Category: IMSA

Runner-up in two races, teams seek to continue strong efforts at Long Beach

DETROIT (April 16, 2024) – After two races totaling 36 hours, the 100-minute IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race in Long Beach, California, will feel like a Saturday stroll on a city beach.

Cadillac Racing will seek its sixth victory in seven races this week on the 1.968-mile, 11-turn temporary street circuit and manufacturer-leading 30th win in IMSA prototype competition since 2017.

A Cadillac DPi won five consecutive races through 2022 (no event in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic), including podium sweeps in ‘22 and ’21, to extend GM’s victory streak to seven in the event. A Chevrolet Corvette DP won the 2015 and ’16 races.

Following runner-up finishes by both the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R and No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R, in addition to front-row qualifying lockouts, in the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) races this season, teams and drivers are primed to occupy the top step in Victory Circle.

“It’s a straightforward race with one pit stop and one driver change, but you have to get it right,” said Sebastien Bourdais, who will share time in the seat with Renger van der Zande.

“Hopefully we can keep the strong performance we had in Sebring and particularly in Daytona where we didn’t get the result but were awfully strong.”

Following runner-up finishes by both the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R and No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R, in addition to front-row qualifying lockouts, in the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) races this season, teams and drivers are primed to occupy the top step in Victory Circle.

“It’s a straightforward race with one pit stop and one driver change, but you have to get it right,” said Sebastien Bourdais, who will share time in the seat with Renger van der Zande. “Hopefully we can keep the strong performance we had in Sebring and particularly in Daytona where we didn’t get the result but were awfully strong.”

Bourdais and van der Zande won in 2022 and Bourdais – a 2019 Long Beach Walk of Fame inductee – is a four-time winner on the street circuit. They teamed with Scott Dixon to start and finish second March 16 at Sebring International Raceway.

Cadillac has earned three poles and an additional five front row starts at Long Beach since 2017.

The No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R, co-driven by reigning IMSA GTP champion Pipo Derani and Jack Aitken, has earned the pole in both races and started the season with second place in the 24-hour race at Daytona International Speedway. The hybrid Cadillac racecar was running strong in the first half of the 12-hour race at Sebring before an on-track incident forced its retirement.

“As usual, with any street circuit, qualifying is important if you want to have a good chance to win the race because it’s one of the two shortest races we have in the season. You can help yourself a lot by starting up front,” said Derani, who won at Long Beach in 2021.

USA and Peacock will have flag-to-flag action starting at 4:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, April 20. Peacock and IMSA.TV will stream qualifications at 8 p.m. ET, Saturday, April 19. All sessions will be broadcast on IMSA.com and RadioLeMans.com. SiriusXM will also broadcast the race (Sirius 211, XM 206, Web/App 996).

What they’re saying

No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R

Sebastien Bourdais: “Long Beach is a place that’s been very good to me. I’m always happy to go to Long Beach and be part of that historic event. 2022 was really special, probably one of my top performances although it was created a bit by anger and that little miscue in traffic. I definitely put on a fun race to watch. Last year we struggled to bring the medium tire to temperature, got caught out at the first braking zone and unfortunately having to retire on the spot. That was definitely not a high, but we’ve learned a ton of things over the year now with the GTP. It will be a different tire this year; we’ll be on the soft tire this time so if it gets hot it will be quite a bit of tire management. If it’s overcast and on the cooler side it should be fine. Very different equation tire-wise than last year. Looking forward to the challenge. It’s a straightforward race with one pit stop and one driver change, but you have to get it right. Hopefully we can keep the strong performance we had in Sebring and particularly in Daytona where we didn’t get the result but were awfully strong. Hopefully we can close the gap to the leaders of the championship and get ourselves firmly in the fight.”

Renger van der Zande: “Long Beach is a special one. It has so much of a classic feeling with Formula 1 being there, IndyCar history and great sports car racing. Cadillac has been strong there. If you look at track position, it’s super important. Normally, it’s not easy to overtake on street tracks but Sebastien (Bourdais) has proven that wrong in 2022. He handed me the car in the lead and I was able to win it from there. And we were second the year before. What is very important is the strategy. With cold tires being not easy in this class we need to take that into consideration. I think the team has been on a high level since last year at Petit Le Mans and I think we have a strong package to fight for wins this season. I think you have to take it step by step, focus on the process in each race. I feel very good about it and see what we can do at Long Beach.”

No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R

Pipo Derani: “As usual, with any street circuit, qualifying is important if you want to have a good chance to win the race because it’s one of the two shortest races we have in the season. You can help yourself a lot by starting up front. Hopefully, we can continue our success in qualifying that we’ve had so far this year that will help us in the race. It’s also a race that can flip upside down quickly with yellows, so you need to be on top of your game if you want to maximize your chances. So, hopefully, we can do just that to recover from a difficult race at Sebring and try to do better than we did last year, which was a bit of a risky strategy that did not play out.”

Jack Aitken: “Definitely looking forward to Long Beach. It’s one on the calendar that I picked out at the start of the year as quite a cool challenge. Cadillac being strong there adds to that as well. Being a shorter format race, I’m interested to see if there’s much of a change of the view of traffic and how aggressive people are. With it being a shorter race, it’s about making sure you don’t make any mistakes because time to recover from those is at a premium. I enjoy street circuits, so really looking forward to it.”

