Category: IMSA

Brownsburg, Ind. (Oct. 3, 2022) — During the first official IMSA sanctioned GTP test at Road Atlanta today, Wayne Taylor Racing announced the drivers who will compete at the 2023 ROLEX 24 At Daytona, an event which will mark an influx of new manufacturers, teams, and drivers into IMSA’s top class for the first race of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTP era.

Ricky Taylor and Filipe Albuquerque return to full season driving duties in the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 and will be assisted at the 24-hour endurance battle by Brendon Hartley, who put in a fast and crucial triple stint in the exciting Petit Le Mans season finale. Two-time 2022 IMSA LMP2 race winner, Louis Delétraz, will bring his talents to the team’s three longest endurance races of the year—Daytona, Sebring, and Road Atlanta. Delétraz is coming off a fantastic winning drive at Petit just two days ago. The four pilots will compete behind the wheel of the all-new, electrified ARX-06 with the aim of achieving a record-tying sixth overall victory for Wayne Taylor Racing in the Rolex 24.

Team owner Wayne Taylor is excited to have an impressive lineup for the Rolex 24 at DAYTONA with Ricky Taylor, Filipe Albuquerque, Brendon Hartley and Louis Delétraz.

“We signed up our third driver, Louis Delétraz who will be doing all of our long-distance races, including Daytona,” said team owner Wayne Taylor. “We are also announcing that we’ll run Brendon Hartley again. As far as Daytona’s concerned, I cannot imagine a better lineup than what we have. It’s going to be a hard race. One of those races where you have to make it to the checkered flag to win the race. We’ve won a few of these races—it’s what my team does best, and I just need to make sure that they have all the tools. I couldn’t be happier than having Brendon back and I’ve been watching Louis for a while. He’s got experience. He’s young, but he’s very, very mature and he understands what is needed to be that third driver.

As championship contenders this year, Ricky Taylor and Filipe Albuquerque will be carrying momentum into their third consecutive Rolex 24 as teammates. Dubbed the “best teammates on the grid,” by owner Wayne Taylor, the pair’s chemistry and on-track performance over the past two full seasons will be a boost in their first race with a new Acura chassis.

“I think personalities are so important,” said Ricky Taylor, two-time IMSA champion. “At this level of motorsport, there are more than a handful of drivers who can perform at the highest level, but it seems that meshing compatible drivers together to extract the most out of the entire group seems to be the most important element in endurance racing. We were lucky to find Filipe, as he is an incredible teammate. Brendon is coming off a pole and win at Le Mans, and a stellar performance in our team at Petit Le Mans. As a driver and team member, he’s world class. The same can be said for Louis, who has already gelled with the team amazingly well. Aside from his obvious results and speed, he will be a valuable addition to the crew.

“It is so exciting to see the talent joining the championship for 2023”, Taylor continued. “We must make sure we are fully prepared because it will truly be a test against the best in the world come Daytona. The new LMDh cars are a massive evolution from the current DPi cars. We have no idea how they will race together on track. But, technically, these cars are incredibly well thought out. We have made huge strides and the ARX-06 is a pleasure to drive, but there is a lot of work to be done and hopefully Daytona will prove it to be a winner in race scenarios as well.”

Multiple race-winner, two-time Michelin Endurance Cup champion, and IMSA prototype ace Filipe Albuquerque shares his thoughts as well.

“I’m really happy being teammates with Ricky,” said Filipe Albuquerque. “He’s just a star. Such a complete driver and human being. He is so quick behind the wheel and has won a lot. We’ve been fighting closely for the championship each year, and the partnership is working. It is good to have Brendon as my teammate and with Louis on board for the endurance races, we couldn’t be stronger.“

“It’s an exciting moment in the endurance world” continued Albuquerque. “So many great manufacturers and drivers are incoming and it’s so exciting to watch. Going into this era with more diverse competition means that I’m a lucky guy to be involved with developing a new car with a top manufacturer like Acura and HPD. Merging two series with the possibility of a team bringing a car from IMSA to Le Mans and vice versa, it’s going to be interesting to see the different mentalities on track. Everyone wants to be involved somehow. It’s good for the sport.”

Louis Delétraz, the newest addition to the team come January, is a 25-year-old Swiss open-wheel star and sports car champion. Winner of the 2021 European Le Mans Series title, he is currently competing in the World Endurance Championship, taking home second place honors in the LMP2 class at Le Mans in 2022. His LMP2 resume also includes IMSA experience, with an impressive win at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca this year and a dominant win to end the year at Petit Le Mans. Delétraz is ready to bring his talents to the GTP class in his second consecutive year competing at the Rolex 24.

“This lineup is fantastic,” said Louis Delétraz. “I’m really excited to share the car with such talented drivers. Filipe and Ricky welcomed me to the WTR family straight away and already got me up to speed with everything that’s new ahead of 2023. We get along really well, and they want to win as much as I do. I love that mentality! It’s an honor for me to join WTR and Acura in the pinnacle class of sport cars. After successful years in LMP2 in IMSA and Europe it was my target to be here and I’m very thankful for the opportunity. Joining a team with so much history and success makes the expectations high. I can’t wait to get started.”

Hailing from New Zealand, Brendon Hartley, who is already integrated with the team this weekend, is a three-time overall Le Mans winner, two-time World Endurance Championship title winner and former full-time Formula 1 driver with Scuderia Torro Rosso. He has multiple IMSA podiums on his resume, including an endurance win.

“I have really enjoy working with Filipe and Ricky” said Brendon Hartley. “I know Louis from around the paddock and I know he’s fast but also a good guy. I think we have a strong lineup and a team that knows how to win Daytona! The Rolex is always competitive and it’s a race that I respect a lot. It’s not a race that has been kind to me over the years. It’s going to see all the GTP machinery line up on the grid for the first time and I fully expect that we will be fighting for a good result. The electrified Acura ARX-06 has been put through its paces in testing and I think we have all the ingredients to give ourselves a shot at the victory.”

Long-time partner of Wayne Taylor Racing and the IMSA WeatherTech series, Konica Minolta has been a part of the team’s successful run at Daytona International Speedway for many years and is looking forward to the excitement that the new season brings.

The 2023 Rolex 24 at DAYTONA takes place January 26th-29th at Daytona International Speedway. The qualifying race to set the grid, the Roar Before the Rolex 24, runs on January 22nd. Stay tuned to IMSA and Wayne Taylor Racing’s official social channels for updates on start times, TV viewing and streaming details.
ABOUT KONICA MINOLTA

Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. is reshaping and revolutionizing the Workplace of the Future. The company guides and supports its clients’ digital transformation through its expansive office technology portfolio, including IT Services (All Covered), intelligent information management, managed print services and industrial and commercial print solutions. Konica Minolta has been included on CRN’s MSP 500 list nine times and The World Technology Awards recently named the company a finalist in the IT Software category. Konica Minolta has been recognized as the #1 Brand for Customer Loyalty in the MFP Office Copier Market by Brand Keys for fourteen consecutive years, and received Keypoint Intelligence’s BLI 2021 A3 Line of The Year Award and BLI 2021-2023 Most Color Consistent A3 Brand Award for its bizhub i-Series. Konica Minolta, Inc. has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for nine consecutive years and has spent four years on the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World list. Konica Minolta partners with its clients to give shape to ideas and works to bring value to our society. For more information, please visit us online and follow Konica Minolta on Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and Twitter. The No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 effort and Wayne Taylor Racing is supported by an outstanding lineup of partners including Harrison Contracting, Acura Motorsports, Hammer Nutrition and CIT.

