Old Friends John Wright and David Moore Collaborate in the New IMSA Porsche Carrera Cup North America to Support a Deserving Young American Racing Driver Max Root
SEBRING, Florida (March 16, 2021) – Moorespeed and Wright Motorsports surprised the Porsche racing world this past week by showing up together on the second day of a test after putting a final hour collaboration between the two teams to enter the inaugural IMSA Carrera Cup North America championship in the new 2021 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car with driver Max Root.
“This was pretty much a last-minute deal Johnny and I made two Saturday mornings ago after briefly discussing less than 24 hours before,” Moore said. “He called me literally out of the blue right after we lost our major sponsor we had lined up to support another young American. Johnny really called to catch up after learning our teenager from last year had moved to another team. And that’s when the wheels began turning.”
The handshake deal between two friends became a sudden reality that put the Moorespeed team into overdrive to finish prepping the car into the late hours Saturday evening and then ship the car straight to Sebring where it arrived early Monday, March 8, for delivery to the Wright Motorsports crew. The 2009 Rolex 24 At Daytona race winner and longtime Porsche racer RJ Valentine contributed to the effort, helping pull together the resources needed to support the youngster.
“Others had offered to buy the car but I was pretty adamant that I wanted a young driver in the car as we’ve steered our program lately more towards preparing young drivers for the top ranks,” Moore said. “Johnny was the only guy that suggested a plan that put a young American, Max Root, in the seat, it was 100%. I’m really humbled that our friendship took the lead helping Max as we’ve been fierce competitors going way back to 1994 and ’95. To put things in perspective, both of our first IMSA pro race teams were pitted next to each other at the 1996 Rolex 24 where we both raced, you guessed it, a Porsche. We’ve had a long history competing against each other but always have had a strong friendship.”
“Even though David Moore and I have been competitors over half of our lives, we have always shared a passion for racing and giving young drivers opportunities to grow and develop in order to rise through the ranks,” Wright said. “I’m grateful to David and his help to get the third car on the grid. Our friendship goes back over 25 years, and I’m proud to be working with him on this effort.”
As a college student, Root had exams on Monday, so the team took the opportunity to do some factory updates and set the car up to his liking for a full day of testing last Tuesday.
“I’m extremely humbled to be joining Wright Motorsports and the collaboration with Moorespeed in the inaugural season of the Carrera Cup North America in the Porsche Junior Program. This is an amazing opportunity, and I cannot wait to get down to Sebring, get my feet on the ground, and to really focus on the championship this year. It is an amazing driver field from all over the world, and to participate in such an amazing series as Carrera Cup with Carrera Cup Germany celebrating its 32nd anniversary this year. It is a really special thing to come to North America, and I can’t think everyone with this program together enough. Let’s do this,” said Max Root.
The Moorespeed-Wright Motorsports 911 GT3 Cup Porsche will begin to tackle the legendary Sebring International Raceway this Wednesday with a 30-minute scheduled practice session. Thursday will see practice in the morning, qualifying at noon and the inaugural Carrera Cup North America race at 5:30 p.m. EDT. Race two Friday goes green at 10:10 a.m. EDT.
All Carrera Cup North America races can be viewed live on @porschecarerracup.us as well as live streaming on www.IMSA.tv. On-air commentary will be provided by IMSA Radio that will also broadcast each session. The social handle for the Carrera Cup series is the PMNA Facebook and Instagram accounts @PorscheMotorsportNorthAmerica.
About Moorespeed: Based in Austin Texas, Moorespeed is a full-service automotive company specializing in sales, service, and restoration of sports cars as well as track preparation and competition in numerous road racing series. Founded in 1991 in Austin by brothers David and Chris Moore, Moorespeed offers comprehensive, turn-key service where relationships are just as vital as results. David Moore and General Manager Winslow Mankin, welcome and work with every customer as a member of the Moorespeed family, regardless if they are racing or enjoying their sports car on the open road. Moorespeed’s racing and driver development programs are designed for all skill levels. Moorespeed is all about the passion for high-performance automobiles and the people who drive them. A commitment to personal service and performance permeates every corner of the company. Learn more at www.moorespeed.com, and contact us at (512) 474-7223. Look for us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MoorespeedRaceEngineering and Twitter @MoorespeedTX.
