ALTON, Va., (July 23, 2024) – Rounds seven and eight of the Fanatec GT World Challenge America series brought the heat but Wright Motorsports persevered to leave the weekend still the overall points leaders in their No. 120 Porsche 911 GT3 R. Drivers Adam Adelson and Elliott Skeer fought high temperatures and great pressure from the competition at VIRginia International Raceway (VIR) to secure a second and fourth place result in the pair of races, leaving the event with a 16-point lead in the championship.
“The season continues to wind down, but you won’t see this group lifting at all,” said Team Owner John Wright. “They put in a great performance to keep us running up front on track and in the points. We still have several races to go, and we remain focused forward on securing this championship.”
Following heavy morning storms, Adam Adelson started the first of the team’s two-weekend races from fifth place on Saturday. While his stint was wrought with cautions, Adelson kept the No. 120 Porsche out of trouble and in a competitive position. He pitted near the halfway point for the mandatory stop, allowing Skeer to take over. The Wright Motorsports crew once again excelled in pit lane, and the green and yellow Porsche beat two PRO-class competitors out of pit lane, advancing to third for the restart. Skeer gained an additional spot during his stint, and with big-picture points in mind, he safely brought the car to the checkered flag in second place.
Feeling positive after yet another podium finish, Wright Motorsports started race two from second place with Skeer behind the wheel. He navigated the first and third place Corvettes battling for position and kept the team Porsche safe in second place. He pitted under caution and Adelson jumped in with a full tank of fuel and fresh set of tires, ready to race to the end. The Wright Motorsports crew again performed at the top of their game in pit lane, beating the field out to restart the race from the lead. After a duel with the DXDT Racing Corvette for position, the Wright Porsche fell victim to contact from the ST Racing BMW, forcing Adelson off track. With less than ten laps to go and an eye on the points, Adelson masterfully recovered, rejoining the race in fifth place. Ultimately, the team finished in fourth place, concluding a solid weekend for the championship effort.
Just five races remain in the 2024 championship, with the final three events to be hosted at Road America (August 2-4), Barber Motorsports Park (September 6-8), and Indianapolis Motors Speedway (October 4-6).
DRIVER QUOTES
Adam Adelson
That was a rollercoaster of a weekend. It was a grueling one with mixed conditions and the impending threat of rain the entire time. As always, the Wright Mtotorpots guys executed with us flawlessly. They gave us an amazing setup to be able to fight at the front of the field, and an excellent strategy. We had a great result on Saturday, which I am so proud of. Sunday was shaping up to be an amazing result as well until a competitor made a move that was not going to work. That’s racing. I’m proud of our performance and Sunday was one of my better drives. I’m confident in how I performed against a bunch of veteran professionals. Elliott was great as always.
Elliott Skeer
It’s the fourth weekend of our SRO America effort this year, and it was a hot one here at VIR with the mixed conditions. Ultimately, we can be very proud with how we executed the whole race weekend. On Saturday, we did what we feel like was the best we could. So, we’re very happy with the overall result. It was a clean race, and a strong race. Sunday got a little spicey out there and Adam and I were hanging on with everything we had. Ultimately, a couple of factors that were out of our control helped us, and some hurt us. I haven’t been prouder of Adam holding off the other cars as long as he did. The end result doesn’t show the performance of the team, but I’m proud of everyone at Wright and Porsche for the effort this weekend.
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.
