Author: Official Release

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana (September 17, 2024) – The Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti (WTRAndretti) No. 45 DEX Imaging Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 team heads to its’ first home race with the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS). The new six-hour race will mark the penultimate event of the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IWSC) as the season ends with two endurance events.

Kyle Marcelli and Danny Formal will return to pilot the No. 45 DEX Imaging Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 as they enter their first home race as a driver duo in IWSC after the pair competed in Lamborghini Super Trofeo (LST) in 2023 around IMS. Marcelli and Formal will be looking to secure a positive result at the endurance event, as the team seeks to find a formula for the longer races of the season. Formal will also return to double duty as a driver for the No. 1 WTRAndretti Lamborghini Huracán LST as he remains in the championship hunt in the PRO category for Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America.

Marcelli and Formal will also be joined by Graham Doyle as he returns as the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup co-driver. Doyle has continued to show impressive pace in the LST North America series as he competes in the No. 10 DEX Imaging Lamborghini Huracán LST and will also compete in double duty during the IMS weekend with two LST races.

“For our GTD program, I’m looking forward to seeing them do well at Indy,” said Wayne Taylor, Team Principal, WTRAndretti. “They’ve found a bit of speed after recently testing at Road Atlanta. Between Kyle and Danny, and Graham joining for these last two races, I think it should be a good weekend for the team and I’m really looking forward to going back to another endurance race – I love the long-distance races.”

The No. 45 DEX Imaging Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 team will have its first on-track action at IMS with practice at 11:15 a.m. ET on Friday, September 20 followed by qualifying on Saturday, September 21, at 3:40 p.m. ET. The TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks is set for a 11:40 a.m. ET start for the six-hour event with broadcast beginning at 11:30 a.m. ET on Peacock followed by NBC broadcast through the checkered flag live at 3 p.m. ET.
No. 45 DEX Imaging Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 Drivers
Kyle Marcelli: “It’s wild to think we have just two races remaining on the schedule. In this business, the years go by quick! We continue to evolve as a team, learn and of course push ourselves to improve. There’s no question we have all the tools we need to be successful, and the fact that we have not been on the podium has everyone a bit disappointed. But I have the upmost faith in this program, it’s just a matter of time. Maybe the home track advantage will play into our favor, and we will find ourselves in the winner’s circle. Rest assured, that’s our only objective. We also look forward to the new six-hour challenge at Indianapolis and welcome the return of Graham Doyle to the line-up.”

Danny Formal: “Indy six-hour this week and I’m super excited for this race. I’m going to be racing in Super Trofeo and the GTD at our team’s home race, so super excited for that. We had really good results last year and a great test recently in the Super Trofeos. I’m ready to get back with the endurance team on the GTD side with Graham, Kyle and myself, we are ready to get the top five the team deserves in an endurance race. Graham has improved drastically this season, and I think we have all the ingredients to be up there and fighting and put the No. 45 DEX Imaging Lamborghini Huracán EVO2 where it belongs – fighting for the top five or even maybe for podium. Super excited to get back with the WTRAndretti team, get back to the home race and try to get the result that we truly deserve.”

Graham Doyle: “In a season where the endurance events have seemed to slip our grasps, I believe Indy will be a turning point for the No. 45 endurance crew. While this is the maiden six-hour event at Indy, I believe our drivers and crew know the track and car allowing us the opportunity to not only to display a competitive car but push for a chance to make it onto the podium.”

ABOUT WTRANDRETTI
Andretti Global and Wayne Taylor Racing announced a new, long-term partnership in 2023 that combines the resources of the two championship-caliber teams to compete in IMSA’s top classes. In 2024, Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti (WTRAndretti) has expanded to a two-car GTP program as well as competes in the GTD class. Coming off its 2023 championship winning effort, WTRAndretti continues its Driver Development Program competing in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America series with a full stable.

