BATAVIA, Ohio, (May 17, 2022) – One month has passed since the Fanatec GT World Challenge America Powered by AWS 2022 season began at Sonoma Raceway. The Wright Motorsports Porsche customer racing effort is all too eager to resume the season this weekend in New Orleans at NOLA Motorsport Park. After sweeping the season-opening doubleheader, drivers Charlie Luck and Jan Heylen are looking to continue their winning streak in Louisiana for rounds three and four of the sports car racing championship.
“We’re looking forward to racing this weekend at NOLA,” said Team Owner John Wright. “This circuit was a recent replacement for Ozarks International Raceway, and we’re eager to see what it has in store. This track is new for most of the competitors, so this levels the playing field in some ways. Our team is ready to race and extend our championship lead.”
The father and son-in-law duo of Luck and Heylen started the season off at Sonoma Raceway last month with back-to-back wins in the GT World Challenge America Pro/Am class. The No. 45 Porsche 911 GT3 R leads the championship standings in both the team and driver categories, bringing strong momentum to the team’s first time competing at NOLA Motorsports Park.
This event marks SRO America’s debut at the New Orleans circuit since the track opened in 2011, and 20 GT racing entries are set to compete on the 2.75-mile, 16-turn flat road course.
Based on current predictions, the weather will play an important role as temperatures are expected to reach the low 90s Fahrenheit leading up to the back-to-back race days on Saturday and Sunday. The final two days of the weekend will still be warm in the 80s, with a 40 to 50 percent chance of rain.
The No. 45 Porsche 911 GT3 R will take the green flag for race one at 1:15 PM CT on both Saturday, May 21, and Sunday, May 22. The races will air live for free on YouTube.com/GTWorld.
DRIVER QUOTES
Charlie Luck // No. 45 Porsche 911 GT3 R
I’m really excited about going to a new track and it looks like it’s mighty flat and will require a good handling race car. I’m certainly mighty proud of our performance at Sonoma and we’ll be ready to give a one-hundred-percent effort in Louisiana.
Jan Heylen // No. 45 Porsche 911 GT3 R
We’re coming into the weekend leading the championship. It’s a new track, so this will be a big learning curve for all of us, both drivers and teams. We’re not sure what the surface is like, whether it has high or low grip. There is lots to learn for all of us, which is exciting, and I think it puts Charlie in a good spot because he’s a fast learner. Hopefully, that’s something that will show when we get there, and we can carry that into the weekend. For us, it’s all about collecting points. We’re going to try to win as many races as we can. We always want to do that, but our big picture is the championship. We’re going to try to keep our nose clean and come away with a bunch of points.
SCHEDULE // ALL TIMES U.S. Eastern
Thursday, May 19
9:51 AM – 10:15 AM Test 1
1:30 PM – 2:30 PM Test 2
Friday, May 20
9:00 AM – 9:30 AM Bronze Test
10:40 AM – 11:40 AM Practice 1
3:35 PM – 4:35 PM Practice 2
Saturday, May 21
8:35 AM – 8:50 AM Qualify Driver 1
8:55 AM – 9:10 AM Qualify Driver 2
1:15 PM – 2:45 PM GTWCA Race 1
Sunday, May 22
10:30 AM – 11:00 AM Autograph Session at Event Center
1:15 PM – 2:45 PM GTWCA Race 2
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.
