Category: IMSA

MONTEREY (May 12, 2024) — Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti (WTRAndretti) leaves the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca with two podiums and win in hand after the third and fourth rounds of the 2024 Lamborghini Super Trofeo (LST) North America season. The team’s stable of four cars managed to secure a strong haul of points at the historic California road course.

In the No. 1 WTRAndretti LST PRO, Ryan Norman and Danny Formal looked to step onto the podium after two fourth place finishes at Sebring International Raceway to open the season. In the first race of the weekend, the driver duo started in second position, showing promising pace. After a strong showing of experience and control from both drivers around WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, the pair secured second place and their first podium of the 2024 season. Race 2 for the No. 1 car was hampered by difficulties during qualifying which left the team starting in eighth position in class. After a chaotic race, Formal and Norman had made up positions through the field, but ultimately finished in eighth position after receiving a penalty on the final restart.

Piloting the No. 8 WTRAndretti LST PRO|AM, Nate Stacy and Nick Persing depart Laguna Seca after a rollercoaster weekend. After qualifying in seventh position for PRO|AM for Race 1, the No. 8 car was involved in a racing incident early on that left it unable to finish. After working through the night to repair the damage, the car was able to start in fourth position for Race 2. Persing was able to stay out of trouble and rally through a hectic start to the race in order to set up Stacy well after the driver change. With multiple caution periods near the end of the race, Stacy’s control throughout the closing minutes placed the No. 8 WTRAndretti back on the top step of the podium for their second PRO|AM win of the year.

In a similar fashion to the No. 8 car, the No. 69 Global Power Components LST AM car saw a difficult first race followed by a trip to the podium. The driver duo started the weekend strong, securing a pole and second in qualifying for Race 1 and 2, respectively. For Race 1, despite a strong starting position, an issue with the steering wheel shortened the driver pair’s race, nullifying their starting position. For Race 2, the driver duo lined up second in class. McIntosh was able to navigate a troublesome start and hold position before the driver change. Once McGee took over, he was able to regain positions lost during the pitstop, and as McGee continued to charge through the field, the checkered flag marked the No. 69 Global Power Components team’s third AM podium of the season.

Ashton Harrison joined Graham Doyle to pilot the No. 10 DEX Imaging LST AM for their first race as a driver pairing in LST. The duo focused on learning and improvement throughout the weekend as they navigated their first entry together. Doyle and Harrison qualified in seventh and eleventh in Race 1 and 2 respectively. In Race 1, both drivers were able to maintain consistent pace and secure seventh place in class. Race 2 saw both drivers navigate tricky conditions to move up the field, finishing once again in seventh place in the AM class.
The WTRAndretti Lamborghini Super Trofeo stable will continue the season at Watkins Glen International on June 21-23, 2024, for Rounds 5 and 6 of the LST North America Championship.

Ryan Norman, No. 1 WTRAndretti LST (PRO): “It was definitely an up and down weekend for us. We were able to get second place yesterday, which was great. Today, I’m still a little confused about how everything played out. I think it was just too many yellows. We moved up to fifth place and were looking good. I think we pitted just one lap too early, but that’s nothing we could have planned for, so a bunch of people got a free pitstop in front of us. I believe we also had a pit lane penalty as well, which put us back pretty far. All we can do is keep on pushing forward. We know we have the crew and the car behind us, so we’ll just look to get to the top step of the podium next time.”

Danny Formal, No. 1 WTRAndretti LST (PRO): “Rounds three and four of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America championship are over. Not the best weekend, not the worst weekend. Today, Race 2, was a complete disaster race wise. It wasn’t the car or the team; the race was just very weird. A lot of yellows resulted in a jumbled pit window, and we came out a lap down. I received a jump start penalty for me on the last restart. As the leader went, I went too, and they all missed the last corner, so I took advantage. Yesterday’s second place finish was a good salvage of points. I’m proud of the team, but we’re not where we want to be yet like last year. We’ll keep on working, everyone at WTRAndretti, and we’ll get there for Watkins Glen. But I’m grateful for the team and all the sponsors and partners and my teammate Ryan, and we’ll see how we do in Watkins Glen.”

Nate Stacy, No. 8 WTRAndretti LST (PRO|AM): “The first race was quite a doozy, not the ending we wanted, but we came back in the second race and really rallied to get a good finish. We survived the melee out there. I felt like I was at Lime Rock out there with how tight it was. There were a lot of cars on track, a lot of competition. Nick did a great job and drove well above where his experience level would say he would. He kept it clean and brought in a clean race car, and we just executed. Pit stop was great. Everyone on the crew did a fantastic job. They stayed late last night getting the car put back together for us, so I hope this win does them some justice.”

Nick Persing, No. 8 WTRAndretti LST (PRO|AM): “It’s an amazing way to cap off the weekend with a win! Yesterday was a little bit of a disappointment because there was some unavoidable contact, just a racing incident. The team stayed up all night to fix the car, and to be able to come out here today and deliver a result like this is an amazing feeling for us as well as the WTRAndretti team.”

