Challenge (PC) entry includes upgraded ORECA FLM09s for Daytona-winning JDC-Miller Motorsports; defending class champion CORE autosport; 2015 Sebring winners PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports; BAR 1 Motorsports; Performance Tech Motorsports; and a pair of entries for Fort Lauderdale-based Starworks Motorsport.

Practice for the 64th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring begins at 10 a.m. ET on Thursday, March 17, with qualifying on Friday at 3:30 p.m.. The weekend also includes the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge, on Friday at 12:20 p.m., along with two races each for the IMSA Mazda Prototype Lites Presented by Cooper Tires and the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama.

Television coverage for the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida begins on FS1 at 10:30 a.m. ET on Saturday, March 19. Coverage shifts to FS2 from 12 to 7 p.m., then moves to IMSA.com from 7 to 10 p.m. before returning to FS2 for the conclusion and post-race interviews from 10-11 p.m. Tickets are available at www.sebringraceway.com.

Contact:
Nate Siebens
Senior Manager, IMSA Communications

(386) 310-6568

nsiebens

Sebring-Release-Entry-List.pdf

2016 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Sebring 12 Hour Preliminary Pre-Event Entry List.pdf

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IMSA News Roundup: February 10, 2016

February 10, 2016 Leave a comment

IMSA News Roundup: February 10, 2016
Notebook Items Include Quick Start for Black Swan, MINI Shines in Super Bowl Ad, IMSA Adds

Golf Car Provider, Schedule for Upcoming Sebring Test

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 10, 2016) – Coming up short by a mere 3.048 seconds in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, Black Swan Racing is looking to carry that momentum into the remainder of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season in a bid to capture GT Daytona (GTD) class honors.

Tim Pappas, Nicky Catsburg, Andy Pilgrim and Patrick Long took second in the new No. 540 Papent.com/Fine Arts Enterprises/Champion Porsche/Boston Athletic Club Porsche 911 GT3 R.

“Obviously, it’s hard to call the season after one race, but it’s certainly better to start the year off with a strong finish,” said Pappas, owner of the Boston-based team. “We didn’t get the win, but we’re happy with the points, and we’re real happy with the quality of the competition.”

Pappas won GTC titles in the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón in 2010 and 2011, co-driving a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup with Jeroen Bleekemolen. This year’s Rolex 24 was Pappas’ first since co-driving the No. 45 Flying Lizard Motorsports Audi in the race in 2014, and he experienced a new phenomenon in the 2016 rendition.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been in a race like Daytona before, where on every single lap of every single stint for all four of us was absolutely flat out,” Pappas said. “We didn’t have the opportunity to be conservative on fuel or any other strategy, because the performance of so many cars was so high.”

Now, Pappas is looking forward to the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida on Saturday, March 19.

“I’ve always enjoyed racing at Sebring,” said Pappas, who won the GTC class in 2011 among several strong finishes. “I think it will be interesting to be into the season with the rest of our competitors and see where people stack up now that we’ve had a couple of months with the new cars.

“Our goal is on winning the championship; we’re not going to get totally fixated on individual race wins. It’s going to be a real fight for the whole season, although I think everybody has a pretty strong feeling that this championship will come down to the last lap of the last race because it’s so competitive.”

IMSA Official Automotive Partner MINI Showcased In Popular Super Bowl Commercial

MINI John Cooper Works team owner Luis Perocarpi had a good reason for missing the Roar Before the Rolex 24 test at Daytona International Speedway in January. Perocarpi took one of his race cars to Los Angeles for filming a commercial that was shown during Sunday’s Super Bowl 50.

The finished product, #DefyLabels, had sports celebrities including Serena Williams, Abby Wambach, Randy Johnson and Tony Hawk, plus two glimpses of the No. 73 MINI John Cooper Works race car.

“We’re getting a lot of buzz from our fans,” Perocarpi said. “It was pretty cool seeing our car on the commercial. MINI is real happy with what we’re doing, and MINI owners love it.”

The No. 73 car now carries an autograph from Hawk next to the drivers’ names, after the skateboarding legend signed the car during the filming. The drivers in the commercial were Robbie Davis and Michai Stephens, who both hope to drive for the team later this season in IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge competition.

IMSA Names Golf Car Provider

Mid Florida Golf Cars has been named a Proud Partner for IMSA, and will provide golf cars for use at all IMSA events. This continues the company’s strategic initiative to expand awareness of its products and services.

