LONG BEACH, Calif., (September 25, 2021) – Wright Motorsports secured a third-place finish on Saturday afternoon at the Long Beach Grand Prix, keeping the points battle tight for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD team title. Patrick Long, Trent Hindman, and the crew on the No. 16 1st Phorm Porsche 911 GT3 R excelled under pressure on the downtown streets of Long Beach, earning their third-straight podium finish.
As is the usual for street courses, the three pre-race practice and qualifying sessions were hampered by red flags, eliminating the amount of time the competitors had to run on track and dial in on their optimal setups for the race. Following a tight qualifying session, Trent Hindman set the team to start sixth on the 17-car GTD grid.
The field took the green flag under perfectly sunny conditions, and Hindman held sixth behind the No. 63 Ferrari of Daniel Mancinelli. Hindman stayed close with consistent lap times, moving to fifth place by the first full-course caution. He restarted behind the No. 9 of Zacharie Robichon, and the battles immediately commenced at the drop of the green flag. After a side-by-side fight between the points-leading No. 96 BMW of Robby Foley and the No. 39 Audi of Richard Heistand, the BMW went nose-first into the tires, advancing the Wright Motorsports Porsche to the fourth position.
With 60-minutes remaining, the team called Hindman in for the one and only pit stop of the day. The No. 16 Porsche took on fresh tires and fuel, trading out Hindman for Patrick Long as well. The team executed a flawless and speedy stop, gaining a position in pit lane as Long rejoined the race. The Lamborghini of Bryan Sellers led the GTD field with the No. 14 Lexus of Jack Hawksworth and Patrick Long charging behind in second and third. The No. 39 Audi tagged another car, this time the Wright Porsche, while exiting the hairpin. The Audi made contact with the Porsche’s right rear corner, but Long expertly saved the car from hitting the wall and was able to continue without losing position. While Long charged forward and closed in on the Lexus again, the No. 9 Porsche of Laurens Vanthoor joined the fight, eventually taking third place from Long.
It was a four-car battle for the final two podium spots in the final 13 minutes. Vanthoor passed Hawksworth and pulled away, lighting a fire on Long’s competitive spirit as well. The strategists in pit lane gave Long the “all-clear” to push with all effort, and after an excruciating several laps of navigating through traffic and the tight turns of the Long Beach street circuit, Long dove on the inside of turn eight, overtaking the Lexus and securing third-place.
He wasted no time putting distance between the 1st Phorm Porsche and the Lexus, pulling away and closing the several-second gap to the Pfaff Porsche in the span of one lap. In the end, the tight circuit allowed little area to pass in the final lap, and the Wright Motorsport Porsche earned a third-straight podium finish, keeping the championship battle incredibly tight at the conclusion of the weekend.
Unofficially, Wright Motorsports is fifth in the 2021 team championship standings, just 207 points away from the leaders. With 350 points awarded for a race win and 35 for pole position, the pressure will only increase for the two remaining events.
VIRginia International Raceway will host the GTLM and GTD classes in the Michelin GT Challenge, October 8-9, and the season will close out at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta for Petit Le Mans, November 11-13. For more information, visit imsa.com.
Driver Quotes | No. 16 Porsche 911 GT3 R
Patrick Long
It was typical street racing: hard-nosed. We had a well-balanced car. I was fighting with the 14-car and I tried to square him up and get a run onto the back straightaway and unfortunately clipped the inside wall and lost a position. I gathered it back up and fought back to a podium position. I am happy to salvage that to go three in a row with podium finishes but we wanted to be a little further up the box. I am so proud of these Wright Motorsports guys. The pit stop was unbelievable. I am pretty confident that we had one of, if not the best, pit stop of the race. That is what got us into clean air and gave us a shot at the end. We will fight all the way to the final race.
Trent Hindman
Everyone on the 1st Phorm Wright Motorsports team should be proud today. Qualifying was rough, rough to say the least. For the guys to be able to pull through with the job they did on pit lane and the speed of the car they put underneath us, they should be really proud. We are really pleased we were able to bring home a podium today and salvage a good result of what was, otherwise, looking like a tough weekend.
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, 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.For more information, visit wrightmotorsports.com For more information, visit wrightmotorsports.com.