Graham Doyle, No. 10 DEX Imaging WTRAndretti LST (AM): “Second weekend of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America Championship. Really great one here at Laguna Seca. I had a lot of fun. First weekend with me Ashton and me working together, so a lot of learning this weekend. We definitely made improvements and learned a lot working together. Not exactly the finishes we wanted; we finished seventh in both races. But the potential is there, and we can feel it. So going into Watkins Glen, I think we’ll be a good duo that’s going to fight for podiums.”

Ashton Harrison, No. 10 DEX Imaging WTRAndretti LST (AM): “Good wrap up to the Laguna Seca race here for Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America. I’m thrilled to be working with Graham and being able to help represent DEX Imaging with him in this tight Super Trofeo field. I’m really happy with our progression over the weekend, and it’s very clear that the No. 10 car is a force to be reckoned with in this AM class. I’m proud of Graham and everybody for the effort that they put in this weekend and looking forward to heading to a track that I know Graham and I are going to be very strong at. Again, just pushing forward and pushing for podiums and wins.”

Glenn McGee, No. 69 Global Power Components WTRAndretti LST (AM): “My teammate Tony McIntosh and I came here thinking this would be our toughest race, as this is a tough track for us, but our baseline came out really well with Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti. I think we had a strong average pace to start off with, and we just kept getting quicker throughout the weekend. Race 1 was difficult because our cable was broken on the steering wheel, so we couldn’t select gears. That hampered our race, so we were very lucky do well, but it ended our race in Race 1. In Race 2, my teammate kept it out of trouble at the start. I got the car, but I got tripped up by the PROs on the out lap which lost us the lead in the transition and pits. I fell back to third and made some passes up to second. I ran down the leader, but it was yellow flags to the finish. Congrats to the guys who won; they did a good job this weekend.”

Anthony McIntosh, No. 69 Global Power Components WTRAndretti LST (AM): “The weekend was good. It started off rocky when we had a short in a wire in our steering wheel for Race 1. Every time I would turn right, the steering wheel would turn off, and when I would turn left, the steering wheel would turn on, so I lost the ability to shift. But the team quickly fixed that and got the set up dialed in. For Race 2, it was mostly yellow. I only got a couple of laps and turned it over to Glenn. But it was really just about surviving this whole weekend.”

ABOUT WTRANDRETTI’S DRIVER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
Based in Indianapolis, Indiana, Wayne Taylor Racing, now with Andretti Global (#WTRAndretti), is a leader in sportscar racing, recognized worldwide for fielding championship winning racing efforts since 2007. WTRAndretti has run a stable of championship winning cars and drivers in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America series for over half a decade, forming the basis of its Driver Development Program. Since its inception in 2015, the team has clinched eight North American PRO Driver, Team and Dealer Championship titles, fielded the first woman World Finals race winner and became the overall 2017 Champions at the World Finals in Imola, Italy. In addition to its Lamborghini Super Trofeo stable, WTRAndretti fields a two-car GTP program with it Championship winning No 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 and No. 40 DEX Imaging Acura ARX-06 effort as well as GTD program with the No. 45 DEX Imaging Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo2.

MONTEREY, Calif. (May 12, 2024) – A mistake in the final corner of Saturday’s Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin race cost Aaron Jeansonne (No. 24 JTR Motorsports Engineering) a hometown victory. He redeemed himself in Sunday’s race with a decisive win. Nathan Nicholson (No. 56 JTR Motorsports Engineering) came home second, with Jeremy Fletcher (No. 22 McCumbee McAleer Racing) finishing third.

Starting from pole position, Jeansonne led all but one lap of the race, but each and every one of those laps was a fight to stay up front. For the first half of the race Jeansonne’s teammate, and Saturday race winner, Jared Thomas (No. 96 JTR Motorsports Engineering) was glued to his bumper.

Any effort to work together and pull away from the field was spoiled by Tyler Gonzalez (No. 57 Saito Motorsports Group), who had a great start and was breathing down the JTR duo’s necks.

The top eight cars separated themselves from the rest of the field and were fighting for every inch of race track. Eventually, Thomas was sucked into the battle behind him and nearly fell out of the top 10. The tight battles gave Jeansonne some moments of reprieve, but he wasn’t able to pull away from the pack until the penultimate lap.

“I didn’t look in my mirror one time,” Jeansonne said of the final two laps. “My spotter told me they were 15 car-lengths behind me coming to the white flag. I was like ‘okay, I got it. Fifteen car-lengths. I don’t need anything else.’” I just drove and knew I had the gap, a little bit of a margin, and came away with it.”

WeatherTech Raceway is Jeansonne’s home track and site of his first-ever Mazda MX-5 Cup win last year.

“There’s a lot of people here helping me and supporting me and that made yesterday really tough,” Jeansonne said of Saturday’s race. “I really wanted it yesterday and came so close. I am so happy to get it done today and in exciting fashion like that.”

With the win, bonus points for two pole positions and leading the most laps in both races, Jeansonne provisionally takes over the championship points and inches closer to the $250,000 championship prize.

A runner-up finish felt like a victory for Nicholson. His race began with a poor start and while fighting not to fall too far behind, he took a ride through the gravel in Turn Five and nearly spun. An early full-course yellow helped him stay in the top 10 and gave him a chance to refocus for the restart.