BRASELTON, Ga., (October 3, 2022) – NTE/SSR’s promising run at the 25th Annual Petit Le Mans ended on a disheartening note on Saturday evening, as the sports car racing team closed out the 2022 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The Lamborghini team showed strong potential all weekend long leading up to the season finale race, but in the end, a pitstop error from a neighboring team ended the effort’s hopes of a top-five or podium finish.

“It’s hard to put the words together after all of the time and effort this group has put in all year,” said Team Owner Paul Mata. “Our alternate strategy for Saturday’s race was playing into our hands, but another team’s actions prevented us from seeing it through. That’s just racing, but that doesn’t make it any easier. I’m disappointed for everyone on our team, but still proud of the effort each and every one of them put in.”

The No. 42 NTE/SSR Lamborghini kicked off race week for the Motul Petit Le Mans on strong footing, placing second in the GTD class in the opening practice session. The team made the most of the three practice sessions, cycling drivers Don Yount, Jaden Conwright, and Marco Holzer through to ensure each athlete felt comfortable with the car as the team worked to dial the setup and balance in for the 10 hours of racing ahead.

Inaugural IMSA Diversity Scholarship winner Jaden Conwright produced another impressive qualifying session in the highly competitive GTD field, setting the team up to start from third place on Saturday afternoon. Starting behind the No. 1 BMW of Madison Snow and the No. 39 of Robert Megennis, Conwright had a clean opening lap, taking second place, setting sights on Snow several cars ahead. The first full course caution came in the opening hour, after about 40 minutes of running. Conwright pitted the Lamborghini for a full-service stop, and Don Yount got in the car, taking over the driving duties for the early portion of the race. Under caution, the team again pitted the Lamborghini for a splash of fuel, also giving Yount clean air to race in.

The No. 1 BMW of Snow also had breathing room over the field and was eventually able to catch the Lamborghini to attempt a pass to lap the car. The No. 42 NTE/SSR received some unexpected TV time when the No. 18 Era Motorsport LMP2 car pulled alongside Yount while the Lamborghini held off a pass from the class leader. The prototype spun on its own accord and went off into the gravel trap, bringing out a full-course caution and leading the majority of the GTD class.

Yount stayed out on track while a group of GTD cars pitted under a lengthy caution, beginning hour six from eighth place. The NTE team continued with their unique strategy to pit off-sequence, bringing Yount in just before the field went back to green. The No. 42 Lamborghini had a driver change and took on German Marco Holzer to take the green flag with just under eight hours remaining. Holzer restarted in 11th, behind the No. 27 of Ian James. He made the pass on James and Ryan Hardwick in the No. 16, taking eighth place before another lengthy full-course caution.

Yount and Holzer continued to share turns driving the car over the next several hours, bringing the Lamborghini up from 11th place to sixth. Hour six had a bit of excitement when Holzer came into pit lane to pit for tires and fuel, when he was forced to go off-road to avoid a spun prototype bocking pit lane. He brought the car safely into the box, taking tires and fuel before rejoining.

The team’s alternate strategy began to pay off, and hour by hour, the No. 42 Lamborghini climbed up the charts. With less than two hours to go in the race, the team’s luck once again changed. A last-minute call called for several cars to come into pit lane, including the NTE/SSR Lamborghini and it’s neighboring AWA LMP2 team. AWA pitted unexpectedly and first, mistakenly putting a tire too close on the ground to the NTE/SSR pit box. When Holzer came in to pit the Lamborghini, he had to come in at a different angle and farther away, making the team’s fuel hose unable to reach the car. The team was able to change the tires and pull the car back, fully in the box after the AWA car left, taking additional time to refuel once Conwright returned to the driver’s seat. The move cost the team precious time, effectively putting the squad two laps down.

From there, the team had little chance to climb back up in the time remaining, but still ran, hopeful to capitalize on any late-race cautions or attrition for other cars. In the end, the NTE/SSR Lamborghini finished in ninth place, ending a challenging season with results that failed to reflect the team’s pace and efforts.

“Our program grew exponentially this year, requiring a lot from everyone on our team,” concluded Mata. “Each person stepped up to the plate and rolled with all of the punches. We can still take pride in the fact that we faced many challenges this year and never gave up. It was a great first season racing Lamborghini machinery in WeatherTech and Super Trofeo, and I’m looking forward to what next season brings.”

The team will announce 2023 plans in the coming months.

DRIVER QUOTES

Don Yount

The Lamborghini was good off the trailer when we started this weekend. Ninth place in GTD for Petit Le Mans is a tough result to swallow after such a promising start. We were running clean and had a good pace all race, but an errant pit stop with a prototype in the stall next to us cost us about 60 seconds of time. That far into the race, it knocked us from a top five and possible podium result. Great drives and hard work from the crew for a solid 10 hours of racing and a great effort all season long. Everyone knows the team’s potential and the strong outing this weekend proved it again.

Jaden Conwright

As sad as it sounds, it was nice to finally finish an endurance race without any mechanical issues or penalties. As a team, we’re still working on things, but we’ve made some really great strides as a group this year. We were on a different strategy than the other teams and it was slowly playing into our hands before that pit stop that shook everything up. We just got caught out in a racing mishap that was out of our control. Speed-wise, we were right there with the top three in our class, even faster than some of the GTD PRO class cars. This event showed that we’re fast and have what it takes to compete in such a competitive field. Sadly in racing, it’s not just about speed. But our team has grown and gelled together so well this year under the leadership of Paul Mata. If we can continue to build on what we’ve established this year, we’ll be off to a good start and on stronger footing than where we started this year.

This year’s program would not be possible without the IMSA Diversity Scholarship and I want to thank John Doonan and IMSA for creating this program,. It’s no secret that it’s card to break into professional sports car racing and being the first recipient to receive the honor has not been lost on me. This scholarship aided NTE/SSR in covering entry fees and getting this program on track. Without the scholarship, my season in IMSA would likely have not been possible. I’m thankful for the opportunity to be able to build on my career and compete at such a top level. I can’t wait to be back.

Marco Holzer

Saturday was a disappointing end to the season and hard to swallow. We were looking good at fifth place with two hours to go until that fatal pit stop. We couldn’t park right because there was a tire from a different car in the way, so we couldn’t refuel in a timely manner either. We lost precious seconds and track time that put us back to fighting for a top-ten finish. Without that incident, a podium spot would have been possible. Thanks to the team for the whole year, and to our partners, Lamborghini Dallas, Southwest Funding, and Group A. This team is small but mighty and I hope to be back next year with them. Daytona is coming soon.

About NTE Sport
NTE Sport is based in Dallas, Texas, and first raced in 2020. Owner Paul Mata has been in the industry for over 20 years before starting his own team and has always focused on bringing together a diverse group of individuals to provide new opportunities and bring new people into the sport. Past female drivers include Sheena Monk and Ashley Freiberg, and drivers from diverse racial backgrounds include Ryan Nash, Jaden Conwright, and Kerong Li. Dedicated to bringing highly skilled individuals from various backgrounds, NTE Sport aims to continue to make North American sports car racing a fun, welcoming, supportive environment while participating in the most competitive series in North America.

About Star Spangled Racing
Based in Jacksonville, Florida, Star Spangled Racing is a newer sports car racing team, established in 2020 by first-generation immigrant Tiger Tari from Turkey. Tari is an accomplished businessman, race car driver, and philanthropist with big motorsport ambitions. Star Spangled Racing provides driving opportunities in the USA and Europe. Follow on Instagram here.

About Southwest Funding
Southwest Funding began operations in 1993 under the name Dallas Residential Mortgage. We enjoyed great success early on and before long we were serving the entire state of Texas. This growth caused us to change our name to Texas Residential Mortgage.

