SALINAS, Calif., (May 10, 2023) – Rexy, the beloved dinosaur-wrapped AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R heads to the Monterey Peninsula this weekend for MOTUL Course de Monterey Powered By Hyundai N. Following an on-track incident in the FIA World Endurance Championship race at Spa-Francorchamps, full-season IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship driver PJ Hyett suffered a lumbar sprain and has decided to opt out of this weekend’s festivities at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Hyett, who will be replaced this weekend by teammate Gunnar Jeannette, will use the time to rest and recover, prioritizing next month’s running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Jeannette, who doubles as a driver and Team Manager at AO Racing, will compete alongside co-driver Sebastian Priaulx in the No. 80 Porsche 911 “GT3 Rawr.”
“I understand and agree with PJ’s decision to sit this Laguna Seca event out to make sure he’s recovered for Le Mans,” said Jeannette, who also raced with the team at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona and Twelve Hours of Sebring. “I’m happy to have the opportunity to race with Sebastian, Rexy, and the whole team at Laguna Seca.”
This weekend will mark Priaulx’s return to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, having last competed at the 2.238-mile, 11-turn road course in Salinas, California in 2020, racing a Mustang GT4.
“I’m looking forward to being back racing with AO and Gunnar this weekend, and getting back out there,” said Priaulx. “I haven’t been to Laguna Seca in a couple of years, and it will be fun to get the Porsche on track and see what we can do.”
The team will also be the designated entry to conduct pit stop demonstrations on Sunday’s pre-grid; a one-hour window before the race in which fans are able to stroll up and down pit lane, see the race cars up close, mingle with the crew, and enjoy pre-race activities. At the start of the pre-grid festivities, AO Racing will run several pit stop drills from their pit box, demonstrating the intricate choreography necessary for all teams to succeed on race day.
The MOTUL Course de Monterey Powered will begin on Sunday, May 14 at 12:10 PM Pacific, running for a total of two hours and 40 minutes. For those in the United States unable to attend, the race will air live on NBC and Peacock, and internationally on imsa.com/tvlife. IMSA Radio will offer in-depth coverage of every WeatherTech session on imsaradio.com.