Nicholson clawed his way back through the field and into second by the race’s halfway mark, but an attempt to take the lead slowed his momentum enough to fall back to fourth with two laps to go.

Determined to earn his second-straight podium finish, Nicholson dug deep.

“I got pushed off and the only thing I was worried about was just picking off one car by one car by one car,” Nicholson said. “It’s the exact same mindset as Sebring when I went 30th to 10th. You know, it’s the bad days, when stuff goes wrong, that matter and win championships.”

Defending for his life, and sometimes defying physics, Nicholson held onto second.

“The team gave me a car that would stick anywhere, so I can’t thank them enough for that,” he said.

Two podium results at Laguna Seca pushes Nicholson into the lead of the Rookie of the Year standings, which culminates in a $80,000 check at the end of the season from Mazda.

Fletcher had the fastest lap of the race and clearly the speed to win but started seventh and found it extra tricky to pick up positions early on in the race.

“I definitely fell back in the beginning,” Fletcher said. “I knew I had the car and suddenly felt really good and after the caution. I kind of just tried to pick them off one by one and go from there. There was a lot of contact, not with me, just around me and I think that helped us a lot to kind of move through. MMR had the car absolutely flying, so I can’t thank them enough and my grandparents and The Holster Store for bringing me out here and making this possible.”

It is the fourth podium of the year for Fletcher who is in his sophomore season.

Thomas recovered from his mid-race struggles to finish fourth and Grant West (No. 50 Spark Performance) earned his best MX-5 Cup finish ever, crossing the line in fifth.

The top finishing female in the race, Sally Mott (No. 15 Spark Performance), had a harrowing race that started with a spin that sent her to the back of the field. The Mazda Women in Motorsports Scholarship winner didn’t let it phase her and methodically picked her way back through the field to 11th.

“The first race I had a (first lap) incident that was similar, so I really, really, really wanted this,” Mott said. “I drove my heart out and I feel like it paid off and even though my tow was out and I was struggling in some areas, I feel like l did my best and I stayed focused and I put on a show when it mattered.”

As the top finishing female, Mott took home a check for $2,000 from Mazda.

Both races from Laguna Seca are available to watch on the RACER and IMSA YouTube channels.

Next up for MX-5 Cup is Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for Rounds Seven and Eight, June 7 – 9.

About: The Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin is the signature spec series for Mazda Motorsports. The series has been operated by Andersen Promotions since 2017 and is currently sanctioned by IMSA. Mazda-powered grassroots champions can earn Mazda scholarships for this pro-level series. The Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup awards more than $1 million in prizes and scholarships.

Find out more at http://www.mx-5cup.com.

MONTEREY, California (May 11, 2024) — Danny Formal in the No. 45 DEX Imaging Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 soared to the top of the GTD Class time charts and will start from pole position at the MOTUL Course de Monterey. Formal’s impressive lap time of 1:20.866 handed Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti (WTRAndretti) its’ first GTD pole position in their inaugural full season IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD campaign.

The No. 45 DEX Imaging Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 team will see the green flag fly for Sunday’s MOTUL Course de Monterey at 3:10 p.m. ET (12:10 p.m. PT) from WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. NBC will serve host the broadcast of the 2-hour, 40-minute sprint race beginning at 3 p.m. ET (12 p.m. PT).

TOP FIVE GTD STARTING GRID

1. No. 45 DEX Imaging Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 (Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2) K. Marcelli, D. Formal (99.631 mph)
2. No. 557 Turner Motorsport (BMW M4 GT3) R. Foley, P. Gallagher (99.472 mph)
3. No. 57 WINWARD Racing (Mercedes-AMG GT3) R. Ward, P. Ellis (99.443 mph)
4. No. 27 Heart of Racing Team (Aston Martin Vantage GT3 EVO) R. De Angelis, S. Pumpelly (99.403 mph)
5. No. 12 Vasser Sullivan (Lexus RC F GT3) F. Montecalvo, J. Hawksworth (99.375 mph)

Danny Formal, No. 45 DEX Imaging Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2: “First of all, I’m so grateful to be part of this organization, WTRAndretti. I’ve been part of the family since 2021 in Lamborghini Super Trofeo, so today was a great day. In Practice 2 we prepared for this qualifying; we decided I was going to qualify the car. The No. 45 DEX Imaging Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 car felt extremely good. It was a little cooler out, which benefited our car. I had difficulties getting a good lap in during qualifying. It was quite dusty, and I just couldn’t get the rear tires activated. The last lap it cooled off, and I pushed pretty hard in the last sector to start the lap, and I saw my tire pressure was an ideal number, so I was able to get two tenths in the last lap and get that pole position that my team truly deserves. We’ve been working so hard. It’s a new program, only our fourth race ever, and to be close to these guys in GTD PRO and get our first GTD Championship pole position in four races is just incredible.”

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.

WTRAndretti’s long term partnerships include Lamborghini Squadra Corse, DEX Imaging, Harrison Contracting Company and Gainbridge.