As we continued to grow and thrive in the industry, Texas Residential Mortgage was changed to Southwest Funding to better accommodate our growing business in other states.
Today we’re still thriving, thanks in part to happy customers who have spread the word about what our company is doing to help borrowers get a home loan that fits their situation in an enjoyable and timely way. www.southwestfunding.com

Lamborghini Dallas
Lamborghini Dallas has earned the Highest Rated Lamborghini Dealer in the United States award by DealerRater 10 years in a row. With a state-of-the-art showroom, factory-certified service facility, parts depot, and a team of master technicians, Lamborghini Dallas is dedicated to the legacy of the famed raging bull. As a member of Boardwalk Auto Group, we cultivate a focus on top-flight performance. It’s the driving force behind every nameplate we represent, every car we maintain, and every customer we have the privilege to serve. Performance. It’s what we do.

Group A Apparel

We are an action sports apparel brand for the adrenaline minded athlete. Focused on Functional Fitness, Motorsport, Surf, Snow, Skydiving, etc., we aim to support and grow the ever evolving ecosystem of global action/adventure sports.

Website: www.GroupAapparel.com

Instagram: @GroupAapparel

Braselton, GA. (2 October 2022) – After a qualifying incident forced the team to start from the back of the pack, Rebel Rock Racing closed out the 2022 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge (IMPC) season with a run to eighth in the Fox Factory 120 on Friday with drivers Robin Liddell and Frank Depew.

While the team had been looking to return to victory lane, the result was still encouraging after a Thursday qualifying session saw Depew suffer from contact that prevented him from setting a time. The Lime Rock Park-winning squad would have to start the race from the back of the pack.

With a robust 39 car field in the two-class contest, the traffic was not encouraging as the duo looked to make progress in the two-hour race right from the drop of the green flag. Depew obliged, moving up to run 20th within 12 laps of the race start. With a long green flag run, Depew was able to get into a consistent rhythm, continuing to deal with TCR traffic and making forward progress to run 18th before taking to pit lane to turn the car over to Liddell.

Returning to the fray 31st overall, Liddell charged forward to make up ground until a full course caution slowed the action on the 52nd lap as the Urban Grid machine ran in podium position. Taking to pit lane for a quick service, the No. 71 Camaro GT4.R restarted from 14th with just over a half an hour of racing to go. Liddell came over the radio ahead of the restart to confirm his orders from pit lane: “just pass as many cars as you can,” which he was able to do consistently as he had moved up to 8th by the time the checkered flag dropped.

“Those were some quick cars that he was closing in on but it was a big gap so it was a pretty strong charge that Robin was making,” said Depew. “It has been a difficult season in some ways—we’ve performed well and had our successes but we’ve also had some things out of our control that set us back. I think this was a good recovery from what happened from yesterday. Just like VIR, in both cases we had unavoidable situations where we were starting from the back and we came out with a top ten. We’re looking forward to next season, hoping that we can put one together all year long.”

“It was an unfortunate incident yesterday in qualifying, there was nothing we could do but it meant we didn’t get a time in, and that we made extra work for the guys last night with another trip to the body shop,” said Liddell. “But just like at VIR, Frank did a really good job, it was a really measured drive from him. He drove a smart race, passed some cars, and did a great job. With just one yellow, we missed the window to dive into the pits before the yellow. But I am not sure how much that would have changed the result. Pretty happy with the overall performance of the team and the result. We executed well.”

The 2022 IMSA season saw several highlights for Rebel Rock Racing including a big victory at Lime Rock Park. Rebel Rock Racing closed out the 2022 season fifth on the Provisional IMPC Championship standings.

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BRASELTON, Georgia (October 2, 2022) – Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing teams secured the second IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Grand Sport (GS) class Manufacturer Championship for Mercedes-AMG in four years this weekend in IMSA’s season-ending event at Michelin Raceway. Four different Mercedes-AMG GT4 entries contributed points for this year’s triumph which anchored a full list of another IMSA championship and season-long and race-weekend top-three showings in a successful season-ending event for Mercedes-AMG Motorsport customer teams on the 2.54-mile road course north of Atlanta.

After winning its first manufacturer title in 2019, Mercedes-AMG Motorsport customer teams stepped up again this season to deliver a second GS crown in a collectively competitive effort. Mercedes-AMG GT4 teams finished in the top-three in half of the year’s 10 races, including a series-leading three race wins for the No. 56 Murillo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4. Eric Foss co-drove the No. 56 with longtime teammate Jeff Mosing and earned the victories with Kenton Koch (Mid-Ohio and Road America) and Marc Miller (Canadian Tire Motorsport Park) when Mosing missed the year’s summer races recovering from a rib injury.

The No. 56’s sister No. 72 Murillo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4 of Kenny Murillo and Christian Szymczak earned the manufacturer championship points with a third-place finish at Watkins Glen while Mike Skeen and Trevor Andrusko sealed the title Friday with a second-place finish in the No. 55 FCP Euro by Ricca Autosports at Michelin Raceway. The runner-up placing for the FCP Euro team was a career-best result for the second-year team.

Foss and Mosing earned points for Mercedes-AMG in the year’s opening races at Daytona and Sebring and were joined by their No. 72 teammates and FCP Euro in scoring in more than one race. The No. 72 was also the top finisher at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca while FCP Euro earned its first points for Mercedes-AMG in its home race at Lime Rock Park.

Returning to the Mercedes-AMG Motorsport customer program for the year’s final three races, even the No. 21 Riley Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT4 of Anton Dias Perera and Scott Andrews stepped up to contribute to the Mercedes-AMG championship at VIRginia International Raceway (VIR). The team endured a heartbreaking loss when the No. 21 ran out of fuel while leading on the last lap of the VIR race, but Andrews still managed to get across the finish line for a top-10 finish that was the best for Mercedes-AMG GT4 in one of the craziest races of the year.

The other Mercedes-AMG Motorsport customer racing championship was earned in a dominating performance by Mercedes-AMG GT4 teams in the first-year Bronze Cup battle that awarded the top “Am” or sportsman driver pairing in the GS class.

The No. 11 Capstone Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT4 driver duo of Gary Ferrera and Kris Wilson went into the record books as the inaugural Bronze Cup winners with victories in six of the year’s 10 races. The four other races, including Friday’s finale at Michelin Raceway, were won by Brent Mosing and Tim Probert in the No. 65 Murillo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4, giving Mercedes-AMG Motorsport customer teams an undefeated 10-for-10 record in the first Bronze Cup season.

Mercedes-AMG Motorsport customer teams also shined in the driver and team championships in both the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the Michelin Pilot Series.

Stevan McAleer and Team Korthoff Motorsports capped a breakout year in their first full season of GT Daytona (GTD) competition with third-place honors in the GTD driver and team championships. Along with McAleer’s co-driver Skeen – who missed the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca due to COVID-19 – the Team Korthoff Motorsports No. 32 Mercedes-AMG GT3 drivers and team battled for the GTD championships all season.

A similar no-quit effort was turned in Foss and the No. 56 team in Pilot Challenge GS. Foss and his co-drivers were a title threat all season and the No. 56 and Foss ultimately finished a solid second in both the GS driver and team championships.

Mercedes-AMG Motorsport customer teams also locked out the 2022 Motul Pole Awards in both IMSA series. In addition to two race wins with co-driver Philip Ellis, Russell Ward earned the GTD pole award for the most top qualifying efforts in the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3.

Kenny Murillo in turn won the Motul Pole Award in GS for the most pole positions on the season in the No. 72 Mercedes-AMG GT4.

McAleer, Team Korthoff and Ward will be presented with their respective awards at tonight’s WeatherTech Night of Championships at Chateau Elan near Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.

