DAYTONA, Fla., (January 30, 2023) – After a grueling 24 hours of competition, the Wright Motorsports VOLT® Lighting Porsche closed out the first race of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with a successful debut at the Rolex 24 At Daytona. The No. 77 Porsche 911 GT3 R (type 992) ran a mistake and penalty-free race, driven by 2022 Michelin Pilot Challenge champions Alan Brynjolfsson and Trent Hindman, with Max Root and Kevin Estre. The WeatherTech rookies finished the endurance event 11th out of 23 cars, in the largest of the five classes in the Rolex 24.

The team took delivery of the new Porsche in December and quickly began pre-season testing in preparation for the exciting new challenge of competing in the headlining IMSA series. Coming from the two-class, mostly sprint racing series, the step up to WeatherTech required Brynjolfsson and team to prepare for racing against four other classes, and for much longer stints. The new machine showed great speed in private testing and was later subjected to a series of technical adjustments by the sanctioning body in an effort to equalize all the Porsches against its fellow GTD competitors. While the enforced regulations put the German manufacturer’s entries at a disadvantage, the team pressed on, determined to execute strong in the pits and on track, hoping to gain an advantage through their own consistency and the attrition of others.

The bright yellow No. 77 Porsche started the race on Saturday from 16th place, and Brynjolfsson showed his strength behind the wheel at the drop of the green flag. All of his off-season physical and mental preparation paid off, and the bronze-rated driver hit all of his marks, opening the event without a wheel put wrong. Hindman, Root, and Estre were all returning participants and also saw to it that the Porsche ran a clean race, drawing from their previous successes at the event and in the WeatherTech series. Speedy work by the crew in pit lane and expert driving by the four VOLT drivers kept the car clear of calamity and in the race and within 10 laps of the class leaders. Though 14 full-course cautions and 11 retirements, the No. 77 Porsche shone bright, ultimately finishing in 11th, and second of all of the Porsches in the GTD class. The sister Wright Motorsports No. 16 1St Phorm Porsche just ahead in ninth, and the top of the GTD Porsches.

The VOLT Lighting Porsche effort will have their sophomore race at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, the second round in the full-season championship and the second of four endurance races on the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The race will again feature all five classes, running for 12 hours on the legendary Sebring International Raceway, March 15-18. Wright Motorsports won the event in 2020, then followed their victory with a second-place performance the following season. In 2022, the team secured pole position, further solidifying their success at the Florida circuit. For event information, visit imsa.com.

Alan Brynjolfsson

This was a very different experience for me than my teammates. As a 55 year old gentleman driver, simply competing in my first 24 hours of Daytona is in itself a huge accomplishment for me, and is something I will never forget. Being physically able to drive a triple stint at night for 3 straight hours was in itself a personal achievement I have been training hard for. I had a lot of firsts that I will never forget.

I am very proud of our team, my teammates, co-drivers and the car Porsche has provided. Wright Motorsports finished 1-2 out of the 6 Porsches in GTD showing the true strength of our team against equal competition.

A special call out to my three co-drivers Trent Hindman, Kevin Estre, and Max Root each of whom I could write a full press release on. Each one of them performed flawlessly and I admire as awesome humans from within.

Trent Hindman

First, I think there’s a massive debt of gratitude owed to our entire Wright Motorsports VOLT team. The Rolex 24 is very tough race to begin with, but considering the situation we were in performance-wise, we knew it was going to be a long day. The fact that everybody performed to a level that could have won this race despite knowing there was no real possibility goes to show who we are as a team.

It was very exciting to see Alan perform so well in his first ever Rolex 24 and WeatherTech Championship outing, Max did a phenomenal job as well, and of course it was great to have Kevin with his exceptional knowledge and experience. Lots of great lessons learned and I look forward to strong performances for the VOLT team at Sebring and beyond.

Max Root

I’m very proud of the VOLT Racing team for completing their first 24 Hours of Daytona. Alan, Trent, and Kevin did an amazing job keeping the car together and having amazing stints with little to no effort. This was a huge milestone for the Wright Motorsports Volt program, as they continue their GTD debut, rivaling some of the best competition in the world. Lap in and lap out, we were able to do what we needed to do in our car circumstances, and ultimately prove what we’re able to offer this season. I think it’s very exciting to be together as a team for the rest of the North America Endurance Cup and get to pull together all of the high points and things that were out of our control to Sebring where we’ll try for a good result.

Kevin Estre

It was a tough race as we expected, but the team learned for the first time racing the new Porsche 911 GT3 R. It was the first time for the VOLT group with Alan, Trent, Max, and I working together, learning how to work with the engineers in this championship. This was a good race for them because nobody made a mistake. We had no penalties, no contact, nothing. That was a big positive form this race. We definitely have to work on the car to be better in Sebring so that we can get more performance out of it.

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.