2024 racing schedule opens with O’Reilly Auto Parts Four Hours of Mid-Ohio, June 7-9

LEXINGTON, Ohio (March 26, 2024) – O’Reilly Auto Parts has joined as title sponsor for the new season-opening event at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, headlined by the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, June 7-9. The exciting weekend of world-class sports car racing, which the motorsports facility was built to showcase, will be named the O’Reilly Auto Parts Four Hours of Mid-Ohio.

In addition to the name entitlement rights to the IMSA weekend, O’Reilly Auto Parts will continue to serve as a season-long sponsor of Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. With locations in 48 U.S. states, including more than 225 stores in Ohio, O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. is one of the largest specialty retailers of automotive parts, tools, supplies and equipment and accessories in the U.S.

Since 1957, O’Reilly Automotive, Inc., has grown from a family-owned company to a leader in the automotive replacement parts industry. It supplies equipment, tools, parts, and accessories to professional service providers and do-it-yourself customers across the United States, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Canada. With more than 6,100 store locations and growing, the O’Reilly Professional Parts People deliver excellent customer service, knowledge and value to the communities they serve.

“The return of IMSA is a great way to launch our 2024 expanded season. We look forward to welcoming all of our loyal fans back to the track with the inaugural O’Reilly Auto Parts Four Hours of Mid-Ohio, featuring a brand new four-hour Pilot Challenge race as well as the kickoff of the Mustang Challenge sprint races,” said Craig Rust, president of Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. “We are grateful to O’Reilly for continuing to support road racing at Mid-Ohio and working with us to bring this exciting new event to the track.”

The O’Reilly Auto Parts Four Hours of Mid-Ohio highlights the return of IMSA sports car racing to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course with a spectacular weekend which features a four-hour Michelin Pilot Challenge endurance race, the second of only two on its 2024 schedule. This race connects to IMSA’s long history at Mid-Ohio dating back to the “Six Hours of Mid-Ohio” in 1972, the series’ first-ever race at the legendary road course.

Additionally, the ultra-competitive Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin and VP Racing SportsCar Challenge also make their Mid-Ohio returns as part of the schedule. The all-new Mustang Challenge will hold its very first race ever on the 2.258-mile, 13-turn road course to round out the on-track racing action.

Advance pricing for the O’Reilly Auto Parts Four Hours of Mid-Ohio tickets is available until April 22. A Weekend General Admission ticket is currently $75, and daily tickets are $45 for Friday or Saturday and $55 for Sunday. Paddock access is free to get up close to the transporters, cars and drivers. Children 12 and under receive free general admission to any event at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course when accompanied by a ticketed adult. Mid-Ohio Season Race Passes are also on sale providing the best access and greatest value to attend all five major spectator events plus more weekends not open to the general public.

Visit midohio.com to purchase tickets or for more information. Follow the O’Reilly Auto Parts Four Hours of Mid-Ohio on social media with #IMSAatMO.

About Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course:

A comprehensive motorsports facility in Lexington, Ohio, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course sits on 380 acres and features a permanent road-racing circuit with two primary race track configurations: 2.4-mile, 15-turn or 2.258-mile, 13-turn layout. Located 60 miles north of Columbus and 75 miles south of Cleveland near Mansfield, the natural terrain road course is commonly referred to as the “Most Competitive in the U.S.” and annually hosts a diversity of locally, regionally and nationally-sanctioned race events for amateur, club and professional drivers and riders. It is also home to The Mid-Ohio School, featuring over 20 driving and riding courses, for teenagers to professional racers using Honda vehicles. Opened in 1962, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course has been owned and operated by Green Savoree Mid-Ohio, LLC since 2011, just the raceway’s third private ownership group in its history.

For more information, visit midohio.com, ‘like’ its Facebook page @MidOhioSportsCarCourse or follow updates on X (formerly Twitter) @Mid_Ohio and Instagram @officialmidohio.

Washington Completes Competitive Sebring International Raceway Career Debut with Third-Place Masters Class Finish in the No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup on Friday

SEBRING, Florida (March 19, 2024) – In his career debut at Sebring International Raceway, Kyle Washington capped a race-winning and podium week for GMG Racing with a third-place IMSA Porsche Carrera Cup Masters Class finish Friday in his No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. Building on a top-five result in his first ever race on the legendary 3.74-mile airport road course in Thursday’s opening sprint of the Carrera Cup doubleheader, Washington ran with the leaders from the drop of the green flag in a competitive but hard-fought finale last Friday.

“It was a great start for the season,” Washington said. “I did put it off a couple of times into the dirt tonight but somehow kept it straight. GMG Racing is amazing, we’re working with a lot of the same guys we have been, and we keep refining. I like Sebring, I even like the bumps and feel ready to come back.”

Washington’s podium success followed a Pro-Am class race win by GMG Racing President and Founder and longtime team driver James Sofronas in Thursday’s opening 40-minute race at Sebring. The victory was a third-straight Carrera Cup triumph after Sofronas swept the Pro-Am class in his career Carrera Cup debut in the 2023 season-ending doubleheader at Circuit of The Americas (COTA).

Sofronas was well positioned, starting third on the grid, to build the win streak to four victories in Friday’s finale but was knocked from contention after getting caught up in an opening lap contact incident. He rebounded in the damaged No. 14 to a commendable eighth place Pro-Am finish.