Stevan McAleer, Driver – No. 32 Team Korthoff Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3: “I could say I am disappointed, but I am not even in the slightest. The last four or five races for us have been tough. We slowly lost the points lead, and I even thought going into this weekend we could even end up finishing P5 or P6 overall. It was that close, but I really wanted to be at the banquet tonight in one of those top-three spots. So, I am pretty ecstatic to finish third in GTD in my first ever attempt in top GT3 competition, we were the highest Mercedes-AMG, and I can’t thank the team enough for the opportunity. I think the only thing that is missing is Mike Skeen should be up there with me, so I will certainly celebrate with him and the entire team. We will look into next year, there is definitely some tweaks and improvements we can make to get closer and closer, but there is no question going into next year that there is a new team on the map.”

Russell Ward, Driver – No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3: “This is a team sport, and you win, and you lose together. We have come a long way as a team in the past couple of years. We are really kind of getting to our stride, and I don’t even really know how to say how proud I am of the team. They are the ones that get us there. We have really what I think are the best guys in the world. Not only are they amazing at their job, but they are also my friends, and we will get through a tough season together and come back strong next year. Now we know all of the tracks better, and Philip and I are going to come back with fire in our veins for sure.”

Jeff Mosing, Driver – No. 56 Murillo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4: “Running with this Murillo team as long as we have, it is like family here. They way that they are able to adapt to the new Mercedes-AMG GT4 platform when they first got it five years ago, they have really brought it a long way to make it a possible championship-winning car. I am just really, really proud of how they were able to work through the different things we had to do to learn what was a new car for us and our first effort in GS. It’s super competitive in the series and congratulations to Mercedes-AMG for the Manufacturer’s Championship.”

Eric Foss, Driver – No. 56 Murillo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4: “We chose the Mercedes-AMG GT4 back in 2018 because we knew it was going to be a great car to contend for championships. All year the car was flawless, we never had a mechanical issue, and it is always a joy to drive. We came into Road Atlanta realistically knowing it would be very tough to win the driver and team championships, but we had our heads down and sights set on still trying to win the race. Jeff had a great first stint, the team put in a 100 percent effort, and we drove the wheels off the car. Mercedes-AMG being able to win the manufacturer championship again this year just shows how really good the cars are. We are proud to have the most wins in the series with three and it’s a credit to what an easy platform the Mercedes-AMG GT4 is.”

Trevor Andrusko, Driver – No. 55 FCP Euro by Ricca Autosport Mercedes-AMG GT4: “FCP Euro and Ricca Autosport have been just fantastic this year. The Mercedes-AMG GT4 was just awesome to drive, and I really enjoyed it. It was an abbreviated season, but this is my first professional podium here at my home track at Road Atlanta, so it is really cool with friends here, family here, it is just really awesome. I think we kind of showed we can contend in the championship if we do a full season. The team has worked hard getting the car to where it is, and we have spent quite a bit of time getting to this point.”

Gary Ferrera, Driver – No. 11 Capstone Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT4: “We wanted to win the race in total, we knew we had the championship just crossing the line, but we really wanted at least the Bronze Cup victory. Unfortunately, we had a penalty but Tim and Brent, who we love as competitors, had no hiccups and had a good day. Still very happy, we had a great year, and I am very excited to go to Barcelona for the Mercedes-AMG awards.”

Tim Probert, Driver – No. 65 Murillo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4: “It’s just terrific. We were very fortunate that both Brent and I drove really, really consistently. We didn’t make any mistakes, the strategy from the pits was flawless, and it all went perfect. We really enjoy the Bronze Cup, and it is all just fantastic.”

Braselton, Ga. (October 1, 2022) — The 25th Running of the MOTUL Petit Le Mans has seen the end of the DPi era, with the 2022 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship on the line in the final event. The No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 came up just short of the title, finishing second in the points standings after a dramatic chase in the final minutes culminated in mechanical damage for the blue and black machine. Although the Wayne Taylor Racing team didn’t capture the drivers’ championship, the team’s success throughout the 2022 season boosted Acura to the manufacturers’ championship which was secured at the drop of the green flag today.

As the green flag flew for Petit, Ricky Taylor started behind the wheel of the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 for the opening stint of the final event on the IMSA season. The 10-hour race started with Taylor pitting immediately in order to switch out Friday’s qualifying tires for a fresh set, securing his qualifying points and avoiding a penalty for pitting before the start. Despite dropping to the rear of the DPi field and battling traffic, Taylor was able to gain positions and get the sister Acura car back in his sights.

During the second caution period of the day, Taylor brought the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 to pit road to end the first stint of the 10 hours and swapped positions in the driver’s seat to the team’s third co-driver for the weekend, Brendon Hartley. The New Zealander quickly began putting pressure on their championship rivals. A timely yellow in the pit window circulated Hartley to the lead, however, the team still needed to come to pit lane for fuel and tires, shuffling the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 back to fifth for the restart at the seven-hour mark. With Hartley still in control through another caution period, it was time to make the trip down pit road once again for a full-service pitstop of four tires and fuel. The crew excelled in their stop and was able to exit the pits ahead of their fellow championship contenders.

Hartley completed his drive time in one run, a triple stint, before Filipe Albuquerque took over. Luck was on the side of the team with another caution falling as they completed their green flag pitstop, putting Albuquerque into the lead of the race.

Albuquerque settled into controlling the field and navigating traffic. As the halfway point of the 10-hour race was reached, Albuquerque built a lead of over two-and-a-half seconds ahead of second place. The team soon called Albuquerque in for a pitstop before a stalled car by pit lane entry nearly collided with the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05.

Taylor climbed back in the car with four hours to go, continuing to create gap to the other championship contenders. As the clock wound down, the action was only just beginning. Like teammate Albuquerque, Taylor worked to keep the fellow championship contenders behind.

With over two hours remaining, Taylor came to pit road and traded driver positions with Albuquerque to finish out the event. As the final hour of the 10-hour race ticked on, the intensity grew with the championship battle on the line. A race proven to provide the unknown and unpredictable in the final hour, history proved repeatable as two non-contending teammate DPis made contact to bring out a caution with 51 minutes to go. Under the yellow flag, Albuquerque brought the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 to pit lane for service and a tight battle saw the sister Acura edge out in front. Before coming back to green, the team decided to come back to pit road to top off with fuel. Knowing the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 didn’t have to worry about saving fuel as the field restarted, Filipe went to work catching the championship rivals in a 30-minute dash to checkered. Pushing to the limits, the Portuguese driver closed an almost four-second gap to the No. 60 Acura and took a daring move around the outside of Turn 1 in hopes of taking the race and championship lead. As the No. 60 Acura held the first position out of Turn 1, lapped traffic made contact with Albuquerque, effectively ending the team’s night early.

“It is very disappointing not to win the championship,” said Ricky Taylor. “I’m very proud of the team. Everybody at Konica Minolta, HPD, and Acura fought really hard. We didn’t get here by chance, it was a lot of hard work and fighting. I couldn’t be more proud to be teammates with Filipe. He gives everything and we wouldn’t be in this position in the championship without him. We take risks and I don’t even think what took us out was even a risk. He was fighting for the win and I had no doubt that he was going to pass the 60 car if he had the chance. Thank you to everybody. This will be some huge motivation for next year. I think the positive is if you look at all the teams in the series, there is one consistent thing–you can never sleep on the 10 car. We are always gonna be there fighting and you have to do a very good job to beat us. Next year even more so. We are very excited to redeem ourselves next year.”