Already one of the largest and best established golf car providers in the U.S., the company expects the new partnership to increase awareness of its golf car sales and fleet rentals within key markets by building awareness among IMSA’s business partners and fans, who align closely with their target market.

“The IMSA fan base has, on average, high annual household income and their fans are very loyal to companies that support the sport,” said Mid Florida Golf Cars CEO Tom Cannon. “For an individual or family, a golf car is a luxury purchase, so we need to be in front of customers who understand the value and are willing to spend money on our products. Plus, IMSA has established partnerships with many well-respected brands, so we are able to showcase our product to decision makers within those companies as well.”

IMSA Teams Set For Four-Day Sebring Test

Competitors in the WeatherTech Championship return to action on Thursday and Friday, Feb. 25-26, as part of the official four-day Sebring February Test at Sebring International Raceway. Three weeks later, they return to the historic circuit for the 64th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida.

The test opens on Tuesday and Wednesday, Feb. 23-24, with testing for the Continental Tire Challenge, IMSA Mazda Prototype Lites Presented by Cooper Tire, Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama, and Ultra94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama.

Sessions will be held each day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The test will be open to the public at $10 per day, or free to ticket holders for the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. There will be no overnight camping.

End Quote:

Chris Miller, Driver of the No. 85 JDC/Miller Motorsports ORECA FLM09, after winning the Prototype Challenge class in the Rolex 24: “It was an incredible effort from the team, getting their first victory in such an historic event. We persevered. We had a couple moments when it could have gotten away from us, but we had the quickest car and were running the fastest laps most of the time. We were controlling the pace from midway through the finish, just trying not to make any mistakes.”

Contact:
Nate Siebens
Senior Manager, IMSA Communications

(386) 310-6568

nsiebens

IMSA_News_Roundup_021016.pdf

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Rolex 24 At Daytona-Winning Patrón ESM Team Takes Prototype Class Lead In Tequila Patrón North Ame rican Endurance Cup

February 4, 2016 Leave a comment

Rolex 24 At Daytona-Winning Patrón ESM Team Takes Prototype

Class Lead In Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup

Four-Way Tie For GTLM Lead After First Of Four Patrón Endurance Cup Rounds

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 31, 2016) – After taking one of the biggest wins in team history last weekend in the 54th Rolex 24 At Daytona, Tequila Patrón ESM drivers Ed Brown, Scott Sharp, Pipo Derani and Johannes van Overbeek took the Prototype lead in the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup standings after Round 1 of the unique, four-race championship within the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Points were awarded following each six-hour increment in the Rolex 24. Five points are awarded to the leader of each segment, with four points for second, three for third and two for all other competitors. The other Patrón Endurance Cup rounds are the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida, Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen and the 10-hour Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta.

The No. 2 Tequila Patrón ESM Honda Ligier JS P2 won the second and final segments at Daytona. They scored 16 points, three more than two-time defending Patrón Endurance Cup champions João Barbosa, Christian Fittipaldi, Filipe Albuquerque and Scott Pruett in the No. 5 Action Express Racing Mustang Sampling Corvette DP.

“Patrón has been honored enough to do this for a couple years, and Scott [Sharp] and I said the first year, we’ve got to win one of them,” Brown said. “We just never could scratch it, and we had a chance a couple years ago at Sebring, and it didn’t pan out. It feels great to finally get one and get a jump start. Sebring is our home track, and we look forward to going to Sebring and seeing what this car can do there.”

The GT Le Mans (GTLM) class not only produced the closest class finish in Rolex 24 history; it also heads to the next round at Sebring International Raceway with a four-way tie for the Patrón Endurance Cup class lead.

In the race, Oliver Gavin held off Corvette Racing teammate Antonio Garcia by 0.034 seconds in a nearly side-by-side finish to take the victory. The two Corvette Racing cars (Nos. 3 and 4) join the two Porsche North America entries (Nos. 911 and 912) in a tie for the Patrón Endurance Cup. Twelve drivers each earned 13 points at Daytona.

Gavin, Tommy Milner and Marcel Fässler won the race and final Patrón Endurance Cup six-hour segment in the No. 4 Corvette Racing Corvette C7.R, while Garcia, Jan Magnussen and Mike Rockenfeller took the third segment with a slingshot pass in the No. 3 Corvette C7.R.
Defending GTLM champ Patrick Pilet joined Nick Tandy and Kevin Estre in winning the opening segment in the No. 911 Porsche North America Porsche 911 RSR, while teammates Earl Bamber, Michael Christensen and Frédéric Makowiecki were second in the opening sprint and third in the three remaining segments to also score 13 points in the No. 912 Porsche 911 RSR. The No. 68 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 488 GTE of Alessandro Pier Guidi, Alexandre Premat, Memo Rojas and Daniel Serra captured the second segment and has 11 total points.