“I’m a little disappointed in my race, but as soon as I heard Kyle was on the podium my mood completely changed,” Sofronas said. “I ran straight down to the podium to congratulate him. I’m just super excited about his result. For someone who has never been to Sebring, never even tested here, I’m am very proud. We came in here trying to maximize his seat time and prepare for the Sebring SRO GT World Challenge race, so for him to come out of here with a third against some really tough competition in Masters is something to be proud of. He’s putting in the extra work and working with Tom Sargent, who he will co-drive with in World Challenge. It’s all paying off. As a team owner and his teammate, I’m mega proud.”

Sofronas had a great start in Friday’s race only to have a competitor on cold tires spin right in front of him just seconds after the green flag flew.

“I checked up and then got walloped in the rear and that sent me off the track,” Sofronas said. “I pretty much went to the back, but the toe was knocked out and then I just survived to the finish.”

Washington has been competing regularly in a variety of single-make Porsche and GT racing series for the last four years, but he also enjoys desert off-road racing. Earlier this month he participated in several events that were part of the famous Mint 400, a dirt extravaganza run in the foothills just outside of Las Vegas known as “The Great American Off-Road Race.”

“Maybe it was the training at the Mint, and all of the Vegas stuff in the dirt that helped, but I actually liked the bumpy Sebring surface,” Washington said. “I felt right at home out there, and I also have a new coach with Tom Sargent. He was one of the fastest guys last year, he’s going to be a great addition and will be with me all year.”

Washington started Friday’s final race eighth on the Masters grid and 36th overall. He improved five class positions and even put several Pro-Am cars in his mirrors as he charged to the class podium result and 25th overall at the checkered flag.

Next up for GMG Racing in IMSA Carrera Cup is another doubleheader weekend at the Grand Prix of Miami Formula 1 race, May 3 – 5, at the Miami International Autodrome. Sofronas and Washington will be joined Carrera Cup debuting driver Ofir Levy for a three-car GMG Racing entry.

About GMG Racing: Founded in 2001, GMG Racing quickly established itself as North America’s premier performance tuning facility. What began as a small 1,200 sq. ft. shop, maintaining two race cars, has grown into a 30,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art performance tuning, racing and service facility located in Santa Ana, California in Orange County and with a trackside motorsports facility at 28,000 sq. ft. currently being built at The Thermal Club. The staff, attention to detail, and passion are what make GMG the choice of professionals and enthusiasts worldwide. GMG, in its early years, was located directly across the street from Porsche Motorsport North America (PMNA). This close proximity allowed GMG to build a strong relationship with the legendary racing brand which has helped us support our customers to the highest level possible. From club racing to Sebring, Daytona and Spa, GMG can take you as far as you want to go. More information can be found at www.gmgracing.com.

SEBRING, Fla. (March 17, 2024) — On Saturday evening at Sebring International Raceway, Wright Motorsports secured a well-deserved spot on the GTD class podium in the Twelve Hours of Sebring, clinching third place with the No. 120 Porsche 911 GT3 R driven by Adam Adelson, Elliott Skeer, and Jan Heylen.

Despite facing high temperatures in the 80s throughout the week, the drivers and crew exhibited remarkable resilience to deliver a strong performance in this challenging race. The classic endurance event marked only the second IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race for Adelson and Skeer, who relied on veteran Heylen’s expertise and familiarity with his home track’s marquee event.

Adelson qualified the team in 13th place out of 22 cars, and shortly after the green flag waved, an incident near the Wright Motorsports Porsche resulted in contact with another car, necessitating an early pit stop to repair the front bumper and temporarily putting them a lap down in the GTD field. However, they swiftly recovered during the first full-course caution, regaining their lost lap and rejoining the rear of the field from 19th position.

Despite facing further setbacks due to untimely full-course cautions, the team persevered. Hour by hour, Adelson, Skeer, and Heylen executed flawless driving duties, steadily advancing the Porsche up the ranks. By the halfway mark, they had reclaimed a position in the top three, maintaining consistent lap times and benefiting from quick pit stops by the determined crew.

They encountered another obstacle in the early dusk hours, as the No. 120 Porsche was in the middle of a three-wide battle for position coming to a restart. As the field went to green, the Porsche was stranded after a spin in turn 17, and came straight into pit lane for fresh tires and a splash of fuel. Undeterred, the team pushed through the final two hours of night racing with unwavering determination.

The closing stages of the race were marked by intense competition and numerous full-course cautions, totaling 13 over the 12-hour duration. Skeer showcased his skills during the final stints, relishing his first experience of night racing at Sebring International Raceway and holding his ground with the lead pack, ultimately securing a third-place finish for Wright Motorsports.

This impressive result not only marks the team’s first podium of the 2024 season but also represents Adelson and Skeer’s inaugural WeatherTech podium. Looking ahead, the young duo will return next month for the Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 19-20 before continuing with their six-race Michelin Endurance Cup Championship effort alongside Jan Heylen at the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen from June 20-23.