“I’m simply devastated with the ending,” said Filipe Albuquerque. “I really think we were doing a perfect race and unfortunately the last pitstop wasn’t great for our side. Obviously, when you start on pole and up front, you always have a little bit of an advantage. Traffic always benefits the guy leading and it got me big time there. We were quick and we caught back up. Passing a GT car and I don’t think he saw me and the level of risk was high. We touched and my car was damaged and it was over for us. It was a bit inglorious to finish like that. So competitive and tight fun today, but it is what it is. It’s a shame for two years in a row to be so close. One thing is for sure, we are always there. Unfortunately, it’s not us winning. Great job by Wayne Taylor Racing the whole season and Acura for securing a 1-2 in the championship. Tomorrow, we start preparing for 2023.”

“I’ve really enjoyed my experience with WTR. I was up-to-speed in the race and we fought hard. Big thanks to the entire crew and especially Ricky and Filipe who made me feel part of the family—we had good laughs together all week. It was heartbreaking to see the win and championship slip away in the last moments. Filipe was on maximum attack and we have no regrets. I played a small part in their season but was proud to play a small part.”

“Congratulations to Mike Shank for winning the drivers’ and teams’ championships,” said team owner Wayne Taylor. “What can I say. We thought we had it, but didn’t. Everybody gave it their all. Thank you to HPD, Acura, Konica Minolta, Harrison Contracting, CIT, all our partners and the drivers. Everybody did a fantastic job. We led for a long time. It just was another year of coming second. Everybody did as much as they could, couldn’t do more.”

The entire Wayne Taylor Racing team sets their focus now to the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and ushering in the new LMDh era of racing. While the team will be busy with preparations on the new Acura ARX-06 over the winter months, the action returns for the next season with the Roar Before the 24 and Rolex 24 Hours of DAYTONA on January 20-28, 2023. Stay tuned to Wayne Taylor Racing’s official social media channels for news, updates, and announcements.
ABOUT KONICA MINOLTA

Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. is reshaping and revolutionizing the Workplace of the Future. The company guides and supports its clients’ digital transformation through its expansive office technology portfolio, including IT Services (All Covered), intelligent information management, managed print services and industrial and commercial print solutions. Konica Minolta has been included on CRN’s MSP 500 list nine times and The World Technology Awards recently named the company a finalist in the IT Software category. Konica Minolta has been recognized as the #1 Brand for Customer Loyalty in the MFP Office Copier Market by Brand Keys for fourteen consecutive years, and received Keypoint Intelligence’s BLI 2021 A3 Line of The Year Award and BLI 2021-2023 Most Color Consistent A3 Brand Award for its bizhub i-Series. Konica Minolta, Inc. has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for nine consecutive years and has spent four years on the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World list. Konica Minolta partners with its clients to give shape to ideas and works to bring value to our society. For more information, please visit us online and follow Konica Minolta on Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and Twitter. The No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 effort and Wayne Taylor Racing is supported by an outstanding lineup of partners including Harrison Contracting, Acura Motorsports, Hammer Nutrition and CIT.

Braselton, Ga (2 October 2022) – After ten hours of intense racing, Jr III Racing (“Junior three”) brought home a second-place LMP3 class finish in the 25th annual Motul Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on Saturday. The season-ending race saw the team execute with outstanding driver performances, strong strategy calls from the pit box, and flawless pit stops through the duration of the IMSA event.

The podium result saw the team close out its first full-season of IMSA WeatherTech competition third in the points championship as full-season pilots Garret Grist and Ari Balogh were joined by Nolan Siegel for the final enduro of the year.

Balogh started the No. 30 AirBnB Ligier JS P320 from the third row of the class grid, moving to fifth in the opening stanza of the race before turning the car over to Siegel on lap 104.

Siegel continued his forward charge, moving up to race in podium position for an extended stint before handing the Ligier over to Grist as the race reached the halfway mark. Grist kept the podium pace while running second. California native Siegel resumed the controls on lap 213, continuing the pursuit of the leading No. 36 entry, closing to within seconds on multiple occasions before turning the No. 30 AirBnb back over to Grist on lap 299. The young Canadian closed out the 2022 season with a second place result for the Jr III Racing entry which brings the team to four podiums this season.

“You always have to be happy with a second-place finish,” said Grist, who scored second with the team in the 2021 edition of the race. “Jr III is two-for-two on second place finishes at Petit Le Mans. It’s good to know that we’ve been within 10 seconds of the win in both years. We are proud to earn third overall in the championship in our first year, especially against teams like Riley and Core. We have a long off-season ahead of us, and we have a lot to work on and to improve in several aspects, including me. If we can start next year where we finished this year, we’ll be in a better spot. Big thanks to Billy (Glavin) and Ari (Balogh) for allowing us to do this.”

After starting the season at Sebring International Raceway with a second-place finish in the 12 Hour, the No. 30 team brought home their fourth second-place finish to end the season at Michelin Raceway.

“It was a great weekend running both IPC and WeatherTech,” said Siegel. “In the IPC race, we didn’t get the result we wanted, but I think it was still a really strong showing for the team, and we ended up with the fastest lap of the race by quite a bit. In WeatherTech, we scored second, which is a huge accomplishment. Everyone wanted to win, but it’s still incredible to be on the Motul Petit Le Mans podium.”

The team is looking forward to announcing plans for the 2023 season in the off-season.

Prototype Challenge:

The Motul Petit Le Mans weekend got started early for Jr III Racing with its IMSA Prototype Challenge (IPC) program, closing out the season on Friday with a 90-minute race with two team entries. Jr III Racing drivers Ari Balogh and Nolan Siegel pulled double duty, driving the No. 30 AirBnB Ligier JS P320 as the sister team entry of Courtney Crone and Terry Olson fielded the No. 3 Jr III Racing Ligier.

Balogh took the green flag from sixth on the grid, and was on a quick run when he and another competitor made contact as they dueled for position through the tricky 10a and 10b complex. Unfortunately the contact sent the No. 30 Ligier off track before being able to return to action in 12th. The team worked to put strategy to use and make up the lost track position, with Siegel making a strong charge to the finish to come home ninth.

Olson took on the first stint of the race onboard the No. 3 Jr III entry. Approaching the 30-minute mark, Olson put his heads up driving on display as he deftly avoided a spinning car ahead of him on the daunting final fast downhill corner on the circuit. But the incident cost track position, leaving Olson to restart from eleventh.

He charged through the field to put the No. 3 Ligier as high as fourth before pitting for a driver change. Crone continued to set steady lap times but an unfortunate spin saw her fall down the order briefly before recovering to bring the car home twelfth at the line.

“There are mixed feelings there,” said Crone. “The Jr III Racing guys brought a great car. The first half of my stint wasn’t the best with the spin. I made a mistake trying to turn the traction control off, and the Ligier wasn’t quite ready for that. The last half of the race was pretty decent; I kept pace with the mid-pack. Overall, it’s been a great season with Jr III.”

“The track was chilly, and a little bit slippery, but it was set up great,” said Olson. “I thought we had some good momentum going from our position, starting closer to the back, but unfortunately, I got caught up behind somebody that spun in front of us, and we had to take some major action to avert a big crash. It was a great way to end the year. Michelin Raceway is such an amazing track that being out there in the car is something you’ll always remember.”

The Crone – Olson duo finished the IPC season fifth in provisional points championship. The No. 30 team was not far behind, finishing the season in seventh out of a twenty-four-car field.

BRASELTON, Ga., (October 2, 2022) – When Wright Motorsports secured their monumental victory at the Rolex 24 At Daytona in January, the Porsche customer racing team immediately showed they would be a championship contender for the 2022 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Sunday at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, the battle for the GTD class title came down to the final laps, and with a fourth-place finish, the Wright Motorsports Porsche finished as runner-up in the championship standings.

