(Sebring, Fla.) March 14, 2023 — The No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 with Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport (WTRAndretti) makes a return to Florida, this time for the 71st Running of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring at Sebring International Raceway.
As the second race in the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup, the WTRAndretti blue and black outfit will be led by Ricky Taylor, Filipe Albuquerque, and Louis Deletraz at the 12-hour event. WTRAndretti enters the weekend on past success around Sebring International Raceway boasting seven top-five finishes since 2014, including five podiums and one win. Despite high success at the Twelve Hours of Sebring, the current IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship leaders are on the hunt for their first pole position around the 3.74-mile, 17-turn Sebring International Raceway circuit.
Ricky Taylor has one win and two podiums at the Mobil 1 Twelve hours of Sebring, both with WTRAndretti. Filipe Albuquerque will be on the lookout for his first victory in Sebring, the Portuguese pilot has three top-three finishes at the infamous twelve-hour event. After joining the WTRAndretti driver lineup at the Rolex 24, Louis Deletraz will make his second attempt at the Twelve Hours of Sebring and fifth IMSA event of his racing career.
“Sebring is always an epic battle, but the track and the race itself stand out on the schedule as the most grueling and toughest to win,” stated Ricky Taylor, winner of the 2017 Twelve Hours of Sebring. “Our No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 proved to be up to the challenge in Daytona and Sebring will put us to an even tougher test. But everyone at WTRAndretti have prepped for it and feel we have a great shot to win.”
“We have been testing at Sebring since the beginning of the Acura ARX-06,” mentioned Filipe Albuquerque. “We have covered a lot to make sure we have a very competitive car, especially coming from the DPi era where we would struggle at Sebring. In my CV, I don’t have a win at Sebring, so a win would come at the right time with the LMDh. I’m looking forward to it. We were the quickest at the official test which shows level of competitiveness of the car and we will give it our all as always.”
“I’m looking forward to the Sebring 12 hour. We have been working hard between the Rolex 24 and now to be even stronger,” said Louis Deletraz. “Sebring is a totally different track to Daytona and a lot of new challenges ahead of us. I’m looking forward to being reunited with my team and teammates in the Acura ARX-06. We are leading the championship and the goal is to extend that!”
“Everybody from WTRAndretti is excited about the Twelve Hours of Sebring,” noted Wayne Taylor. “It’s the one of races that we haven’t won since 2017 and now that we are leading the championship, it would make it that much sweeter to win here as well. We have also been awarded with the pit out which is always a good advantage as the first car on the grid. This usually indicates that you won the last race or are leading the championship. Louis (Deletraz) shook the car down in south Florida this weekend and he said the car is good. HPD have come up with a new engine and software, there has been new BoP, but until we get to the track we don’t know how it’ll affect us. We’re pretty positive going in and we have the three best drivers in the paddock. Filipe (Albuquerque) and Louis are also doing the WEC race on Friday, so they will have plenty of time to get acclimated the track and Ricky (Taylor) will do the bulk of the practice to prepare for qualifying. As for the weather, it’s so weird that we have had no rain in Florida, yet on race day it looks like there is a 99% chance of rain. But we’re all in the same boat and it’s really the driver’s problem. It’s been a tough long break since the Rolex 24, so I’m very excited for the weekend and I can’t wait to see all our sponsors at the track.”
Practice for the Twelve Hours of Sebring begins on March 16th and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship field will see the green flag fly at 10:10 a.m. ET on Saturday, March 18th. Peacock will serve host to coverage of all 12 hours for the 71st Running of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring beginning at 10:05 a.m. ET while USA Network broadcast will be live at 4:30 p.m. ET for the second half of the race.
ABOUT KONICA MINOLTA
Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. is reshaping and revolutionizing the workplace to achieve true connectivity through the Intelligent Connected Workplace. 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 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 fifteen consecutive years, and is proud to be ranked on the Forbes 2021 America’s Best-in-State employers list. The company 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. The company recognizes 150 years in global business in 2023. 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-06 effort and Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport is supported by an outstanding lineup of partners including Harrison Contracting Company, Acura Motorsports, Honda Performance Development and Hammer Nutrition .