The GT Daytona (GTD) race winners also took the Patrón Endurance Cup lead, with John Potter, Andy Lally, René Rast and Marco Seefried capturing the final two segments in the No. 44 Magnus Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 to score 14 points. Second, with 12 points, is the No. 23 Team Seattle/Alex Job Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R of Mario Farnbacher, Ian James, Alex Riberas and Wolf Henzler.

Prototype Challenge (PC) also is tied after the opening round. JDC-Miller Motorsports won the final two segments to tally 16 points for the winning No. 85 ORECA FLM09 of Kenton Koch, Misha Goikhberg, Chris Miller and Stephen Simpson. The defending PC class Patrón Endurance Cup champion, the No. 52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports team, won the opening two segments with drivers Tom Kimber-Smith, Robert Alon, Jose Gutierrez and Nicholas Boulle to also score 16 points.

The Patrón Endurance Cup will feature three four-hour segments at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida on March 19.

Contact:
Nate Siebens
Senior Manager, IMSA Communications

(386) 310-6568

nsiebens

Release Patron Cup Rd 1 Recap.pdf

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Allmendinger Leads First Segment Of Patrón Endurance Cup In Shank Honda Prototype At 54th Rolex 24 At D aytona

January 31, 2016 Leave a comment

Allmendinger Leads First Segment Of Patrón Endurance

Cup In Shank Honda Prototype At 54th Rolex 24 At Daytona

Tandy Porsche, Snow Lamborghini Lead GT Classes;

Legge Has Historic Run In DeltaWing Coupe Before Retirement

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 29, 2016) – Six hours are in the books at the 54th Rolex 24 At Daytona, with NASCAR Sprint Cup Series regular AJ Allmendinger leading the 2016 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship opener in the No. 60 Michael Shank Racing Tire Kingdom Honda Ligier JS P2.

That enabled Allmendinger and co-drivers Ozz Negri, John Pew and Olivier Pla to earn five points for leading the first segment of the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup, a four-race competition among the four longest races on the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Jonny Adam earned four points for the No. 31 Action Express Racing Whelen Engineering/Team Fox Corvette DP for running second in the Prototype class, while the third-place No. 01 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing EcoBoost Ford/Riley of Brendon Hartley took three points for running third. Two points were awarded to all other competitors in the class. Points also will be distributed after 12 hours, 18 hours and the finish in each class.

Nick Tandy scored the five-point bonus for the No. 911 Porsche North America Porsche 911 RSR in GT Le Mans (GTLM); Madison Snow took the bonus in GT Daytona (GTD) in the No. 48 Paul Miller Racing Castrol/Universal Industrial Sales Lamborghini Huracán GT3; and Jose Gutierrez earned the bonus in PC for the No. 52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Professional Security Consultants/Prisma/Vista Del Mar ORECA FLM09.

The Patrón North American Endurance Cup will continue with the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida, followed by the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen and Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta.