“This is the second time in two years that we’ve come just a handful of points shy of the championship,” said Team Owner John Wright. “While it’s heartbreaking, it makes me so proud that each year, we’re right there in the fight to the very end. Ryan and Jan drove an incredible season, and really showed some true grit against such a competitive field. The crew consistently gained positions in pit lane, and the Porsche’s power and stability have no match in this series. We executed flawlessly and I’m proud of everyone.”

Petit Le Mans, the 10-hour season finale endurance racing event gifted competitors with perfectly sunny autumn days each day of the weekend. Drivers Ryan Hardwick, Jan Heylen, and endurance addition Zacharie Robichon made the most of each practice session, working with the team to develop the optimal race pace for Saturday’s final event.

Robichon started the 25th Annual Motul Petit Le Mans from ninth place, behind the No. 21 Ferrari of Simon Mann and the No. 57 Mercedes of Russell Ward. He gained a position on the start, intent on staying close to the No. 27 Aston Martin of Roman De Angelis. A majority of the field pitted within the first 65 minutes following the first full-course caution of the event. The No. 16 Porsche pitted from eighth, undergoing a full-service stop with fuel, tires, and a new driver. Hardwick took over the driving duties of the 1st Phorm Porsche, taking his first stint of the race. With over nine hours of racing remaining, Hardwick kept his pace fast and kept his moves risk-free, running near the top-ten under perfectly sunny conditions. The second full course caution came out with 90 minutes of racing complete.

The Atlanta, Georgia resident gained some ground to sit eighth at the next set of full course cautions, when a GTD battle sent two cars off course. The team pitted Hardwick for fuel only on lap 69, giving him a full tank for the restart. He took the green from eighth place, clocking in consistent lap times to maintain pace and position to save the car for the night racing. He slid to ninth, running about six seconds behind the No. 21 of Luis Perez Companc.

The field went back to green with three hours complete, and Hardwick had a trouble-free conclusion to his stint before passing the No. 16 1st Phorm Porsche over to Jan Heylen. As Road Atlanta encountered the warmest temperatures of the day, Heylen experienced a slight loss of overall grip during his stint. Despite the hindrance, he climbed from seventh place to fifth, closing in on Ward’s Mercedes. On the following pit stop, the team brought him into pit lane under caution for a scheduled pit stop from fourth place, where they made some quick adjustments on the car to help with performance.

Just before the halfway point, Heylen pitted from sixth place for a full-service stop, and the No. 16 Porsche 911 GT3 R took on new tires and a tank of fuel, and traded drivers from the Belgian to Canadian Robichon. Robichon had a quiet and drama-free stint as dusk settled on the track, maintaining seventh place behind the No. 21 of Luis Perez Companc. The overall balance of the Porsche continued to improve with the cooler temperatures and with each setup adjustment by the team. Aided by speedy work from the Wright Motorsports crew in pit lane, the Porsche had an advantage over the No. 42 NTE/SSR car.

The track fell under full darkness and with less than two hours to go, and Heylen passed Luis Perez Companc to break back into the top ten, with the No. 57 machine 53 seconds ahead. With 40 minutes to go, the eighth full course caution occurred, bringing the field back together. The tension was palpable, as every team surveyed positions and counted potential points. The field went back to green with 30 minutes to go. The 1st Phorm Porsche restarted from sixth position, behind the No. 1 BMW of Bryan Sellers.

Heylen made the pass on Sellers and continued to climb in the final hour. In the final ten minutes of the race, the No. 57 Mercedes went off course and into the tire wall, causing a shakeup in the potential points possibilities. Sadly, the incident brought out a final full-course caution ending the race under yellow. The Wright Motorsports effort finished in fourth place, just one position shy of clinching the 2022 championship.

With two wins and five top-five finishes across 12 races, the team remained solidly in the championship hunt throughout the season. The team will carry this momentum into the 2023 season, the details of which will be announced at a later date.

DRIVER QUOTES

Ryan Hardwick

In the end, we were one position short for the championship, but while it’s frustrating to come up short by such a small margin, it was an unbelievable experience to compete for this championship all year long. From the first race at Daytona all the way here to the final race at Petit Le Mans. I couldn’t be more proud of our entire team. We made no mistakes on pit lane, and no mistakes on track. Everybody did their part. We did the best we could today. Ultimately, it was one position short of where we needed to be. I’m excited to compete in this field, with these teams and these drivers, and I look forward to next year and the challenges that lie ahead. One year, this championship will be ours.

Jan Heylen

A big thank you goes to the whole team for a great season. Thanks to Ryan Hardwick and 1st Phorm for putting this program together and for all of the support from our partners. John Wright, Bobby Viglione, and all the guys here. We just came a little bit short today. It’s disappointing to be that close and not get it, but we just didn’t have the speed today. There were cars out there that were so much quicker on the front straight that we couldn’t put up a fight today because of the BOP. I’m happy with everything we’ve achieved this year, and I’m looking forward to Daytona. We have an incredible crew here and we’ll be ready for another run next year.

Zacherie Robichon

It was a very difficult race from the beginning. I don’t think I’ve ever done a race where we worked on the car and on the set up so much throughout the race. It was incredible the amount of work the guys were doing in pit lane. We were doing sway bar adjustments and diff adjustments. Ultimately, we got the car in a much better place where we could really keep up with the cars around us. They turned our car around. Ryan and Jan missed the championship by one position, but it wasn’t for lack of effort. We should be super proud of the fact that we came home fourth in this race, given the way it started. We’re disappointed right now, but we can’t be disappointed with the performance of the team today.

Porsche Carrera Cup North America Presented by the Cayman Islands

The season finale for the Porsche Carrera Cup North America Presented by the Cayman Islands also took place over the weekend for John Goetz, Hutton McKenna, and Varun Choksey. The trio of Wright Motorsports-prepared Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race cars participated in the final doubleheader of the season and after securing the win in race one, Goetz came runner-up in the 2022 Am driver championship. Varun Choksey celebrated a strong seventh-place finish in race one, closing the year out seventh in the Pro Driver championship.

1st Phorm
1st Phorm is a sports nutrition company based in St. Louis, MO. In 2009, CEO Andy Frisella and his business partner Chris Klein started the brand, and since then, it has become the fastest growing supplement company in the world. 1st Phorm has set the standards in the industry for quality and helping people reach their goals. This new racing partnership is not their first time in the exotic car scene either. 1st Phorm has been the title sponsor for the Gold Rush Rally for six years running. With over a million followers across social media, 1st Phorm has amassed a huge cult-like following known as, “The Legion of Boom.” They stand for a movement in the fitness world. To turn it back to what it was meant to be. Helping others improve their lives, to be a good human… and to drop the excuses and do the work. 1st Phorm is a winning brand and they don’t expect anything less when it comes to their race team. For additional info: www.1stphorm.com

Mountain Motorsports
Mountain Motorsports is a group of motorcycle and powersports dealerships with multiple locations in the southeastern United States. The company was founded by lifelong friends Ryan Hardwick and Justin Price when they opened their first location as a single-line Honda dealership in Sevierville, Tennessee in 1999. The company has since grown into one of the largest retailers of motorcycle and powersports vehicles in the nation, spanning nine dealership locations representing eleven of the industry’s most well-known brands. For additional info: www.mountainmotorsports.com

Una Vida Tequila
Una Vida translates to One Life. That is how this brand started. By people who want to live their “One Life” to the absolute fullest and to their highest potential. A group of guys from the Midwest who love great quality tequila, and want their One Life to have meaning and impact others.

