ELKHART LAKE, Wisconsin (August 4, 2024) – Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti (WTRAndretti) and the No. 45 DEX Imaging Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 team continued their streak of sprint races through the summer schedule with the IMSA SportsCar Weekend at Road America. Full-time co-driver, Danny Formal, had a strong start moving quickly into the top five, however, after 20 minutes, a mechanical issue forced the car off the track and towed back to the garages. After speedy repairs were completed, the No. 45 team headed back out on track with just one hour and 20 minutes to go. Formal and Sandy Mitchell brought the No. 45 car home in 15th in GTD after showing impressive pace in the closing stage of the race.
Danny Formal took the green flag and quickly found strong pace, running in the top five within the opening laps after starting sixth. Despite the mechanical issue bringing his charge through the field to an early stop, Formal still showed his blistering race pace after the No. 45 crew completed the repairs with incredible speed. Formal continued to improve on his lap times before handing the car to Sandy Mitchell.
Mitchell completed his first IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship sprint race laps with WTRAndretti as he closed out the IMSA SportsCar Weekend at Road America. Mitchell quickly matched Formal’s pace as he pushed the No. 45 DEX Imaging Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 to its limits. Mitchell finished the race, keeping the car clean despite chaotic traffic in the closing minutes.
“I feel for this team, a tough day,” said Wayne Taylor, Team Principal, WTRAndretti. “We were racing in fifth place and then had the mechanical issue. The No. 45 DEX Imaging guys went to work and got the car back on track. At the end, they had great pace. Danny and Sandy did a great job today. I thank our partners at Lamborghini and DEX Imaging who are always there behind us. We will look forward to VIR later this month.”
The No. 45 DEX Imaging Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 team will enter the closing rounds of the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship sprint series at VIRginia International Raceway for the Michelin GT Challenge at VIR on August 25, 2024.
No. 45 DEX Imaging Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 Drivers:
Danny Formal: “Well, we’re done here at Road America. Lady Luck was not on our side, but I’m so grateful to be part of this team. They worked so hard. We had a small issue during the race, and we came back into the pits, fixed it and went back out. Sandy and myself had great race pace. I’m just so grateful for this team. We’ll pick it up from here and go to VIR next and bring the result the team deserves and be in the podium fight. A big thank you to WTRAndretti and DEX Imaging. This team is truly phenomenal and I’m so grateful to be a part of this program. I’m so grateful for Sandy; I learned a lot from him with him being a factory driver. It definitely helped me as a driver this weekend, and I’ll only improve as a driver and a teammate thanks to him. So super grateful and excited for VIR.”
Sandy Mitchell: “It’s been really fun coming back to race with Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti. Our No. 45 DEX Imaging Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 had a bit of bad luck in the race with a mechanical issue. It doesn’t happen very often in these cars, so just a shame with the timing of that. It’s been great working with Danny and the team. I think we arrived at the race with a pretty strong package and were fighting in the top five before we had the issue. Race pace looked quite strong at the end of the race, so hopefully the guys can take that momentum into the next race and get themselves onto the podium like they deserve to be.”
ABOUT WTRANDRETTI
Andretti Global and Wayne Taylor Racing announced a new, long-term partnership in 2023 that combines the resources of the two championship-caliber teams to compete in IMSA’s top classes. In 2024, Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti (WTRAndretti) has expanded to a two-car GTP program as well as competes in the GTD class. Coming off its 2023 championship winning effort, WTRAndretti continues its Driver Development Program competing in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America series with a full stable.
WTRAndretti’s global motorsports enterprise boasts two IMSA driver championships (2013 and 2017), and back-to-back IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup Championships (2020, 2021) which contributed to nine IMSA manufacturer championships for Acura, Pontiac, Corvette and Cadillac. In its brief 17-year history, WTRAndretti has accumulated multiple victories in sportscar racing’s most iconic events: Rolex 24 At Daytona, Twelve Hours of Sebring, Petit Le Mans, Mid-Ohio, Road America and the Six Hours of The Glen. With its back-to-back PRO Class Championship wins (2022, 2023), WTR also has ten North America Lamborghini Super Trofeo Championship titles and a Lamborghini World Finals title.
Andretti Global, a Championship-winning motorsports organization, competes in additional racing categories worldwide, including the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, Extreme E, Australian Supercars and the Mexico SuperCopa Championship. Additionally, the racing enterprise commits to driver development through competition in INDY NXT by Firestone and through support of Sebastian and Oliver Wheldon’s racing careers.