MONTEREY, California (May 11, 2024) —Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti’s (WTRAndretti) pair of Acura ARX-06 GTP teams tackled qualifying for the MOTUL Course de Monterey at the historic WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. For the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 GTP, it was Ricky Taylor piloting the blue and black machine for the 15-minute qualifying session while Louis Delétraz climbed behind the No. 40 DEX Imaging Acura ARX-06. Utilizing a split strategy to conquer the competitive GTP class, Taylor came to pit lane after an install lap to open the session and the WTRAndretti crew changed tires while Delétraz ran just over five minutes before pitting. As the checkered flag flew, Taylor qualified the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 in seventh position on the GTP grid with a best time of 1:12.905. Delétraz’s fastest lap time around the 2.238-mile road course of 1:13.084 earned the eighth starting position alongside teammate Taylor.

Sunday’s MOTUL Course de Monterey from WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca is set for 3:10 p.m. ET (12:10 p.m. PT) for the traditional 2-hour, 40-minute sprint race. Broadcast coverage will begin at 3 p.m. ET (12 p.m. PT) on NBC.

TOP FIVE GTP STARTING GRID

1. No. 01 Cadillac Racing (Cadillac V-Series.R) R. van der Zande, S. Bourdais (111.212 mph)
2. No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac Racing (Cadillac V-Series.R) P. Derani, J.Aitken (111.040 mph)
3. No. 24 BMW M Team RLL (BMW M Hybrid V8) J. Krohn, P. Eng (110.900 mph)
4. No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsports (Porsche 963) N. Tandy, M. Jaminet (110.877 mph)
5. No. 25 BMW M Team RLL (BMW M Hybrid V8) C. De Phillippi, N. Yelloly (110.816 mph)
6. No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 (Acura ARX-06) R. Taylor, F. Albuquerque (110.510 mph)
7. No. 40 DEX Imaging Acura ARX-06 (Acura ARX-06) J. Taylor, L. Delétraz (110.239 mph)

Ricky Taylor, No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06: “We split the strategies in qualifying. We based our strategy on Practice 2 and the track was quite a bit different. I think we have some work to do overnight, but it’s a long race tomorrow. We have two new good sets of tires and 2-hours, 40-minutes to work our way to the front. And a new track surface, so it’s a lot of unknowns. No one has raced here before in IMSA with this track surface, so hopefully we’ll have a bit of a fresh start.”

Louis Delétraz, No. 40 DEX Imaging Acura ARX-06: “A tough qualifying. I think we were lacking a bit of pace today. The important points are in the race. So, we are going to try to do our best for the race and be fast and score the most points tomorrow. It was definitely hard to bring the tires in and felt like the lap time just wasn’t coming today. It’s just qualifying, we look forward to the race tomorrow.”

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.

WTRAndretti’s long term partnerships include Acura, Honda Racing Corporation US (HRC), Konica Minolta Business Solutions USA, DEX Imaging, Harrison Contracting Company and Gainbridge.

Tasca Moves No. 37 Fly Alliance/TPC Racing Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo EVO2 LB Cup Program to TPC Racing at One Year Anniversary of Racing Debut at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca

MONTEREY, California (May 9, 2024) – TPC Racing is focused on celebrating debuting team driver Chris Tasca’s first anniversary in racing with a podium finish this weekend in the No. 37 Fly Alliance/TPC Racing Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo EVO2 in Rounds 3 and 4 of the IMSA Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America championship at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Tasca and TPC have joined forces for the balance of the 2024 Super Trofeo season, and the new partnership begins on the same Laguna Seca road course where Tasca began racing a year ago.

Tasca drove in an auto race for the first time at WeatherTech Raceway last May, his first event in a full-season rookie campaign. He returned for this year’s season-opening Super Trofeo doubleheader in March at Sebring International Raceway where he scored a weekend-best fifth place finish in the LB Cup class.

Tasca now moves his Lamborghini LB Cup program to TPC for all but one of 2024’s five remaining doubleheader race weekends. He begins with his new team where his competition driving career began with his first race last year, which complements some major firsts TPC has accomplished in Lamborghini competition at Laguna Seca.

In May of 2022 on the picturesque Monterey circuit, TPC Racing won its first career Super Trofeo race in none other than the LB Cup class. The team has since added to its list of Super Trofeo career achievements with additional podium results and race wins, including a Pro-Am class victory in last year’s season-ending Super Trofeo North America race at the Lamborghini World Finals in Vallelunga in Italy.

Tasca has only been racing for a year but he comes from a legendary and fast family tree of racers. His cousin Bob Tasca III is a top competitor in NHRA Funny Car competition in the Motorcraft/Quicklane Nitro Ford Funny Car, carrying on a family tradition of drag racing that has had parallel success for decades with the family’s long-established dealership network, which is one of the biggest automotive groups in the country. Tasca III scored his 16th career Nitro Funny Car victory last month in the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals in Las Vegas and earlier this year was the first drag racer to eclipse the 340 mph barrier with a staggering pass of 341.68 mph in Bradenton, Florida.

