NEXT UP: COTA SIX HOUR
AUSTIN, TEXAS | NOVEMBER 22-23
BATAVIA, Ohio. (October 22, 2024) – In anticipation of the conclusion of the Porsche Endurance Challenge North America championship at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) next month, Dempsey-Wright Motorsports has announced the addition of Tanner Foust to the driver lineup of the No. 98 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport, joining Patrick Dempsey and Patrick Long to the season finale event.
“It’s an incredible honor to be invited as the third driver for this powerhouse motorsports duo,” said Foust. “Pat Long and Patrick Dempsey are two of my personal heroes; they are both extremely inspirational on and off the track. To top it off, we’re hitting the iconic COTA circuit in a Wright Motorsports-prepped Porsche GT4—it doesn’t get much better than that! What makes this even more special is that, after more than 25 years in racing, this will be my official debut in an officially sanctioned sports car race.”
As a professional racing driver, stunt driver, and television host, Foust needs little introduction. The 51-year-old holds multiple championship titles in Formula Drift, Global Rallycross, and the Americas Rally Cross Championship. He holds various national championships and world records and has held four X Games gold medals. The Circuit of The Americas event will be his first foray into the world of sanctioned sports car racing, a welcome new arena for the world-record holder to conquer with Dempsey and Long.
“I’m absolutely blown away that Tanner is going to be racing with us,” said Patrick Dempsey. “He has such an incredible range as a driver. It’s remarkable that he’s not done any endurance racing, so to have him on board with us is really exciting and inspiring. Not only is he a talented driver, but he’s also such a great human being highly intelligent, great sense of humor and so kind and down to earth and just wonderful to be around.”
“I have so much respect for Tanner,” said Long. “This will be a lot of fun. A big theme of this program is going racing with people we all enjoy being around and Tanner is an amazing driver and an even better human.”
After three 60-minute rounds, the upcoming six-hour endurance event will provide the trio the perfect opportunity to showcase their skill, aided by the multi-championship winning sports car racing team. Dempsey and Long are currently second in the Cayman GT4 RS CS championship standings, following a successful three rounds. They started the season off strong at COTA with a second-place finish in round one and a fifth-place in round two. They’ll be riding the momentum of their third-place finish at Sonoma Raceway as they head into round four.
The No. 98 Dempsey-Wright Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport is supported by esteemed partners Porsche Motorsport North America, Mobil 1, Hagerty, Dream Drives for Kids, RAFA Racing Club, and Yokohama.
The November 22-24 event will not be open to the public, but the event will stream live for free on porschesprint.com on November 24th at 10:30 AM CT.
Additionally, race fans worldwide will get to experience the journey as part of a four-episode docuseries, Back on Track, debuting November 11 on the Hagerty YouTube and Samsung TV Plus channels.
“Motorsports nirvana occurs at the intersection of human performance and mechanical excellence,” said Larry Webster, Senior Vice President of Media and Editorial for Hagerty. “Patrick Dempsey, Patrick Long and Tanner Foust each embody this spirit both on and off the track — racing from a place of passion in pursuit of victory.”
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.