About VOLT® Lighting

Headquartered in Tampa, Florida, VOLT® Lighting manufactures and distributes quality indoor and outdoor lighting products and systems. VOLT® is the largest manufacturer of professional landscape lighting in the world. For more information, visit www.voltlighting.com or contact the company at customersupport@voltlighting.com or 813-978-3700.

About Adelie Technik

Founded in 2011 Adelie Technik, a Service Disabled Veteran Small Owned Business (SDVOB) deploys the highest caliber engineers and consultants for our customers needs. Adelie is focused on delivery of your solution to your customer on your schedule. Adelie can deliver solutions ranging from PC deployment up to full DataCentre builds and beyond. Our engineers can also migrate your environment to the cloud. For more information on Adelie Technik, see adelietechnik.com.

We represent the highest quality in racing safety with the intention of maintain our position at the top. With 50 years in the industry, Sabelt is the world’s premier safety equipment manufacturer. A result of intense research and development.

DAYTONA, Fla, (January 30, 2023) – For the third time in four years, Magnus Racing has celebrated a job well done at the legendary Rolex 24 At Daytona, but from second place. Last weekend at Daytona International Speedway, the team kicked of the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with a 24-hour professional sports car racing endurance event, racing the No. 44 Aston Martin Vantage GT3. With the support of their hard-working crew in pit lane, drivers John Potter, Andy Lally, Spencer Pumpelly, and Nicki Thiim put in an incredible, almost-perfect performance to finish second in the 24-hour endurance race.

When Magnus Racing with Flex-Box entered the Rolex 24 At Daytona, it was obvious early on the team had a strong Aston Martin Vantage GT3 and an impressive driver lineup to contend for the first win of the 2023 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season. After finishing in second place in 2020 and 2022, the team felt more determination than ever to claim a third victory to go with their 2012 and 2016 wins at the iconic event.

The day before the main WeatherTech race was set to begin, Pumpelly and Potter each competed in Friday’s four-hour Michelin Pilot Challenge race, and both celebrated a podium finish together at the end. Pumpelly fought from the back of the field to second place with team BGB in the GS class. Potter was called up an hour prior to the race to drive the Aston Martin GT4, replacing another driver. With co-driver Jon Branam, the pair took a win in the GS-B category with team TR3, the first of two bronze honors Potter would earn over the weekend.

For Saturday’s Rolex 24, John Potter produced an impressive qualifying effort to set up the No. 44 Aston Martin Vantage to start 11th in the 23-car field. His strong pace on the start moved the car up two positions in the GTD class in the 61-car field. His opening stint set the tone for the race, with strong, clean laps to move the car into the top ten before beginning a cycle-through of all four drivers. Five-time Rolex 24 winner Lally was next to get behind the wheel, bringing the car up to fourth place with three hours complete. Aston Martin factory driver Nicki Thiim took over next and climbed to second place with ten hours clocked in, and eventually to the lead before the end of his stint. They raced into the night and past the halfway point, calmy and methodically maintaining position to keep the car in the lead pack.

The team persisted through minimal setbacks to stay near the front of the field. Two pitstops ran longer than normal due to a fueling issue, and the team also received a stop-and-hold penalty for running the red light at the exit of pit lane. Despite the mishaps, Magnus Racing with Flex-Box stayed on the lead lap and continued to reel in the No. 27 Aston Martin and No. 57 Mercedes AMG GT3 cars ahead in first and second place. In the final two hours, the green flag racing was consistently interrupted with full-course cautions, only turning up the intensity leading up to the checker flag. In the end, it all came down to a 30-minute sprint with Thiim piloting the final push for the team. The Danish fan-favorite brought the No. 44 Aston Martin to second place, earning the team their third second-place finish in four years.

The race marked a special occasion for five-time race winner Lally, who on Saturday became the driver with the most consecutive starts, having raced in every Rolex 24 At Daytona since 2003.

Magnus Racing races again in Florida next for the Twelve Hours of Sebring, the second of four endurance events in the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The March 15-18 event will include all five classes in the championship, racing for twelve hours on an old army air force base in Sebring, Florida. For event information, visit imsa.com.

DRIVER QUOTES

John Potter

With a second place two years in a row, it feels like always the bridesmaid, rarely the bride. But honestly, after we were running worse than second at various times in the race, it really gave perspective to help us appreciate a second-place results. All the drivers drove great. Nicki brought it home at the end, and a special shout out goes out to Flex-Box for helping us be here to fight for the win.

Andy Lally

This is our third second-place finish in four years, and that is just an amazing testament to how hard this crew works and how thorough and professional they are, and we owe everything to them for their ability to provide us when top-notch equipment that we beat the snot out of for 24 hours. A big thank you goes to Aston Martin for making such a great car and to Flex-Box for partnering with us in this endeavor.