A three-day event weekend, the Super Trofeo schedule begins with a pair of practice sessions on Friday. Qualifying takes place Saturday at 11:05 a.m. PDT with the first 50-minute race scheduled to start that afternoon at 5:40 p.m. PDT. Sunday’s second and final race of the weekend goes green at 9:40 a.m. PDT. Both races stream live on NBC’s Peacock online network and IMSA.TV.

Harris Levitas, TPC Racing Director of Race Operations: “The TPC Racing Team is thrilled to welcome Chris Tasca to the program in the No. 37 Fly Alliance Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo EVO2. Chris is running in the LB Cup class, which is part of how the Lamborghini Super Trofeo series does such a great job of catering to every group and experience level there is. The series has classes to fit every type of driver, and we’ve won races in the LB Cup Class before. We have won at Laguna Seca before, and that is where Chris got his start in racing last season. The guys at the shop have worked extremely hard to prepare his car prior to this event, so we know that Chris is going in with a good Lamborghini under him. He’s got the confidence to get out there, work with his coach and start performing right away. At the Sebring opener, he was running with another team, but he still performed well with a result we can build on. Going into Laguna Seca, and going forward into the season, hopefully we can deliver some great results and put Chris where he needs to be in the championship standings.”

Chris Tasca, Driver, No. 37 Fly Alliance/TPC Racing Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo EVO2:

“The support from TPC Racing, even before getting to the race track, has just been A plus-plus. I’m really excited to have the support from Harris and the entire crew at TPC, and I’m just as excited about the entry list. There’s more than 40 entries, and 12 or 13 in the LB Cup class. I’m really familiar with some of the drivers, and two of the top four guys from Sebring dropped out, so with that top-five finish I’m really looking forward to reaching my first podium this coming weekend. My focus is on being a true competitor out there this year, this being my second year in Super Trofeo. A year ago was my first race in Super Trofeo at Laguna Seca, my first true race as a competitor, my first time ever in a race car, so this is my one-year anniversary. I’m really looking forward to showing everybody that I’m not just here for brand positioning with my company Fly Alliance, which is a private jet charter company, but I’m also here to be a competitor. I still give my cousin Bobby a hard time. That side of the Tasca family is only good at going straight! I have been able to master the turns of a race track too!”

About TPC Racing: TPC Racing is the Mid-Atlantic’s premier maintenance, service, tuning and modification center dedicated solely to Porsche sportscars. TPC Racing specializes in R&D and sales of high-performance modifications for Porsche sports cars and race cars, offering a wide range of vehicle upgrades. Best known for a line of forced induction solutions for the Porsche 911, Cayman and Boxster, a long-time focus on only one make, Porsche, has enabled TPC Racing to become experts in Porsche service, tuning, and racing. In 2000, TPC Racing began entering races under its own banner, scoring an SGS-class Championship in 2004 in the Grand-American Rolex Series and was a class winner in the 2006 Rolex 24 At Daytona, and captured the 2013 and 2016 IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA Gold Cup Championships. More information can be found at www.TPCRacing.com.

SALINAS, Calif., (May 8, 2024) – Two weeks have passed since Wright Motorsports suffered a heartbreaking incident at the Grand Prix of Long Beach, when the No. 120 Porsche 911 GT3 R was taken out of the competition just eight laps into the race. This weekend, they return to the competition in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, eager to rebound with round four of the GTD class season, the MOTUL Course de Monterey, at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and continue their strong start to the season, May 10 – 12.

“Long Beach was a tough pill to swallow,” said Team Owner John Wright. “We had strong pace and the guys worked so hard, as they always do, to come out swinging. Unfortunately, there was nothing we could do to avoid the incident. Since that moment, we’ve been focused on Laguna Seca. The car is fixed, the drivers are ready, and the crew is prepared. Laguna is an amazing track, and we know the Porsche will do well here.”

The team last won at the circuit in 2022, showing their prowess on the famed circuit. The track has a rich history dating back to 1957, making it one of the oldest racing circuits in the United States. Its technical and challenging layout mixed with exciting elevation changes demands precision from the drivers, and always delivers exciting racing for the fans.

Continuing with various developments around the course, WeatherTech Raceway was recently repaved last June. The investment into the facility upkeep brings a new excitement to the IMSA race event, and competitors will be eager to see what the new track surface can deliver.

Friday afternoon will host the weekend’s sole practice session, while practice two, qualifying, and the free, series-wide autograph session will be held on Saturday. The MOTUL Course de Monterey will run for two hours and 40-minutes on Sunday, May 12, beginning at 12:40 PM ET. It will steam live domestically from start to finish on Peacock, while international fans can stream live on imsa.com/tvlive. Fans who desire every minute of on-track action can listen to live commentary from IMSA Radio on imsaradio.com. Full event schedules are available on imsa.com.

Adam Adelson

I’m ecstatic to be racing again at Laguna Seca, and for the first time in GT3 machinery! I’ve had a love/hate relationship with this place, with most of my issues coming from the old degrading asphalt it used to have, so I’m especially excited considering the re-pave!

Also, Laguna Seca is the track where I participated in my first-ever race, so coming back here in the WeatherTech Sportscar Championship just under four years later makes it even more special for me. The hunger for success in this series is something that the whole team shares and I can’t wait to see what we can achieve.