One Life, One Tequila is our CORE BELIEF. We’re building the only tequila brand you will ever need to drink. Una Vida is bigger than just tequila we’re also building a culture of people who want to live their life to their utmost potential.

Our story begins and continues to grow bottle by bottle. It’s a life mission for us to create a community of people who all raise a glass knowing they’re living their ONE LIFE! For more information, visit unavidatequila.com

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.

Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020 No. 62:
Davide Rigon (ITA)
Daniel Serra (BRA)
James Calado (GBR)

(Braselton, Georgia, October 1, 2022) … The No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 GT3 team had a heart-breaking finish in today’s 25th annual Motul Petit Le Mans IMSA WeatherTech Championship Series finale at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. The three Ferrari factory drivers, Brit James Calado, Italian Davide Rigon, and Brazilian Daniel Serra, drove the race of their lives and crossed the finish line first in class, only to be penalized by a drive time violation and moved to the back of the class. The penalty, too long of a drive time for Serra during a six hour time period, negated the Petit Le Mans GTD Pro class victory. However, the team still secured winning the IMSA GTD Pro Team IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup with its seventh place class finish today.

Up until the tear-jerking final result disappointment, the team had put together an incredible race with good pit strategy, smooth pit stop, and impressive drives by all three drivers.

The Risi Competizione team celebrated 25 years since their first win at Petit Le Mans in 1998 during their inaugural season with a full team photo. Team Principal Giuseppe Risi is at the center.

QUOTES

James Calado, driver, No. 62 Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo:
“I feel like we poured our heart into this one. I was quite aggressive in my stint to try to make up some positions. I knew I had to because I wanted to win. Daniel did an amazing job and did sort of the same thing. The car was quick. It’s just one of those things. We take it on the chin and move on to the next one. Thanks to the team; they put a lot of effort in for this weekend. We crossed the line in first, but it wasn’t to be this time.”

Davide Rigon, driver, No. 62 Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo:
“We did our best together with the team and my teammates, Daniel and James, we did our best. We are sad to lose for being over in the driving time. It’s a big disappointment. We deserve this victory and the endurance championship. It was hard for us to have this end result after all the effort by everyone. Although we did not get the race victory, at least the team won the GTD Pro Endurance Cup. And now we must look forward to coming back someday.”

Daniel Serra, driver, No. 62 Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo:
“It’s difficult to understand what happened. I have mixed emotions. The last two stints were probably one of the best of my life. I didn’t know until the checkered flag and then when I crossed, I said ‘so this is it, we won’, and they said ‘no, we had a problem with the driving time’. So, it’s still quite difficult to say what I’m feeling. It’s just strange because we won the race and because of our mistake we lose it. We did what we had to do to win but we made a mistake and lose and that’s it. At least we won the Endurance Cup.”

The Risi Competizione team has not made any official announcements for 2023 racing plans yet but stay tuned for future announcements.
For more information, please go to www.risicompetizione.com and follow us on Facebook/RisiCompetizione, Twitter @RisiComp and Instagram @RisiComp.

Cadillac concludes DPi era with two podium finishes

• No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R is runner-up for second year in a row
• No. 48 Ally Cadillac DPi-V.R claims third place in final endurance race for the team

BRASELTON, Ga. (Oct. 1, 2022) – Cadillac began the Daytona Prototype international (DPi) era with two podium finishes and closed the books on the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship classification with a pair of podium finishes.

The No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R, co-driven by Pipo Derani, Olivier Pla and Mike Conway, was runner-up for the second consecutive year in the 25th edition of the Motul Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. The No. 48 Ally Cadillac DPi-V.R, co-driven by Jimmie Johnson, Kamui Kobayashi and Mike Rockenfeller, finished third.

Overall, the Cadillac DPi-V.R recorded 27 victories – tops among all manufacturers – and 84 podium finishes in 59 races since 2017. Additionally, Cadillac earned three Manufacturer Championships and three Team and Driver Championships. A Cadillac DPi-V.R claimed four wins, 18 podiums and four pole starts in 10 races this season.

Derani started the 10-hour race from the seventh position and closed out the daylight-to-darkness race 4.369 seconds behind the winning Acura. The No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R also claimed the trophy for the fourth round of the endurance championship.

“Ups and downs, but in the end we were there to fight for the win,” said Derani, the 2021 DPi champion. “Unfortunately, I got really unlucky with traffic at the last restart, so I lost a lot of time and then I was catching them back. But that’s part of multi-class racing. The Cadillac was amazing. Most of my wins and the championship have been with this car. A great era that comes to an end, but I’m glad I am here to be fighting for the win.”

The No. 48 Ally Cadillac DPi-V.R, which has competed in the eight endurance races over the past two seasons, started sixth.

“This has been great; what an awesome opportunity,” said Johnson, the seven-time NASCAR Cup champion. “I’m so thankful to Ally, Action Express and Hendrick Motorsports. I’ve been able to meet and race with a lot of great people. It’s really been a fun two years.”

The No. 02 Cadillac Accessories Cadillac DPi-V.R, which Earl Bamber drove to a front-row starting position on the 2.54-mile, 12-turn natural-terrain road course, was involved in an incident with the sister No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R in Turn 1 with 51 minutes left, essentially eliminating both cars from contention for the victory. The No. 01, co-driven by Renger van der Zande, Sebastien Bourdais and Scott Dixon, placed fourth. The No. 02 car finished fifth.

The No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R finished seventh in class after it was involved in an incident with a GTD car with 5 hours, 42 minutes left and did not return. Eighteen minutes earlier, race leader Richard Westbrook picked up five points to put the JDC-Miller MotorSports group in the Team/Driver Endurance Championship lead.

While five Cadillac DPi-V.R entries contested the Motul Petit Le Mans to close one chapter of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Cadillac Racing is simultaneously preparing for the next level of competition in 2023.

The Cadillac V-LMDh race car — a collaboration between GM designers, GM’s Performance and Racing propulsion team, chassis manufacturer Dallara and suppliers for the spec hybrid energy recovery system – has successfully completed early stage on-track testing in preparation to compete in the new IMSA Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) category and FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) Hypercar class in 2023.

On-track testing will continue into the new year, with IMSA-sanctioned testing on Oct. 3-5 and Dec. 6-7. The Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 28-29 opens the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season. The WEC season commences with the 1,000 Miles of Sebring on March 17.

Cadillac Racing finishing positions and driver quotes

No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R (Action Express Racing)

Pipo Derani, Olivier Pla, Mike Conway (start seventh, finish second)

Derani: “Ups and downs, but in the end we were there to fight for the win. Unfortunately, I got really unlucky with traffic at the last restart, so I lost a lot of time and then I was catching them back. But that’s part of multi-class racing. I’m glad we had a fantastic time with the DPi car. The Cadillac was amazing. Most of my wins and the championship have been with this car. A great era that comes to an end, but I’m glad I am here to be fighting for the win.”

Pla: “It’s never over (until it’s over). We had some problems on the pit stop and we lost quite a bit of time. At that time, the car was starting to come alive. It was getting colder (outside). I think we had a really good car for the end. But, as you can see, the race is never finished until the last lap. It’s a great result for the team.”

Conway: “(My stints) were quite good. Then, I went back out in the night, I just had some crap traffic for about five or six laps in a row. I thought I couldn’t do anything right out there. Then, it seemed to be OK after that. Pipo pushed really hard to the end and that was pretty cool. He brought home a good result. It was crazy with the two Cadillacs coming together somewhat and then what happened to the No. 10 Acura. It was a crazy finish.”