NOTEBOOK

  • Katherine Legge became the first female driver to lead overall in the 54-year history of the event. She was in the lead when she pitted the No. 0 Panoz DeltaWing Racing coupe after a two-hour, 38-minute opening stint after being out in front twice for 27 laps. “The car’s more reliable than it’s ever been.” Legge said after her stint. “We changed the gearbox; that was our nemesis. We have a great car, but with a great car comes a lot of pressure. You don’t think about where you are, you just keep doing your best.”
  • Co-driver Andy Meyrick also led two laps in the DeltaWing coupe after taking over from Legge, but struck the stopped car of Chris Cumming in Turn 1 at the three-hour, 43-minute mark. This resulted in major damage to both cars and the retirement of the DeltaWing coupe. Cumming had lost power in the No. 8 Starworks Motorsport AutoMax ORECA FLM09 in the center of the turn to bring out the third caution of the event.
  • Problems struck both of the new Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Ford GTs in the early hours. Ryan Briscoe went behind the wall for 16 laps when the No. 67 Ford GT was stuck in sixth gear. Joey Hand was leading in the No. 66 Ford GT when he lost power in Turn 6 after an hour and 20 minutes, bringing out the second caution of the event. The car later took an extended visit to the garage, stuck in first gear. “You just never know with a car,” Hand said. “Everybody’s learning with this Ford Chip Ganassi Racing team. They’re really good at adapting to problems. We have to get a 24-hour under our belt, just to learn what we have to watch out for.”
  • Mark Wilkins worked the No. 54 CORE autosport Flex-Box/Composite Resources ORECA FLM09 into the PC lead before the car suddenly slowed at 8 p.m. with terminal engine problems. Wilkins joined Jon Bennett and Colin Braun in winning the class in 2014, only to lose last year’s race with a spin in the chicane caused by suspension damage with less than 20 minutes remaining in the event.
  • The No. 70 Mazda Prototype was the first retirement from event when Tom Long pulled off course after losing power in Turn 4 on lap 12, resulting in the first caution. The team’s No. 55 entry was leading at the four-hour mark, with Jonathan Bomarito out front twice for eight laps. The Rolex 24 is the first race for the Mazda Prototype with the gasoline-fueled MZ-2.0T after the team ran a diesel-fueled engine for the past two seasons.
  • The overnight portion of the Rolex 24 will be streamed live on IMSA.tv from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. FS1 television coverage resumes at 7 a.m. ET, followed by a shift to FS2 at 10:30 a.m. before returning to FS1 at 1 p.m. through the finish.

Contact:
Nate Siebens
Senior Manager, IMSA Communications

(386) 310-6568

nsiebens

R24-PatronCup-2016-6hr.pdf

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Wilson weighs his options for 2016

January 21, 2016 Leave a comment

Wilson Weighs Options for 2016

21 January 2016 – Kris Wilson raced his way through what he called “… a strange but awesome rookie season in Pirelli World Challenge GTS” in 2015, and the experienced winner is now looking for his next opportunity in 2016.

Racing in his first-ever season of World Challenge came as a surprise to Wilson, who had originally signed on as a coach for Max Riddle.

Some health issues, which were fortunately surmounted by the end of the season, meant a dramatic change of plan for Wilson, who was thrown the keys to the No. 07 Aston Martin to race just days before the start of the season.

“After winning two races in 2014 driving in the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge GS class with teammate Max (Riddle), I moved into the role of coach/mentor and engineer for his 2015 program in PWC with TRG-AMR’s Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT4,” said Wilson. “A couple of days before the first race at Circuit of the Americas, I got a call from Dave Riddle (Max’s dad) saying that they weren’t going to make it to the first race. Dave said that I should race the car. As you could imagine I had no problem stepping in!”

He made the most of the faith that the Riddles and TRG-AMR showed in him, scoring a pole and debut win at the Circuit of the Americas to kick start the season.

As Riddle’s health fluctuated, Wilson found himself thrown back into the cockpit of the Aston Martin as he worked to make the most of each weekend he had to race.

“It was an up and down year, no question,” said Wilson. “We had gearbox problems at St. Pete and I had to start at the back but got up to fifth by the finish, even though I’d never done a lap of the track before the race started!” said Wilson. “We won both races at Barber, and Max (Riddle) was able to race again at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and I coached. We weren’t able to make Road America, but we did get to run Mid-Ohio and scored a win and finished fourth despite having a fuel pick up problem. We missed Utah, but were back for the two California races—home events for TRG-AMR.”

The “home races” for TRG at Sonoma Raceway and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca were fruitful as Sonoma ended with sixth and second place finishes, while Wilson managed to shrug off the extra 150 lbs of ballast the Aston Martin carried as part of the balance of performance to close out the year with a win at the fabled Monterey facility.

“The team had been able to overcome the engineering problems with the extra weight throughout the season and come away with another win to bookend the season,” said Wilson. “What a great way to end the season with a fifth win! I would like to thank everyone involved in that strange but awesome season in Pirelli World Challenge. First and foremost to Dave and Max Riddle for allowing me to race their Aston Martin, to all the TRG-AMR team for running an amazing program and to the partners and the series for all of their help.“

Kris Wilson is weighing his options for the 2016 race season.

“I have been talking to quite a few teams this off season but have yet to make a decision on where and with whom to race with this season,” said Wilson. “I would like to be in GT but only with a team capable of winning. I raced the Aston Martin GT3 GTD car in the Rolex 24 hours of Daytona and the Mobil 1 12 hours of Sebring and I love those cars–who wouldn’t? Now that I have tasted the champagne, it’s hard to go back to drinking beer! I look forward to continuing in PWC this next season with a front running team.”

Contact: Kris Wilson

kwilsports

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