DRIVER QUOTES

Adam Adelson

I genuinely am at a loss for words. I can’t believe we just podiumed at both Elliott’s and my Sebring debut. Obviously, we got all the experience from Jan and we definitely leaned on that when we needed to. This is an unbelievable feeling, and it just makes me hungry for more with the team. The team did an absolutely incredible job. The strategy calls were on point. We had so many unfortunate occurrences out there that put us a lap down on multiple occasions, and they just got us back right where we needed to be. The car was unbelievable. Porsche makes an incredible race car and a big thanks goes to Porsche, Wright Motorsports, my co drivers, and to John Wright because this was just an incredible experience.

Elliott Skeer

The Twelve Hours of Sebring to me, is my favorite race in the world outside of Le Mans. So not only to do it as a rookie, but then to do it with my favorite team in a Porsche 911, alongside my best friend, and alongside one of the best in the business, that’s a dream in itself. To be in it at the end is otherworldly, and with a chance to fight for the win was just the coolest experience in my life. It’s an entire career’s worth of effort and patience, all coming down to those final 45 minutes, and realizing you can do it. It’s truly unbelievable. The amount of preparation that this team has put into the car over the last year, in addition to the work Adam has put in alongside of his natural talent, really shows that you can bring people in and achieve these higher levels. We had issues here at Sebring, but I think the most important thing is how we bounced back from all of them. This entire team did an unbelievable job.

Jan Heylen

I’m super excited for the team after we’ve had a couple of near misses for our last couple of races.

I’m excited for Elliott and Adam to achieve their first result on the podium, and to have it at Sebring is just awesome. Anytime you can finish on the podium here is a good thing.

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.

SEBRING, Florida (March 16, 2024) – The No. 45 DEX Imaging Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 team had a mixed opening, finding itself on in a rollercoaster of positions and in the final hour, due to an electrical issue, would retire the car, finishing in 15th place in GTD.

Kyle Marcelli took the green flag of Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring and was able to capitalize on speed in the red and black GT3. His solid drive in his first stint, found the team in sixth after the first 45 minutes.

Rookie Graham Doyle climbed inside the No. 45 DEX Imaging for his first ever laps in the iconic 12-hour endurance event and held poise while navigating the traffic of the field. Strong pace shined, specifically in the hands of Danny Formal as he moved from P17 to eighth while working a double stint.

After the next driver change to Doyle, the car dropped to P15 and a lap down before next caution, but a wave around allowed the crew to get the lap back. During a pitstop, the No. 45 received a drive-through penalty for pit equipment still attached. As the heat kicked in, the temperatures created a battle in search for pace on track. The No. 45 continued to run steady night fell on the 12-hour event, regaining some speed in the cooler air, before eventually retiring due to electrical issues after 11 hours and 25 minutes of racing completed, with a final position in GTD of 15th.

The No. 45 DEX Imaging Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 team will head to the streets of Long Beach for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 19-20, 2024.

No. 45 DEX Imaging Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2

Kyle Marcelli, 2024 Full Season Co-Driver: “A long day. We almost made it – just over 11 hours. The guys here at WTRAndretti continue to work as hard as they can. We were searching for some speed in the car, struggling a bit, all the way up to race start. And then we took the green flag and found some great speed, jumped all the way up the grid to sixth. Everyone was pumped! We lost a little pace in the middle of the race, but as the temperatures cooled, the car came back alive. We are all still learning the car as a team. We have support from Lamborghini. It was a pleasure to share the car with Graham and Danny. We had a lot of fun. This race is so crazy now and each lap is so busy. So, to bring the car home in one piece is half the battle. Looking forward to the next one!”

Danny Formal, 2024 Full Season Co-Driver: “Twelve Hours of Sebring is over with a total of 11 hours and 25minutes for us. Great event for us. We had an electrical issue, just one of those things in bumpy Sebring that can go. Not much you can do when these things happen. We showed the pace for us in the No. 45 DEX Imaging Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2. My first stint we came from 16th up to sixth. Kyle also had some incredible pace and so did Graham Doyle. This just proves WTRAndretti’s ladder system is just phenomenal. He did so well today. His first time here at one of the hardest and bumpiest racetracks in the world. Long Beach is up next, our first sprint race in this car and with this crew. So grateful for everyone here at WTRAndretti for a great effort.”

Graham Doyle, 2024 Endurance Co-Driver: “Not the way we wanted this race to end, but we had a good weekend overall. It was my first weekend doing double duty in Super Trofeo and GT3. I will definitely look back at this event as a learning opportunity. We learned a lot and made some improvements. I was able to keep the car in a spot and clean throughout my stints. Everyone here at WTRAndretti is always looking for more, for perfection and we will just continue that search for speed and keep improving.”

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.

SEBRING, Florida (March 16, 2024) – The Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti (WTRAndretti) became victorious at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring as Louis Delétraz claimed the lead of the race in the closing minutes in the No. 40 DEX Imaging Acura ARX-06. WTRAndretti’s No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 rebounded from 11th on the grid to finish fifth after 12 hours of intense racing around Sebring International Raceway.

