WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (July 20, 2022) – The championship fight for the Fanatec GT World Challenge America Powered by AWS title resumes this weekend at Watkins Glen International and Porsche customer racing team Wright Motorsports is ready to return to Upstate New York for the showdown.
“We’re looking forward to being back in New York for another chance at the top step,” said Team Owner John Wright. “Between our various programs and testing, we’ve spent a good deal of time here and know this place well. It can be a strong track for us, and we hope to make some gains in the championship points this weekend.”
The team’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship effort competed at the 3.45-mile road course just last month, also racing a Porsche 911 GT3 R. This weekend, drivers Charlie Luck and Jan Heylen will contest in their own championship endeavors in the Wright Motorsports No. 45 Porsche 911 GT3 R, which currently sits second in the Pro/Am category of the championship point standings.
Luck and Heylen started the 2022 season off with a pair of wins but have yet to return to the top step as the series nears the halfway point in the season. They returned to the podium in race one at VIRginia International Raceway, celebrating a second-place finish in front of Luck’s home crowd. The father and son-in-law closed out their most recent race weekend with a fourth-place finish, still acquiring valuable points for the championship.
In 2021, though they ran in separate series at the time, both Luck and Heylen had strong races at Watkins Glen International during the SRO America-sanctioned weekend. Heylen, with co-driver Fred Poordad celebrated a second-place finish in the GT World Challenge doubleheader, while Luck earned first and second-place results during his race weekend.
The Wright Motorsports Porsches have proven to be strong competitors at the flowing circuit, and this year will be no different. Luck and Heylen will contest in both 90-minute races, splitting the drive time for each of the two events. Race one will begin on Saturday, July 23 at 2:15 PM Eastern, and the weekend will conclude with Race two beginning on Sunday, July 24 at 1:15 PM ET. Both races will air live on YouTube.com/GTWorld.
DRIVER QUOTES
Charlie Luck // No. 45 Porsche 911 GT3 R
I’m super excited about going back to Watkins Glen. This is where I attended my first Formula 1 race in 1974 and have had a love of the track since. After a good test, we are ready to push and bring our best.
Jan Heylen // No. 45 Porsche 911 GT3 R
We’re ready for another great weekend. The Wright Motorsports team has been hard at work at the shop since the last race and backed it up with a good test last week to find some extra speed in the car. I look forward to driving Porsche GT3 R with Charlie at this amazing track which really suits this new generation of GT3 cars.
SCHEDULE | All Times U.S. Eastern
Friday, July 22
8:00 AM – 8:30 AM Bronze Test
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM Practice 1
3:15 PM – 4:15 PM Practice 2
Saturday, July 23
9:00 AM – 9:15 AM Driver 1 Qualifying
9:20 AM – 9:35 AM Driver 2 Qualifying
2:15 PM – 3:45 PM Race 1
Sunday, July 24
1:15 PM – 2:45 PM 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.