No. 48 Ally Cadillac DPi-V.R (Action Express Racing)

Jimmie Johnson, Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Rockenfeller (start sixth, finish third)

Johnson: “It was a very challenging day. But, at the end of the race, we finally got some breaks to come back our way and ended up on the podium. It’s really tough trying to work traffic. I was brave sometimes, but I just needed to be more brave all of the time. I was just trying to be smart and cautious with the car. Ultimately, I left some speed on the table in my stint. But, I got two full stints in the car each time I was in. This has been great, what an awesome opportunity. I’m so thankful to Ally, Action Express, and Hendrick Motorsports. I’ve been able to meet and race with a lot of great people. It’s really been a fun two years.”

Kobayashi: “For of all, that you to Cadillac, Action Express and my teammates, Jimmie and Mike. We did our best. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the pace in the beginning of the race. But, finally, something came to us and we got this podium in the last race. This is only one podium for this year, but we all worked really hard and it’s good to end the season like this. Thanks to all the guys.”

Rockenfeller: “We earned the podium in the last race of the season and of the DPis, which is satisfying. But it just wasn’t our season for the 48 and not really our race. We didn’t have the pace early and with the penalties we were always on the back foot. It was a tough day, but nice to get a podium.”

No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R (Chip Ganassi Racing)

Renger van der Zande, Sebastien Bourdais, Scott Dixon (start fifth, finish fourth)

Bourdais: “Obviously, that is not the end of the championship that anybody wanted for Cadillac Racing and the Chip Ganassi Racing team. It’s a shame; there was a race win on the line, and everybody wants to go out on the high note. We’re disappointed to finish like that with the new era ahead of us. The team worked very hard this year and we can only thank them for all their efforts. We will see what the future brings.”

van der Zande: “We came to Petit Le Mans to win and to finish the race like this is really difficult. There’s never any intention to come together out there and we’ll reflect on this and regroup as a team. We can look back on a season where we had great success with wins in Long Beach, Detroit and Mosport. Chip Ganassi Racing and Cadillac put out a really fast car all year and to do that is no easy feat. It takes a lot of really talented people to make this all work.”

No. 02 Cadillac Accessories Cadillac DPi-V.R (Chip Ganassi Racing)

Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn, Ryan Hunter-Reay (start second, finish fifth)

Bamber: “I think we had a fantastic race all day and had a really good car with the No. 02 Cadillac. We managed to lead a lot of laps and hours and that’s something to be proud of. Obviously, I’m quite disappointed with what happened and mostly for everyone at Cadillac and Chip Ganassi Racing. We come here to win as a team, whether it’s the No. 01 or the No. 02, and that is a tough scenario to be in. I think this was a season to be proud of and I believe we’ve scored the most pole positions, as well as a lot of race wins. Now, it’s on to what’s next which is testing for GTP.”

Lynn: “We had a very strong car today, so it was a disappointment to not get the result that the team deserved. I think Ryan, Earl and myself were driving really well and it’s sad that we haven’t brought home the result that we wanted.”

No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R (JDC-Miller MotorSports)

Tristan Vautier, Richard Westbrook, Loic Duval (start fourth, finish seventh in class after incident)

John Church, JDC-Miller MotorSports managing partner: “It’s been an awesome experience to race in the DPi category these years. Everybody at Cadillac, GM and Dallara have been wonderful to work with. It’s sad that it’s the end of an era and disappointing to end the season this way. Racing has a way of going full circle and I’m sure we’ll be back together some day and looking forward to that.”

About Cadillac

A leading luxury auto brand since 1902, Cadillac is growing globally, driven by an expanding product portfolio that features distinctive design and technology. More information on Cadillac appears at www.cadillac.com.

Fifth-place GTD PRO finish for Garcia, Taylor, Catsburg in No. 3 Corvette C8.R

BRASELTON, Ga. (Oct. 1, 2022) – Corvette Racing closed its season in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship on Saturday with a fifth-place finish in the GT Daytona (GTD) PRO class after the 10-hour Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.

Antonio Garcia, Jordan Taylor and Nicky Catsburg entered Saturday hoping to replicate their victory from earlier this year at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. Ultimately, two separate incidents of contact didn’t help the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R’s quest for its second victory of the season.

The result was enough for Garcia and Taylor to take third in the GTD Drivers Championship and Chevrolet to finish third in the final Manufacturers standings.

The day began strong with Garcia moving forward from the green flag. He picked up two positions to third on the opening two laps of the race and moved to the lead just past the hour mark. He drove the first 92 minutes before handing off to Taylor, who ran first or second for the first 90 minutes of his time in the Corvette.

The day’s first setback came near the three-hour mark when Taylor’s right-rear Michelin went down while leading on a restart following contact with the No. 9 Porsche. He was able to dive directly into the pits for four fresh tires but fell down to sixth.

The march back toward the front came over the next two hours as two more full-course yellows and penalties to some of its competitors allowed the Corvette to make up track position. By the time Catsburg took over near the four-and-a-half-hour mark, the No. 3 was back with the lead back in GTD PRO and ran as high as second before Garcia returned to the driver’s seat near the seven-hour mark.

Things came undone for the No. 3 Corvette with a little more than two hours to go as Garcia spun at Turn 11 after contact with the 62 Ferrari. He dropped from third to fifth and then down to sixth as Corvette Racing engineers immediately went on an alternate pit strategy in hopes of a yellow to get the C8.R back into contention.

The race’s final yellow came with 52 minutes remaining and brought Garcia to within five seconds of the lead inside the final 30 minutes but couldn’t draw closer at the end.

Corvette Racing closes its 2022 program with the Eight Hours of Bahrain and the final race of the FIA World Endurance Championship on Nov. 10-12.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED FIFTH IN GTD PRO: “It’s difficult when you have GTD cars fighting for the same thing as you and their performance is completely opposite of yours. It’s impossible to race when one car achieves a lap time in one way and the rest do it another. I must say it’s the story of the season. We showed at the beginning of the race that if we are up front and can do our own pace, we’re good and we can race. As soon as you have someone in front of you that you can’t pass and another car gets to you, they will go past because you have nothing to help you defend. That’s been the thing this year. Frustrating day, frustrating season… but the effort from everyone at Corvette Racing has been great all season. We couldn’t ask for more from the team. That’s 110 percent.”

On the start: “The start of the race was easy and relaxed in a way. We had good pace to the other cars in front of those and managed to jump most of those in the pits. Then the pace was really good. I had to catch the 79, which seemed doable and got into the lead. But one more year where I’ve won many stints at Petit Le Mans but never the whole race.”

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED FIFTH IN GTD PRO: “I feel like we put ourselves in some good spots today. At the end of it, we just didn’t have the pace to battle guys. After that last restart we were kind of in a position to fight again but got motored by. That was pretty much our season in one race. Hopefully we can go into the offseason, figure out what all we learned and come back stronger next year.”

Opening stint: “Our car was decent. We had a little bit of contact, which was unfortunate. It kind of cycled us to the back but we were still in a good position. It’s really hard to pass around here with the traffic. I wasn’t going to give the position (to the 9 Porsche). I was trying to be aggressive and hold him off. We were racing for the Endurance Cup so I think that’s why we were racing that aggressively that early on.”

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED FIFTH IN GTD PRO: “It was a tough race. We didn’t have the pace at the end. It seems like everyone else had something left and we didn’t. I had fun but unfortunately this was the maximum we could do.

“Honestly there wasn’t a lot of crazy action. It was quite fun. Unfortunately on both pit entries, I got held up by a couple of stints and lost some time. But that didn’t mean so much for our pace. It just means that all the effort you put in during the stint is then lost for no reason, which is very annoying.”

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in 80 countries with more than 3.2 million cars and trucks sold in 2020. 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.