Starting from the third position, it was Louis Delétraz to start the iconic endurance event behind the wheel of the No. 40 DEX Imaging Acura ARX-06. For the early hours of the race, Delétraz remained focused on keeping his position in the middle of the GTP field with his eyes on the leader the entire time. Just before the first hour complete, the field came to pit lane under caution and the No. 40 crew filled up on fuel and jumped up to third for the restart. Following the restart, Delétraz continued to ride steady in the fifth position before shortly handing the red and black machine over to Colton Herta just shy of two hours in. Herta then hopped behind the wheel for his return back at the Twelve Hours of Sebring. Navigating heavy lapped and GT car traffic, Herta was able to keep the No. 40 within range of the GTP front runners for nearly two hours in the driver’s seat before trading places with Jordan Taylor, swapping places with Herta on a yellow flag pit stop. Taylor started the restart at the under eight hours to go mark in the fifth position. Nearing the halfway mark, it was Delétraz back in control of the No. 40. From the halfway point on, all three drivers cycled through another shift. Right around the two-hours left on the clock, the No. 40 team found themselves in the lead entering the most crucial hours of the race. Ultimately, Delétraz was assigned the role to fight to the end. With a mix of green flag racing and caution periods, Delétraz had placed himself and the No. 40 in prime position to contend for the lead as the clock counted down. With just shy of six minutes left, Delétraz made a stellar move on the No. 01 Cadillac to take the lead. From there, Delétraz was able to hold the lead and award WTRAndretti its’ first Mobil Twelve Hours of Sebring win since 2017. After the win at Sebring, the No. 40 DEX Imaging currently lead the GTP championship standings.

Ricky Taylor took control of the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 to start the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring after a difficult qualifying session that saw a starting position of 11th in GTP. Taylor jumped forward to ninth as the green flag waved, and progressed as high as fifth at the conclusion of his double-stint. Brendon Hartley then took the reins of the No. 10 near the 10-hour to go mark, and put in a impressive stint which saw him run as high third before handing over the car to Filipe Albuquerque at the eight-hour mark in fifth. A strong run saw Albuquerque charge to the lead, making a pass around the No. 25 BMW for the lead on the restart after four hours in. The blue and black No. 10 Konica Minolta machine would stay in contention for the lead for much of the next few hours, cycling near the front of the grid during pit stops, with Ricky Taylor taking back over the wheel of the No. 10 for a triple stint. The No. 10 began to see smoke from the rear of the car and the crew would evaluate a possible mechanical issue, ultimately placing the car one lap behind the leaders. From there, it was a battle of perseverance, and with 1:10 remaining and a little luck, Albuquerque would regain the lost lap after a string of cautions. Albuquerque battled with every minute remaining to earn a hard fought fifth place.

“What a fantastic event today in Sebring!” said Wayne Taylor, Team Principal. “The last time we won it was back in 2017 and for the last couple of years, we have always been in there in the hunt. We just somehow come up short. It has been frustrating, but thankfully, we were able to get a two-car program with Acura, Oreca, and HRC, the support from DEX Imaging, Konica Minolta, and Gainbridge, and having what I think is the best driver line up out there. But the most amazing part was that it was such a team effort. You could see it at the beginning of the race, the middle of the race and then, at the end of the race, especially, you saw the blue car, the red car and everyone hugging each other. It was really one unit. That is what we are really trying to build here and to try and do this as a family. To feel part of the winning and also the losing. I am just really proud of everyone.”

Next on the IMSA WeatherTech Championship calendar for the WTRAndretti GTP teams is the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, the first sprint race of the 2024 season, on April 19-20, 2024.

No. 40 DEX Imaging Acura ARX-06 GTP Drivers
Louis Delétraz, 2024 Full Season Co-Driver: “Really big thank you to the team, WTRAndretti, Acura and HRC, and the two guys right here (Jordan and Colton). Because obviously without them it’s not possible. The No. 40 DEX Imaging Acura ARX-06 was really strong in the end, and I knew we were in a position to win, which to be fair was a lot of pressure. I’ve never really done that, Daytona was my first time, this is my second time finishing a race. I just obviously wanted to win and also bring points for the championship, but I saw I had the opportunity. Sebastien was tough but fair, so thanks to him. And in the end, I saw the gap, and I went for it, and I had more pace and I won, and I think I’ll remember this one for a long time.”

Jordan Taylor, 2024 Full Season Co-Driver: “Good win from the WTRAndretti team. It’s their first win in the GTP class for Acura, so it’s a big win for the team. First time as a two-car team as well. Yeah, I think our car, we stayed out of trouble all day, didn’t have any big issues. The No. 10 car was extremely quick, drove in the lead at one point, but had their little issue that they recovered from, and recovered to a top five. I think overall Louis’ closing stint was what made a difference today. The team did a good job to keep us in the fight, but he really fought for that win and got it for us.”

Colton Herta, 2024 Endurance Co-Driver: “It’s awesome! I feel very fortunate to come to these races and do these endurance events that are obviously very different from what I’m normally used to and take a lot of different attributes that maybe I didn’t have when I first started. It feels incredible to finally win this one. I got close in 2020 with BMW and ended up getting taken out with about five minutes to go. So ever since then I really wanted to come back and try to win this. Luckily, we were able to do that, and I can’t state enough about what Louis did in that last stint to bring it home, what type of pressure he was under and able to perform through it and put on a pretty spicy move on Sebastien. I think everybody did an amazing job on the team, drivers, and every aspect of it was pretty perfect for us.”