WTRAndretti’s global motorsports enterprise boasts two IMSA driver championships (2013 and 2017), and back-to-back IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup Championships (2020, 2021) which contributed to nine IMSA manufacturer championships for Acura, Pontiac, Corvette and Cadillac. In its brief 17-year history, WTRAndretti has accumulated multiple victories in sportscar racing’s most iconic events: Rolex 24 At Daytona, Twelve Hours of Sebring, Petit Le Mans, Mid-Ohio, Road America and the Six Hours of The Glen. With its back-to-back PRO Class Championship wins (2022, 2023), WTR also has ten North America Lamborghini Super Trofeo Championship titles and a Lamborghini World Finals title.

Andretti Global, a Championship-winning motorsports organization, competes in additional racing categories worldwide, including the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, Extreme E, Australian Supercars and the Mexico SuperCopa Championship. Additionally, the racing enterprise commits to driver development through competition in INDY NXT by Firestone and through support of Sebastian and Oliver Wheldon’s racing careers.

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana (September 17, 2024) – The Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti (WTRAndretti) pair of Acura ARX-06 GTPs shift back to endurance racing action with the inaugural TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks six-hour event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS). After returning to the IMS Road Course in 2023, the WTRAndretti team are ready to put on a show at the team’s home track with both Acura ARX-06 GTPs and alongside teammates in the GTD class and Lamborghini Super Trofeo – totaling up to seven WTRAndretti cars on track throughout the weekend.

Aiming to pick up from where they left off, Ricky Taylor and Filipe Albuquerque in the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 enter Indianapolis following a pole position and podium result at Road America last month. With experience driving the Acura ARX-06 at IMS in 2023, Taylor and Albuquerque will look for the podium after earning a top five result in last year’s event. The mission remains the same for the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 crew: to win the remaining two events left on the calendar.

For Louis Delétraz and Jordan Taylor, the No. 40 DEX Imaging Acura ARX-06 team looks to bounce back after a promising weekend turned challenging at Road America. Although the pair has not raced together in the Acura ARX-06 GTP at Indianapolis before, Taylor last time in a prototype car at IMS saw him starting from pole position and Delétraz earned a podium finish in LMP2 in 2023’s Battle on the Bricks. Like their No. 10 teammates, it’s all about winning and the best result possible to finish the final races this season.
The WTRAndretti duo of Acura ARX-06 GTPs will take to the IMS Road Course starting with practice on Friday, September 20th, at 11:15 a.m. ET. Qualifying is set for 4:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, September 21st, live on Peacock. On Sunday, September 22nd, the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks six-hour endurance event will see the green and clock countdown begin at 11:40 a.m. ET with coverage on Peacock followed by NBC on air at 3 p.m. ET.
Wayne Taylor, Team Principal, WTRAndretti: “Since we are out of the points race for the championship, we are going to try to win these last two races. It will also be the end of our partnership with HRC so we would like to go out on top. We had a good test at Indy a few weeks ago so I’m feeling positive that we should have a good car and go for the win. Indy is a new endurance race, so I’m looking forward to it – I love the long-distance races.”

No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 GTP Drivers
Ricky Taylor: “We had a great test there last month and have certainly improved ourselves since last year, six hours will prove a different challenge, and we are up for it. Indy is a very unique circuit and whether or not the similarities in duration to the Watkins Glen six hour will translate, only time will tell. We will prepare our best and learn as much as we can to make educated decisions for the race. It was great fun last year to see all of the support from family and friends of the WTRAndretti team, it is something we don’t always get to see or share. With this event becoming one of the championship’s marquee events, it will make it even more enjoyable to share with everyone.”

Filipe Albuquerque: “Indianapolis’s going to be a new type of race for us, a six-hour race. Our last endurance race would’ve been a nice one – the two WTRAndretti cars were leading the race before the last 20 minutes, so we were looking good and competitive. We were also competitive and got pole position in the last sprint race at Road America, so it seems like we are getting faster and faster. We’ve been very competitive and of course we want to be competitive at Indianapolis. Safety cars and cautions will play a huge role in strategy, but we had a good test there and we got a good feeling of the car. One thing that can play in our favor is that we are not fighting for the championship so when others will be taking care of their championship and not taking as much risk because they have a bigger picture, we don’t. So, this can maybe play in our favor and a lot of motivation to go for the win for sure.”