Elliott Skeer

Back to the ‘Best Coast’ for another home-ish race! This should be a fun weekend with a lot of learning as we have not experienced the new surface yet. Ultimately, it’s another rep for Adam and myself in the IMSA sprint format and we are going into it with open minds, while of course trying to fly the Porsche flag as high as possible.

EVENT SCHEDULE | ALL TIMES PACIFIC

Friday, May 10
1:15 PM – 2:45 PM Practice 1

Saturday, May 11
9:15 AM – 10:45 AM Practice 2
12:00 PM – 12:30 PM Autograph Session
4:35 PM – 4:50 PM Qualifying

Sunday, May 12
12:10 PM – 2:50 PM Motul Course de Monterey

Wright Motorsports
Wright Motorsports is the premier Porsche race engineering facility in Ohio and a multi-series and international racing team known for superb car preparation, expert race strategy, and driver development. Located in Batavia, Ohio, it is owned and directed by John Wright, a certified Porsche factory-trained technician. As a crew chief John Wright has played a key role in winning eight driver and seven team championships in World Challenge, IMSA (ALMS) and the Grand-Am Rolex Series. Wright Motorsports won the team championship in Porsche GT3 Cup USA in 2012, 2013, and 2015, and went on to win the Pirelli World Challenge Overall, Sprint, Team, and Manufacturer’s titles in 2017. In 2020, the team captured the GT World Challenge America Am championship. In 2021, Wright Motorsports had a wildly successful season, capturing nine championships across their five racing efforts.

MONTEREY, California (May 8, 2024) — The Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti (WTRAndretti) Lamborghini Super Trofeo (LST) team returns to the action at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca for the second round of the LST North America Championship. The WTRAndretti stable for Laguna Seca consists of four entries across the PRO, PRO|AM and AM classes. The doubleheader at Laguna Seca will mark one of the largest fields for a Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America event featuring 41 Lamborghini Huracán LST entries.

Danny Formal and Ryan Norman will return to pilot the No. 1 WTRAndretti Lamborghini Huracán LST in the PRO class. After two top-five results in Sebring and a strong showing of pace, the driver duo will be looking to capitalize on their past success at Laguna Seca to step onto the podium for Rounds 3 and 4 of the season. As Laguna Seca was the site of the season opener for the 2023 LST Championship, Formal took both overall wins with current GTD co-driver, Kyle Marcelli, while Norman also collected two podium finishes. Laguna Seca will also represent a return to double duty for Formal as he will be piloting the No. 45 DEX Imaging Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 in the GTD class for the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship (IWSC) in addition to the No. 1 WTRAndretti LST.

After securing victory in the PRO|AM class for the season opener, Nate Stacy and Nick Persing will look to return to the top step and their winning ways in the No. 8 WTRAndretti LST after a mechanical issue forced the veteran duo to retire early from the second race at Sebring International Raceway. The PRO|AM pairing are hopeful their strong pace at the opening rounds will translate over to the Laguna Seca weekend. Stacy competed in the PRO class at the 2023 rounds at Laguna Seca and finished in the top five, while for Persing this may be his first LST weekend at the 2.238-mile road course, he has previous experience – including where he captured his 2023 Radical Cup Pro 1500 Championship.

The AM class defending champions Anthony McIntosh and Glenn McGee were able to secure two podium finishes in the Florida heat in the No. 69 Global Power Components Huracán LST. The driver duo will look to secure a top finish as they showed incredible pace in both qualifying and race trim. Returning to a familiar track as co-drivers, McIntosh and McGee are the hunt for victory after scoring a pair of podiums together at Laguna Seca in 2023.

In the No. 10 DEX Imaging Lamborghini Huracán LST, Graham Doyle will be joined by Ashton Harrison in the AM class. Doyle and Harrison were teammates behind the wheel of the 45 DEX Imaging Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 for the 24 Hours of Daytona. Harrison is no stranger to the Lamborghini Super Trofeo series after competing for four years and earning honors as the first female to win a LST World Finals race in 2019. For Doyle, the return to Laguna Seca marks the anniversary start of his racing career. With a milestone weekend and new co-driver, the 18-year-old will be looking for a pair of strong results come this weekend.

On track action for the WTRAndretti LST team at the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca weekend begins at 12:25 p.m. ET (9:25 a.m. PT) on Friday, May 10. Qualifying and the first race of the doubleheader commence at 2:05 p.m. ET (11:05 a.m. PT) and 8:40 p.m. ET (5:40 p.m. PT), respectively, on Saturday, May 11, with the second race taking place at 12:40 p.m. ET (9:40 a.m. PT) on Sunday, May 12. Rounds 3 and 4 of the LST Championship from Laguna Seca will be broadcast live on Peacock.

Ryan Norman, No. 1 WTRAndretti LST (PRO): “Fully prepared and ready for the Laguna Seca race weekend. The team has been working hard in preparation and I can’t wait to get back into the car. The new track surface will be exciting and Danny was able to do some testing in the GTD car there after his Long Beach race so that will be a benefit to us for sure. I have no doubt we will be right back to where we belong in fighting for both wins and we are all focused on that task!”