No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 GTP Drivers
Ricky Taylor, 2024 Full Season Co-Driver: “Great day for the team. Really happy for WTRAndretti, Acura and HRC for the 40 car win. Louis, Jordan, and Colton did an amazing job. We had a great car as well. I think we would have definitely been fighting for the win. It just wasn’t our day with that oil leak. Had we had the oil leak earlier in the race, we would have been able to recover. But that late in the race, with all the pro drivers in the car, there wasn’t a chance to get a yellow to bounce back. Everyone worked their hearts out and we recovered to the fifth-place finish, which is not so bad. We will go to Long Beach.”

Filipe Albuquerque, 2024 Full Season Co-Driver: “Very frustrating race for us. The pace was amazing and during the first stint I led the whole way. It was very enjoyable. Ricky and Brendon were doing a great job and saving ourselves for the end. And then we had the leak which made us lose a lap. We managed to come back because of yellows which was good in one way. But to attack for the win was impossible. We were at the end of the tail, P9 or something, and was able to get to P5. That is all we had. Our teammate won which makes it rewarding for the team. Success for all their hard work. In this kind of racing, you have to be fast, you have to be good, and you have to have some luck. We have had bad luck at Daytona, here it’s qualifying and now in the race. This is just a trend that is going on, but it will go away and we will be ready.”

Brendon Hartley, 2024 Endurance Co-Driver: “Really happy for the entire WTRAndretti team, taking the victory. We also were having a very good day on our car. We were leading and then we had to come in to fix a small issue which put us out of sequence. Filipe did a great job at the end getting us back up to fifth place but that was ultimately all we could do coming back from a lap down. The car was great. I have really enjoyed driving it. I have really enjoyed working with the team and happy for the team and their victory but a little bit sad for the No. 10 and that we could not be there to fight for the win in the end.”

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.

Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3 No. 62:

Davide Rigon (ITA)
Daniel Serra (BRA)
James Calado (GBR)

Sebring, Florida (March 16, 2024) … Today’s 72nd Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring race was a true fight to the finish in multiple classes, including the GTD Pro class.

The No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3 was part of the drama at both the start and to the race end after 12 hours.

The Houston, Texas-based Ferrari team started from the fifth position in the GTD Pro class and qualifying/starting driver Davide Rigon was hit on the left side which pushed the Ferrari 296 GT3 to the right and into a spin off track in Turn 1. Fortunately, he survived without damage and got back on track to work his way back up through the field.

In the last 20 minutes of the race Brazilian Daniel Serra was the class leader. The top four GTD Pro contenders were battling for the top position. Serra was hit and bounced off track and came back on but in third, then fourth position. He kept pushing and managed to take back one spot, then another. At the checkered flag he had brought the No. 62 red Ferrari across the finish line in second place .121 seconds behind the class winning team.

Twelve cautions, nearly one every hour, kept the racing tight. The top nine GTD Pro car were all on the same lap.

Rigon drove early and late middle stints with Serra following him and finishing the race. Brit James Calado drove the middle of the race. All three Ferrari Competizioni factory GT drivers delivered hard and solid runs during a very eventful race and under hot conditions.

IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s Round 2 featured 58 cars total and 12 cars in the GTD Pro class at the 3.74-mile, 17-turn Sebring International Raceway circuit.

Team Owner Giuseppe Risi now boasts a victory at the Rolex 24 At Daytona and second place finish at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2024 for his fan-favorite team in the Ferrari 296 GT3, the two biggest endurance races in the U.S. The Risi team now leads the IMSA championship points for the GTD Pro class.

The Risi Competizione team last stood on the Sebring podium in 2017 when they finished third with drivers Calado, Giancarlo Fisichella and Toni Vilander. The team has three victories at the historic Sebring circuit, in 2007, 2009 and 2010.

QUOTES:

Davide Rigon, starting driver, No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3:

“It was an amazing race. We finished in an amazing way. We were close to winning, and that was fantastic. Overall today was a positive day. Thanks to the team who did an amazing job and didn’t make any mistakes. I have to say thanks to Daniel for flying at the end and doing a superb job. Even though the Lexus overtook him it was an amazing job! James drove well too. We will enjoy the second place and get ready for next time.”

Daniel Serra, driver, No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3:

“Of course I feel a bit strange. We were leading and then I lost the lead and was back to P4, and then back to P2. There was a lot of fighting. It was a nice stint. Winning Daytona and finishing P2 here at Sebring is a good start of the season.”

James Calado, driver, No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3:

“It was a hectic race and full of typical IMSA action, which is nice and exciting. To finish P2 is obviously a great result but we wanted to win and came really close. Daniel did an amazing job, as did Davide, and I think everyone is really happy.”

Rigon and Serra will compete in the IMSA Michelin Endurance Challenge (IMEC) series with Risi Competizione for the balance of 2024. The next race is the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen, June 20-23 followed by the 6 Hours of Indianapolis at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Sept. 20-22; and Petit Le Mans 10-hours at Road Atlanta, October 9-12.

Sponsors for the 2024 season for Risi Competizione for the Rolex 24 include Pennzoil, OMP Racing and the Ferrari of Ontario and Ferrari of Toronto dealerships.

For more information and social media about the team, please see www.risicompetizione.com and follow us on Facebook/RisiCompetizione and Twitter @RisiComp and on Instagram/RisiComp.