No. 40 DEX Imaging Acura ARX-06 GTP Drivers
Louis Delétraz: “I’m excited for the Indianapolis 6-Hour because it’s our home race and also now an endurance race. Six hours at Indy will be a new challenge, the characteristics of track make it interesting with traffic. We have tested at the track with WTRAndretti, and the Acura ARX-06 was great. We have nothing to lose, and we want to win the last two races to finish the year strong!”

Jordan Taylor: “We had a great test at Indy a few weeks ago, so I’m looking forward to getting back there and seeing how we stack up. It is our home race as a team, so it’ll be great having a lot of family and friends out there supporting us at such a legendary track. We had great speed at the last race in Road America but weren’t able to capitalize on it in the race. Hopefully this week we will be in such a strong position again to fight for the win.”

ABOUT WTRANDRETTI
Andretti Global and Wayne Taylor Racing announced a new, long-term partnership in 2023 that combines the resources of the two championship-caliber teams to compete in IMSA’s top classes. In 2024, Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti (WTRAndretti) has expanded to a two-car GTP program as well as competes in the GTD class. Coming off its 2023 championship winning effort, WTRAndretti continues its Driver Development Program competing in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America series with a full stable.

WTRAndretti’s global motorsports enterprise boasts two IMSA driver championships (2013 and 2017), and back-to-back IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup Championships (2020, 2021) which contributed to nine IMSA manufacturer championships for Acura, Pontiac, Corvette and Cadillac. In its brief 17-year history, WTRAndretti has accumulated multiple victories in sportscar racing’s most iconic events: Rolex 24 At Daytona, Twelve Hours of Sebring, Petit Le Mans, Mid-Ohio, Road America and the Six Hours of The Glen. With its back-to-back PRO Class Championship wins (2022, 2023), WTR also has ten North America Lamborghini Super Trofeo Championship titles and a Lamborghini World Finals title.

Andretti Global, a Championship-winning motorsports organization, competes in additional racing categories worldwide, including the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, Extreme E, Australian Supercars and the Mexico SuperCopa Championship. Additionally, the racing enterprise commits to driver development through competition in INDY NXT by Firestone and through support of Sebastian and Oliver Wheldon’s racing careers.

Defending champion enters six-hour Indianapolis race second, third in standings

DETROIT (Sept. 17, 2024) – Cadillac Racing will seek to add another signature victory in program history when it returns to iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the penultimate race of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season.

New for the second edition of the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks is extension of the September 22 race duration from 2 hours, 40 minutes to six hours on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course. The event, featuring 11 Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) entries in the 56-car field across four classes, is the fourth in the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup series. The 10-hour Petit Le Mans on October 12 closes out the calendar.

Cadillac Racing is the defending and five-time IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup (IMEC) Manufacturer champion, while the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R run by Action Express Racing claimed the team and driver titles in 2023. Cadillac and the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R contingent are second in their respective categories entering the race that awards points at the three-hour mark and checkered flag.

“It’s nice that the championship will now finish with two endurance races in a row, which can create a lot of interesting battles and different strategies around not only the overall championship but also the endurance championships,” said Pipo Derani, the 2023 GTP champion and endurance race champion who will share driving duties in both races with Jack Aitken and Tom Blomqvist.

The No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R driven by Sebastien Bourdais and Renger van der Zande are a close third in the IMEC GTP standings. The duo, who tested on the road course earlier this summer, have qualified in the top three in all seven races including earning the pole at Laguna Seca.

Bourdais, who co-drove to the overall victory in the inaugural NASCAR Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series race at Indianapolis in 2012 and is a 10-time INDYCAR starter on the road course, said driving in the congested field spread across the four classes is a “game of patience.”

“In a six-hour race, I guess there will be more management because it will come down to what happens at the last safety car, so it might be a bit easier to manage frustration. In a 2-hour, 40-minute race, it’s trying to get track position the whole time,” said Bourdais, the four-time Indy car champion.

Blomqvist made two starts at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May in INDYCAR competition: finishing 23rd on the road course and 31st in the Indianapolis 500. He co-drove to sixth place in the 2023 IMSA GTP race on the IMS road course with another manufacturer.

