BATAVIA, Ohio. (December 14, 2022) – The highly-anticipated 61st Rolex 24 At Daytona will kick off the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship next month, and Wright Motorsports has assembled another impressive lineup to defend last year’s unforgettable victory. Ryan Hardwick, Jan Heylen, and Zacharie Robichon all return to the Wright Motorsports No. 16 1st Phorm Porsche 911 GT3 R (type 992) in defense of the win and will be joined by veteran Wright driver Dennis Olsen.
The full-season entry will begin the year with the longest race on the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech calendar and the first of four endurance races. As Olsen returns to the team for January’s Rolex 24 only, the fight for the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup title will be in the hands of Hardwick, Heylen, and Robichon for the three other endurance races of the 2023 season. Announcements for the seven IMSA WeatherTech Sprint races will follow at a later date.
The trio, then joined by Porsche factory driver Richard Lietz, were a critical part to the team’s Rolex 24 victory last year, leading 258 of 761 laps. The impressive performance set the tone for another championship-contending season where the team ultimately finished second in the GTD class.
Olsen last raced with Wright Motorsports in 2019, where he earned four podium finishes in what is now the SRO Fanatec GT World Challenge America championship. He also participated in the team’s Indianapolis 8 Hour effort that season, racing alongside Dirk Werner and Matt Campbell. More recently, driving another team’s Porsche 911 GT3 R, the Norwegian racer stood third on the Daytona podium while watching Wright celebrate it’s Rolex 24 At Daytona win last season.
New to 2023 for Wright Motorsports is a technical partnership with Motul. The two brands will work together to develop further products such as iconic 300V engine oil, RBF 700 brake fluids, gear oils, and other performance lubricants/chemicals. In addition to Wright Motorsports utilizing Motul lubricants on the No. 16 Porsche, the French lubricant’s company has also formed a partnership with Ryan Hardwick’s Mountain Motorsports, one of the largest retailers of motorcycle and powersports vehicles in the nation. Motul has been a strong supporter of other privateer Porsche programs having supported championship-winning 911 GT3 Rs for the last two years.
Sabelt, offering tailor-made design and manufacturing solutions for racers, has also joined Wright Motorsports for the new race season. With premium racing gear and custom-designed equipment, the Italian company manufactures original car seats, seat belts, and motorsport products, in addition to seatbelts for military, aviation, and aerospace applications.
The brand-new No. 16 1st Phorm Porsche 911 GT3 R (type 992) will begin the 2023 season at Daytona International Speedway, January 20-22 with the Roar Before the 24, the first full-field test for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship competitors. All teams will have five on-track sessions to shake down their cars before qualifying on the final day. The following week will be filled with official practice sessions in anticipation of the start of the Rolex 24 At Daytona on Saturday, January 28 at 1:40 PM ET. The 61st running of the event will air live, flag-to-flag on Peacock. For more information, visit wrightmotorsports.com.
DRIVER QUOTES
Ryan Hardwick
I am excited to be returning with Wright Motorsports and Porsche in the brand-new type 992 GT3 R! This team has become like family to me, and I truly enjoy competing alongside them. We also have our winning driver lineup back together again, with both Jan Heylen and Zach Robichon joining me in the No. 16 car for the IMSA Endurance Championship. I’m really looking forward to returning to Daytona next month, with the goal of defending our Rolex 24 victory from last season.
Jan Heylen
I’m really looking forward to going back to Daytona with Ryan and Zach! We have a good track record as a driver pairing and we have the best team to support us. The goal is obviously to try and win the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup, and I know we’ll have all the tools to be in contention for the title. Consistency is key and Ryan and Wright Motorsports made sure we have exactly that.On top of all this, we’ll be starting the 2023 season with a brand-new Porsche. There’s a lot to be excited about and I can’t wait to get started.
Zacherie Robichon
I’m excited to be back with Wright Motorsports and of course to once again be sharing the car with Ryan and Jan. We had a little bit of everything last year but obviously our highlight was the victory at the Rolex 24 At Daytona. This year we’re looking forward to rolling out with the all-new 992 generation Porsche 911 GT3 R and we hope we can continue our success. We have our work cut out for us, but I am looking forward to supporting the guys once again in our push to win the Michelin Endurance Cup.
Dennis Olsen
I’m very happy to be a part of Wright Motorsport for the Rolex 24 At Daytona. I know the team very well from a few years ago, and they have developed a lot since then and are definitely one of the top teams! I think we got a strong line up in GTD with Ryan, Jan and Zach. There is a new factor for everyone in the team which is the latest generation Porsche 911 GT3 R – but I have great trust in Porsche’s development of the car, and we have a strong package. I can’t wait to get started with Daytona Roar.
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.
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
Motul
Motul is a world-class French company specializing in the formulation, production, and distribution of high-tech engine lubricants (two-wheelers, cars, and other vehicles) as well as lubricants for the industry via its MotulTech activity. Present in more than 120 countries, Motul USA was established in 1989 as a subsidiary of Motul France and is based in Southern California. Motul is recognized as the specialist in synthetic lubricants. As early as 1971, Motul was the first lubricant manufacturer to pioneer the formulation of a 100% synthetic lubricant for automotive engines, the 300V lubricant, making use of Esters technology from the aeronautical industry.
Throughout the years, Motul has gained experience as an official supplier for many racing teams and manufacturers to further technological development in motorsports. Motul is supporting those teams in international competitions such as 24 Hours of Le Mans (cars and motorcycles), FIA World Endurance Championship, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Super GT, Formula Drift, Pikes Peak, Dakar, Le Mans Classic, MotoGP, World Superbike, World MX, IOM TT, and score of others.
Sabelt
Sabelt was founded in 1972 and started as a manufacturer of safety seatbelts for original equipment. Over the years, the expansion of the compulsory nature of seatbelts brought about new production systems allowing the company to consolidate and develop an extensive knowledge of buckle systems, seatbelts and complex retention systems. This technological foundation made it possible to create specific systems for racing cars, in which extreme conditions and safety requirements posed a challenge that was not easy to conquer. Having achieved industry leadership, Sabelt has expanded its range by also dedicating itself to high-end sports road car accessories and niche markets, becoming the European leader in the development and production of 3 different businesses: Racing, OEM (original equipment seats) and belts for special applications.