SEBRING, Fla. (March 16, 2024) – The No. 13 AWA Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R led the contingent of first-year GT3 Corvettes at the end of Saturday’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Cadillac. The trio of Orey Fidani, Matt Bell and Lars Kern placed ninth in a 22-car GT Daytona (GTD) field at Sebring International Raceway in the second round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Sebring was the second race for AWA as part of the Corvette program following a debut in January’s Rolex 24 At Daytona. The No. 13 trio completed 314 laps and finished on the lead GTD lap in a largely trouble-free run.

Fidani drove two stints in the early part of the race, including the opening laps after all four Corvettes started from the rear of the field due to a post-qualifying technical infraction. But the No. 13 Orlando Corporation Z06 GT3.R team steadily worked its way through the field and ran as high as third in class before a successful fight in the closing hour to maintain its top-10 finish.

The No. 3 Oshkosh/Mobil 1 Corvette Z06 GT3.R of Antonio Garcia, Alexander Sims and Daniel Juncadella looked as if it would take the honors as the highest-finishing Corvette in the race before being hit from behind and spun off track in the waning laps while running second in GTD PRO.

The biggest mover early was Sims, who started the race and went from ninth to first in the first 67 minutes to set the table for a race-long fight for the class win with a special Mobil 1 gold livery to mark the company’s 50th anniversary.

Garcia drove a double-stint before Juncadella put in a strong three-hour drive in the hottest part of the day as the No. 3 Corvette remained in the hear t of the fight. An untimely full-course yellow and an emergency pit stop for fuel with less than three hours to go pushed the team back down the order, but solid driving and strategy put Juncadella back into the lead inside the final 70 minutes.

Late-race chaos saw Juncadella jostled around by multiple cars, the final being the impact that knocked the No. 3 Corvette off the circuit with six minutes to go.

The No. 4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Z06 GT3.R lost time in the first half of the race trying to sort clutch issues while trying to remain in GTD PRO contention with servicing during pit stops. Near the halfway point, the team elected to change a clutch component and lost multiple laps in the process.

AWA’s second Corvette – the No. 17 Z06 GT3.R in GTD – retired early in the race with an electrical problem.

The next IMSA round for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R program is the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach – featuring the GTD class – on April 20 from the Long Beach (Calif.) Street Circuit.

AWA POST-EVENT DRIVER QUOTES

MATT BELL, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It was pretty intense out there. Obviously in Daytona we just had to circulate around a bit after that unfortunate start. It was good to be back in the GTD battle properly there. There was some intense battling, and I managed to fight my way from the back to P8, I think, so it was nice to be in the fight. We’re still really learning the car and optimizing things we learned in practice. Chevrolet and Pratt Miller have built an impressive piece of GT3 machinery. We’re still getting to grips with it a little bit, but as the race went on we jumped up and down the leaderboard and think at one point we were P3 after cycling through some stops. That was a proper, old-fashioned GTD stint doing some overtaking, which was nice to be in the fight. You’re always learning and you’re always pushing as well. We’re not just cycling around trying to be in school. We’re going as hard as we can.”

LARS KERN, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It was a pretty tough race. It seems like we haven’t had the pace, so we need to figure out why. We didn’t have the pace to fight with the top guys so that was a bit frustrating. It was a hard race and really hot in the car. There were some little hiccups but didn’t have any penalties or any big incidents. So generally I’d say we executed pretty well. It’s good after Daytona to finish this race, gain some experience and move on.”

CORVETTE RACING BY PRATT MILLER MOTORSPORTS POST-EVENT DRIVER QUOTES

DANI JUNCADELLA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “There were some pretty poor driving standards at the end from many cars. I just got fully rear-ended into the braking zone at Turn Three. I was just a passenger and there was nothing I could do. It’s a shame because we lost a podium probably – P2 or P3. Two corners before I got run wide by the Ferrari as well. It was very hectic out there and people were acting over-aggressive. It gets dark here and there’s not much (camera) footage so people start believing there are no rules. It was a bit too much. It’s a shame because after the last stop when we jumped everyone to the lead. I thought we maybe had it. But restarting through the GTD cars was a complete mess. I got overtaken before the green by the 14. We were lacking a little bit of top speed unfortunately late to fight the others. But the Z06 GT3.R was good and I was happy. I enjoyed the experience of returning to Sebring. It was just a bittersweet ending. We’ll analyze and get better for the next one.”

ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “We struggled a little bit in practice, but at the end of Thursday we had a feeling that we understood what that was and qualifying seemed to go well. In that first race stint, it was good to just get into it. It seemed like the car’s pace throughout the whole stint was pretty strong. But I tried to be sensible as well and not take too many risks and be too crazy early in the race.”

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It was a standard GTD race with a lot of warriors. The ABS in these cars allow people to throw it in and pray for the car to stop. It’s not ideal. It was a great job by Alex and Dani. We lost A/C from the third hour so it was very hard on us. It’s a shame we didn’t come out with a decent result. I’m not saying we deserved the win but I think we did deserve a strong result.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It wasn’t too bad early. The mentality at the start here was not to do anything stupid, no matter what. On the very first laps, you needed be very easy. Obviously there was a lot of chaos in front of us, but the mindset was already pretty reserved anyway so it didn’t affect us. I had two good stints there. It was tough to race with some the other cars in our class.”

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “To be honest, I think we had pretty good pace and were competitive. Unfortunately we ran into some issues with the clutch, so we kept losing time at the pit stops, and I had to stop twice on track. The pace is there but we were losing track position. We will keep plugging away at it and hopefully end up with a good result at the next race.”

Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.

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.

Florida-based team takes a significant step forward with the re-introduced Ligier JS P217

SEBRING, Fla. (16 March 2024) – Sean Creech Motorsport (SCM) made a significant step forward in Saturday’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, putting its Ligier JS P217 into the top four in just the second IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race for the re-introduced chassis – and in one of the world’s most grueling endurance races.

Lance Willsey, João Barbosa and Jonny Edgar achieved the team’s goal of putting the No. 33 SCM Focal One Ligier JS P217 in position to take a shot at a podium late in the race. Making steady progress throughout the weekend, the trio avoided – for the most part – most of the incidents that set back their LMP2 class competitors to bring home a fourth-place finish at the team’s home track, Sebring International Raceway.

Through three practices on Thursday – including night practice, required to certify Edgar and re-certify Willsey to run night laps during the race – the SCM team worked to find an ideal set up for a track that is notoriously fickle and very sensitive to temperature changes.

The team continues to write the database on the re-introduced Ligier JS P217, competing against teams that have utilized the Oreca chassis for years.

After the car qualified P13 for the 12-hour race on Friday, Willsey took the Saturday morning green flag and immediately settled into a rhythm, managing traffic and focusing forward. Recovering quickly from a early quick spin, Willsey pushed hard through the remainder of his double stint, coming into pit lane P7 and handed off to Barbosa. Over the next 90 minutes, the three-time Sebring winner laid down his typically quiet, consistent and efficient laps before pitting for four tires, fuel, and a change back to Willsey. With a lightning-fast stop by the crew, Willsey returned to action in third position. He was in the groove and pacing solid laps when the car ahead braked early into Turn 16 – Willsey spun avoiding an incident and the car stalled, requiring a complete systems reset, which put him two laps down.

“The car was so good, which makes the incident even more unfortunate,” said Willsey. “I was running my race and everything was going to plan. I don’t know if he didn’t see me or he braked very early, but I had to really get on the brakes trying to avoid hitting him and tearing up both cars. I spun and it just took a while to cycle through and get going again.”

Through the final six hours, Barbosa and Edgar traded stints, battling hard on Sebring’s unforgivingly bumpy surface. The team focused on strategy, aiming pit stops to overcome the lap deficit – and with just under three hours remaining, the No.33 Ligier was back on the lead lap and aiming forward, reaching sixth position ahead of the penultimate driver change.

Barbosa continued to press hard as night fell, with Edgar jumping in for the final hour. Running laps competitive with the rest of the LMP2 field, he held eighth position – with the top eight running nose to tail. Coming into pit lane for a final top off of fuel at the end of a caution late, Edgar stormed back on track, making smart passes and staying out of trouble, bringing home a fourth-place finish.

“This was a great result for the team,” said Edgar. “We’re continuing to develop the car and we made a good jump this week. The car was definitely better than where we had it on Thursday, and compared to Daytona, we seemed more competitive as well. The team did a great job with the strategy to get the laps back when we needed to and then at the end, hitting the fuel stop at exactly the right time. The car was really good at night, so job one is really digging in to understand why. If we can repeat that consistently, I think we can have good results.

“I know I’m saying exactly what Lance and Jonny said, but the car really was quite good,” said Barbosa. “Super proud of the entire team for all the hard work since Daytona, and with a great strategy today, we all just kept fighting. We are still working on straight line speed but it’s easy to see that the progress is there – from Daytona, and from tests we did here at Sebring over the past few months. I was able to push the car and it responded well, and everything we learned today is added to the database.”

“I’m not usually prone to celebrating a P4 but I think that, given the challenges that we have undertaken, with limited testing and facing some teething pains and challenges at Daytona, this is a definite positive,” said Willsey. “I think it is a testament once again to the hard work and the dedication of this team and the drivers. It was a true team effort.”

Team principal Sean Creech echoed Willsey’s words at the end of 12 grueling hours of racing.

“I couldn’t be prouder of this entire team,” said Creech. “We were two laps down but at no time did a single team member back off the gas. We have a huge amount of information to sort through from this entire weekend but today, we definitely placed a good number of positives into the information database going forward. We set laps close to the Orecas around us, so we know we are moving in the right direction.”

SCM thanks partner Focal One for its continued support.

Next up for SCM will be the Sahlen’s Six Hours at the Glen at Watkins Glen International, June 20-23, 2024. The race will be broadcast live in the U.S. on Peacock and USA Network. International viewers can watch via IMSA.TV, with IMSA Radio also available at IMSA.com.

About SCM

Team leader Sean Creech has competed in a multitude of sports car series from 1990 until the present day, including Group C, IMSA GTP, WSC, Grand-Am, SRO World Challenge, and IMSA. SCM will contest the full WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in 2024 with João Barbosa and Lance Willsey. http://seancreechmotorsport.com/

About Focal One

One in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime in the United States. The Focal One® HIFU Prostate treatment offers patients a non-invasive outpatient procedure to target prostate tissue while avoiding the common side effects such as loss of urinary continence and sexual function. The Focal One treatment uses high-performance, high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) to precisely target and ablate the prostate, allowing patients to quickly return to normal activities. http://www.focalone.com/

SCM Social Media

Instagram: @seancreechms
Twitter: @SeanCreechMS
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