Danny Formal, No. 1 WTRAndretti LST (PRO): “Well, second weekend, Round 3 and 4 of Lamborghini Super Trofeo. Super excited to get back to Laguna Seca. That car is such a beast on this new asphalt. It should be incredible, going to go over 160 miles per hour. It’s just phenomenal. Super excited to be back with Ryan Norman my new teammate for this year. We didn’t get off to the greatest start at Sebring, but our team has been working overtime to get that Lamborghini Super Trofeo back to the speed as it was in 2023, so super excited to get back there and hopefully get our championship hunt started again.”

Nate Stacy, No. 8 WTRAndretti LST (PRO|AM): “After getting Sebring behind us and taking a win in the first race, it has me looking forward to returning to Laguna this year with some wins in mind. I think the team is really hitting a good stride coming into the weekend, the communication is getting really good and I think it will show come race time. Keeping our minds focused on getting solid consistent finishes will be pivotal to finishing well in this championship and we have just the team for the job!”

Nick Persing, No. 8 WTRAndretti LST (PRO|AM): “After coming off a strong showing in Round 1 of the season the expectation is still to try and win. Being that Laguna Seca is my home race, I feel I will be able to get to terms with the car a lot better than I did at Sebring as well. I have a fair number of laps here, so I should be able to hop in the car and go. I think the key for us this weekend is to qualify well. This track can be harder to pass on and also getting out the midfield jungle is massively important at this track. So, if we do that and just race for the best result possible the points will take care of themself.”

Graham Doyle, No. 10 DEX Imaging WTRAndretti LST (AM): “I’m eagerly anticipating the upcoming race weekend at Laguna Seca, feeling confident and excited to get back behind the wheel. Returning to a familiar track, where I began my racing career, holds special significance for me. Having worked closely with the team since Sebring, I believe we are in a strong position to contend for podiums and look forward to showcasing our progress.”

Ashton Harrison, No. 10 DEX Imaging WTRAndretti LST (AM): “I’m super excited to be back with WTRAndretti and driving again with Graham for the rest of the Super Trofeo season. I’m excited to be back in AM and to be back with Graham after Rolex. I’m just really happy with the progress that he’s making in his career and being able to be back with him and starting our season at Laguna is going to be great. I’ve had past success and wins there in PRO|AM, so I have high expectations for us, but I’m excited to kick it off and to be back with everyone in sunny California.”

Anthony McIntosh, No. 69 Global Power Components WTRAndretti LST (AM): “The WTRAndretti team is amazing. The No. 69 Global Power Components car has been amazing, and the new livery looks amazing…the only thing left is for me to do is drive amazing come Laguna Seca!”

ABOUT WTRANDRETTI’S DRIVER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
Based in Indianapolis, Indiana, Wayne Taylor Racing, now with Andretti Global (#WTRAndretti), is a leader in sportscar racing, recognized worldwide for fielding championship winning racing efforts since 2007. WTRAndretti has run a stable of championship winning cars and drivers in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America series for over half a decade, forming the basis of its Driver Development Program. Since its inception in 2015, the team has clinched eight North American PRO Driver, Team and Dealer Championship titles, fielded the first woman World Finals race winner and became the overall 2017 Champions at the World Finals in Imola, Italy. In addition to its Lamborghini Super Trofeo stable, WTRAndretti fields a two-car GTP program with it Championship winning No 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 and No. 40 DEX Imaging Acura ARX-06 effort as well as GTD program with the No. 45 DEX Imaging Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo2.

SEBRING, Fla., (April 30, 2024) – Following consecutive victories in the first two rounds of the Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS, Wright Motorsports enters the upcoming double header weekend at Sebring International Raceway as the current overall points leader. The No. 120 Porsche 911 GT3 R, piloted by Adam Adelson and Elliott Skeer, will defend its point lead in a pair of 90-minute races this Saturday and Sunday, May 4 – 5 at the legendary Sebring, Florida race circuit.

“We’ve kicked off the 2024 season on a high note at Sonoma Raceway and are poised to maintain that level of performance this weekend at Sebring,” said Team Owner John Wright. “Thanks to the continued consistency of our drivers and crew, we approach this weekend with the points lead. With our past successes at Sebring, we’re aiming to extend our lead further by the end of the weekend.”

The infectious enthusiasm of Adelson and Skeer injects a new level of energy into the team as they embark on another GT World Challenge America weekend. Having secured two wins already this season, Wright Motorsports currently holds a 14-point advantage over ST Racing. The dynamic duo clinched consecutive victories at Sebring in 2023, when the race served as the penultimate event of the championship. Now positioned earlier in the season as the second race weekend, competitors anticipating cooler weather will be disappointed as temperatures are still forecasted to reach the low 90s Fahrenheit throughout the three days of practice and competition.

The team boasts recent successes at the 3.741-mile, 17-turn road course, having just celebrated a third-place finish in the prestigious IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s Twelve Hours of Sebring. The pair of 90-minute races this weekend will be less physically demanding on the drivers, with each expected to take the wheel for 40-50 minutes in each event. However, the challenging and bumpy surfaces of Sebring demand respect, often playing a pivotal role in race outcomes.