“You’ve got to be patient and pick your moments carefully, especially when the track gets crowded. Having raced here last year in IMSA and this year in INDYCAR, I feel confident in knowing the nuances of the track, but it’s always evolving and, with managing traffic, balancing risk and reward will be a key factor in the race,” he said.

Peacock and IMSA.tv will stream qualifications at 3:35 p.m. ET Saturday. Peacock (in U.S.) and IMSA.TV (outside U.S.) will stream flag-to-flag action at 11:30 a.m. Sunday, with NBC telecasting the final three hours starting at 3 p.m.

IMSA Radio (imsa.com), RadioLeMans.com will broadcast qualifications and be joined by SiriusXM (XM 206, Web/App 996) for the race.

Cadillac Racing 2023 at Indianapolis (2-hour, 40-minute race):

• Seventh (No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R) start fourth – Sebastien Bourdais, Renger van der Zande
• Fourth (No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R) start eighth – Pipo Derani, Alexander Sims

What they’re saying

No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R

Sebastien Bourdais: “Physically, it’s hard. It’s a track that doesn’t give you much rest and it’s seriously difficult in traffic. There are a lot of sections on the track where you can’t pass. Once you get into turn 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 you got to wait all the way until the backstraight and same thing when you get to 7, 8, 9, 10. If you don’t clear just before you get to the long right, the marbles build up and you can’t pass either. There are few places to clear traffic and it’s really a game of patience because if you try to force the issue it can go sour pretty fast. You have to be careful but at the same time you can’t be too careful. In a 2-hour, 40-minute race, you can’t take it that easy. In a six-hour race, I guess there will be more management because it will come down to what happens at the last safety car, so it might be a bit easier to manage frustration. In a 2-hour, 40-minute race, it’s trying to get track position the whole time. You’re fighting for a couple tenths and then you give up 5 seconds on a lap because you get stuck behind a GT or something for six corners. It’s a tough one.”

Renger van der Zande: “It’s one of those tracks where strategy and track position will play a big role. It’s a fun track on your own. It’s not a typical IMSA track either. I did the 8 hours of Indy as well; finished second. It’s not the most exciting track but it’s the home for a lot of race teams, including our team. It’s a home race for them, so it’s a home race for me. I’m looking forward to Indy. The tough part for us in this part of the season is the hard tire, which we focused on getting it better and found some setup stuff that worked.”

No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R

Pipo Derani: “Indianapolis six hours will be a new challenge as it enters the endurance rounds of the championship. It’s also a very peculiar racetrack, one that can create a lot of marbles off track. It’s most likely going to create a very interesting endurance event, and I am looking forward to that. I also think it’s nice that the championship will now finish with two endurance races in a row, which can create a lot of interesting battles and different strategies around not only the overall championship but also the endurance championships. Last year we had a relatively strong race car apart from the Porsches who were on a league of their own and we weren’t so quick in qualifying. We will be looking to unlock some speed this year and hope that we can fight the Porsches during the race.”

Jack Aitken: “Indianapolis may be a new track for me, but it’s one I know from the simulator and having watched quite a few races there, so I’m not too concerned about getting up to speed. Going to a six hour this year will mean a bit more strategy playing out over the race, and as always traffic management will be a huge part of the game. Competing at such a historic venue will always be a cool outing, and Indy is a bit of a home away from home at this point, thanks to the Dallara simulator being just next to the Speedway.”

Tom Blomqvist: “Racing at Indy is always a special experience, and the new six-hour format definitely changes things and adds a new challenge for everyone. The circuit is tight and technical, so traffic management will be crucial to a strong result. Overtaking can be challenging, but there are a few decent spots to make moves, particularly heading into Turn 1 and on the backstretch. You’ve got to be patient and pick your moments carefully, especially when the track gets crowded. Having raced here last year in IMSA and this year in INDYCAR, I feel confident in knowing the nuances of the track, but it’s always evolving and, with managing traffic, balancing risk and reward will be a key factor in the race. To be back working with the team, Pipo and Jack is fantastic and I’m optimistic about our chances. We’re currently second in the Endurance Cup standings, so the goal for the last two rounds is to maximize every opportunity for points and try to win the title.”