Brownsburg, Ind. (August 30, 2022) — Hailing from New Zealand, multi-talented racing driver Brendon Hartley will accompany Ricky Taylor and Filipe Albuquerque in the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 squad for the 2022 MOTUL Petit Le Mans. As the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season finale, the 10-hour endurance event will be the title decider as well as the final race for the Daytona Prototype international (DPi) class before the series moves to the new LMDh hybrid format in 2023.
The team enters the final race weekend of the season with a 19-point championship lead in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship DPi class. Mathematically, if either the No. 10 Konica Minolta or No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura rolls off the line and starts the race at Road Atlanta, they will secure the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Manufacturers crown for Acura.
Hartley 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, running a full season in 2018 and scoring points on three occasions. He has two IMSA podiums in his two most recent appearances, including an overall Petit Le Mans win in 2017.
This will be Hartley’s fourth Petit Le Mans outing. As a driver who knows what it takes to win the 10-hour day-to-night battle at Road Atlanta, he is keen to bring his skill behind the wheel to the IMSA championship fight in October.
“I’m very pleased to be joining Wayne Taylor Racing for Petit Le Mans,” said Brendon Hartley. “I have competed against them many times in the past and it’s clear they know how to win races and championships. When Wayne called me a few weeks ago, I jumped at the opportunity, especially having Ricky and Filipe as teammates. I’ve done Petit a few times before and it’s a special event for me—the race in which I made my American endurance racing debut back in 2012. It’s a tough, old-school track that all of the drivers love. I’m well aware that WTR is in the middle of a championship fight, which adds a little pressure, and I am up for it. I have already started to communicate with the engineers and my new teammates who are giving me all the information needed to help me get up to speed quickly.”
Team owner Wayne Taylor is excited to welcome the decorated New Zealander to his driver stable and eager for him to help power the Konica Minolta crew to the 2022 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship DPi title.
“Brendon and I have been in touch for several years now, looking for the right opportunity to work together,” said team owner Wayne Taylor, inaugural Petit Le Mans winner and three-time winner as an owner. “He is massively talented and what he brings to our mission is exemplary. His track record at Le Mans, F1 and in the World Endurance Championship speaks for itself. Just as importantly, he will be a great teammate to Ricky and Filipe and an excellent fit for our team.”
President of Honda Performance Development (HPD), David Salters, oversees Honda’s U.S. racing and engineering activities and works directly with the company’s racing teams and sponsors.
“We are thrilled to have Brendon on board and to drive our championship and Daytona winning Acura ARX-05,” said David Salters, President of Honda Powered Development (HPD). “It is very cool to have Brendon come join the fun and race with Ricky and Felipe—that’s a super-stout world class driver line up right there!”
Long-time partner of Wayne Taylor Racing and the IMSA WeatherTech series, Konica Minolta Business Solutions has been a part of the team’s successful run at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta for many years and is looking forward to the excitement that the series finale always brings.
“We are very excited to have Brendon joining us as we enter the final race with the championship lead,” added Chief of Operations & Sales Enablement – North America at Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc., Michael Mathe. “This series delivers exciting racing and the season finale at Petit seems to consistently come down to that final corner! Now, with the addition of Brendon to the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 line-up, we can’t wait to see the team perform at its best and cross the finish line.”
Wayne Taylor Racing and Konica Minolta plan to announce their driver lineups in the GTP class for the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech Championship season after the Petit Le Mans finale.
MOTUL Petit Le Mans takes place on October 1st, 2022. Watch green flag coverage live on NBC between 12:00 p.m. ET and 3:00 p.m. ET with coverage of the run to the finish on USA Network between 7:00 p.m. ET and 10:30 p.m. ET. Flag-to-flag coverage will stream on Peacock starting at 12:00 p.m. ET.
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.