Qualifying for race one kicks off on Saturday, May 4th at 9:00 AM, where one driver will have 15 minutes to set a blistering lap time to determine the team’s starting position for the initial race. Following a five-minute break, the team will swap drivers, allowing the second driver to set a quick lap for race two. The entire 30-minute qualifying session for race one will begin on Saturday, May 4th at 3:05 PM ET, followed by race two on Sunday, May 5th at 11:15 AM ET. Fans tuning in online can stream both races in their entirety for free on YouTube.com/GTWorld. Attendees with general admission tickets can enjoy open paddock access, open seating, and a full-field autograph session. Tickets, starting at $15.00, are available for purchase at www.sebringraceway.com.

DRIVER QUOTES

Adam Adelson

I’m really looking forward to coming back to Sebring this year! We already have had massive success there this year, so I think it’s safe to say we’re all feeling great about our chances for good results. In addition, we’re coming off quite the season opener for us at Sonoma, and it’s important for us to keep the momentum up and build on that success.

Elliott Skeer

Back to the place I love! I cannot think of greater momentum to carry into GT World Challenge America at Sebring than our strong performance in the 12 Hour and our season opener at Sonoma. Our team at Wright is firing on all six cylinders, giving us an incredible Porsche time and time again. Adam is driving at a level above this season and cannot wait to see how he performs once again.

Wright Motorsports
Wright Motorsports is the premier Porsche race engineering facility in Ohio and a multi-series and international racing team known for superb car preparation, expert race strategy, and driver development. Located in Batavia, Ohio, it is owned and directed by John Wright, a certified Porsche factory-trained technician. As a crew chief John Wright has played a key role in winning eight driver and seven team championships in World Challenge, IMSA (ALMS) and the Grand-Am Rolex Series. Wright Motorsports won the team championship in Porsche GT3 Cup USA in 2012, 2013, and 2015, and went on to win the Pirelli World Challenge Overall, Sprint, Team, and Manufacturer’s titles in 2017. In 2020, the team captured the GT World Challenge America Am championship. In 2021, Wright Motorsports had a wildly successful season, capturing nine championships across their five racing efforts.

Fidani, Bell advance nine spots to finish season-best sixth in wild GTD battle

LONG BEACH, Calif. (April 20, 2024) – AWA’s Orey Fidani and Matt Bell continued their upward momentum in the new Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R with their best finish of the season – a sixth-place GT Daytona (GTD) finish Saturday in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.

The pairing advanced from 15th in class at the start of the third round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship to knocking on the door of a top-five finish in a frantic and fraught 100-minute race around the Long Beach Street Circuit – the team’s first trip to the historic California circuit.

The gain of nine positions put a bow on a strong weekend for the AWA duo with Bell setting the fastest GTD time in Friday’s opening practice – the first for the first-year AWA and Corvette partnership.

Fidani began Saturday 15th in class and drove the first 40 minutes for his first career action at Long Beach. He gained a position at the start and two more by the race’s first full-course yellow with just 12 minutes running. Despite falling back a couple of spots, Fidani’s laptimes continued to drop once the race went green again.

The Corvette picked up another spot on the restart, and Fidani made AWA’s first pit stop just shy of the 40-minute mark. Bell rejoined in 14th and was immediately in the thick of a fight. He was hit from behind on his out-lap but managed to carry on and advance to 11th only a couple of laps later.

Heads-up driving by Bell got the AWA Corvette firmly into the top-10 as the final turn on the Long Beach circuit was blocked by traffic and stalled cars. He came to a stop momentarily but drove through the chaos and into ninth place. Bell picked up three more spots to sixth before the race’s third and final full-course yellow with 15 minutes remaining bunched up the GTD field.

The lead pack of six cars were single-file during the final eight minutes with the Corvette on the tail of the top-five. Bell and the Z06 GT3.R made solid gains through the corners and twisty parts of the circuit, which is notoriously difficult to make a pass. Nevertheless, the end result of sixth adds to the momentum heading into the team’s next race.

AWA and the Corvette Z06 GT3.R program – including the two GTD PRO entries from Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports – will compete next in the Motul Course de Monterey from WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on Sunday, May 12.

OREY FIDANI, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “The race went really well based from where we started. The car was mega and easy to drive. We got up to sixth, and we’ll take that. I’m really happy with the finish from where we started from.”

MATT BELL, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I’m really happy with that result. Our first effort at Long Beach as a team and pulling a top-six out of the bag is pretty strong. It was a great effort by the team. We executed the pit stop really well and jumped some cars. Unfortunately on cold tires on the out-lap, I gave a couple of those up. There was some rough racing from competitors but fair in the end, and I managed to get them back later on. The Corvette was absolutely glued to the track. I think we were the best car around the corners. We were lacking just a little bit of straight-line speed to challenge those top-five guys. But I’m really proud of the effort this week. It’s definitely our cleanest and best week in the AWA Corvette era. A big thanks to the team, big thanks to Corvette, General Motors and Pratt Miller. We’ll keep rolling into Laguna Seca.”

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.