Spencer Pumpelly

It was just another phenomenal run by Magnus Racing with Flex-Box. We got Andy, John, and Nicki. Everyone just did an amazing job in the car. We had a really good car. We were really excited about when the race started and watching the guys bring it through the field and to be a part of it. It was amazing. I have to thank all the guys in the box and the over the wall that really just didn’t miss a beat the entire time. When you come racing with Magnus in the 24 hour, the experience that we have, from drivers to the engineers, to the crew is second to none. I think that’s a lot of reasons why this gets to be an annual event here, hanging out at the podium. I’m going to savor every bit of it. It’s another second-place. We’re starting to collect too many of those and not enough wins. However, I’m not going to let that stop me from spraying champagne in Daytona.

Nicki Thiim

It was not a bad weekend out here in Daytona Beach. Right now, 10 minutes after race, I’m a little bit disappointed to be honest. Second-place was a tough pill to swallow, but for the team, I’m so happy. It was the second year in a row they finished second. So they’re definitely good doing a brilliant job, and I’m happy to be a part of it. We had a really good package for this race. In the end, it was just a few seconds we missed for the win. Maybe next year.

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida (January 29, 2023) – The No. 79 WeatherTech Racing/Proton Competition Mercedes-AMG GT3 team and co-drivers Cooper MacNeil, Jules Gounon, Daniel Juncadella and Maro Engel secured the first IMSA GTD Pro class victory for a Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing team in the 61st Rolex 24 At Daytona this weekend at Daytona International Speedway (DIS).

Engel started the WeatherTech/Proton No. 79 from the GTD Pro pole Saturday afternoon and 24 hours later was back behind the wheel of the white, red and blue Mercedes-AMG GT3 to take the checkered flag just under four seconds ahead of the second-place finisher. The WeatherTech co-drivers combined to lead a class-high 229 race laps over the 24 hours.

The victory was the second in the last three years for Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing and Engel in the Rolex 24, but the first in America’s premier twice-around-the-clock race for WeatherTech Racing/Proton, Gounon, Juncadella and – most significantly – MacNeil.

This weekend’s race was MacNeil’s 13th and final attempt at winning the Rolex 24 in what was his last race in IMSA competition. After multiple wins at Petit Le Mans and in the 12 Hours of Sebring, MacNeil steps away having finally completed the victory cycle in IMSA’s three major endurance races.

Engel earned his first Rolex 24 win in 2021 in the GTD class with Winward Racing that, for the majority of this weekend’s race, appeared in a strong position to score another victory. Team drivers Russell Ward, Philip Ellis, Indy Dontje and Daniel Morad led a total of 177 race laps and Ellis was at the wheel and locked in a close battle with the other GTD and GTD Pro leaders for the race’s final restart with less than 30 minutes to go.

As the field charged into turn one and the first few corners of the 3.56-mile road course’s fast infield section, Ellis came together with a GTD Pro competitor, and the contact ended what was looking like a storybook finish for the No. 57 team.

The team’s originally entered fourth driver, Lucas Auer, was injured in an incident in Thursday’s opening Rolex 24 practice session. Auer had successful surgery on back injuries sustained in the incident at nearby Halifax Health Medical Center on Friday at the same time the Winward team took delivery of a replacement Mercedes-AMG GT3 chassis, which was trailered overnight to Daytona from the team race shop in Texas.

Morad, who races with Winward in IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge competition, was named to the No. 57’s driver lineup to take over for Auer just the day before the Rolex 24. The car and driver change required the No. 57 to be moved to the back of the starting grid, but opening drivers Ward, Dontje and Morad all steadily moved the No. 57 to the front of the field.

That paved the way for Ellis to take the lead for the first time in the race’s ninth hour. From that point on, Winward battled in the lead pack straight to the end of the race only to be knocked from contention in the latest stages of the race.

The No. 32 Team Korthoff Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 team, and co-drivers Mike Skeen, Mikael Grenier, Kenton Koch and Maximilian Götz, led a GTD class-high 227 race laps, but a potentially race-winning performance came to a crushing end halfway into the 18th hour of the race at sunrise on Sunday.

A front wheel bearing defect sent Grenier from the race lead to the paddock, and the No. 32 team went more than 10 laps down for repairs. The team rejoined the race and soldiered to an eventual 15th place finish.

The No. 75 SunEnergy1 Mercedes-AMG GT3 inherited the GTD pole after Winward was forced to the back of the starting grid. Team co-drivers Kenny Habul, Luca Stolz, Fabian Schiller and Axcil Jefferies were competitive from the start of the race only to be sidelined at 9 p.m. Saturday with radiator damage. The No. 75 was officially retired early Sunday morning.

Next up for Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing teams in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is the 12 Hours of Sebring at Sebring International Raceway, March 16 – 19.

Stefan Wendl, Head of Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing: “What a fantastic race! For our brand, to win the GTD Pro class here for our second Rolex 24 victory is an amazing success. On the other hand, we also have a teary eye because of our other customer teams. Winward Racing put in a fantastic performance to fight their way from the back of the field to the front, only to be taken out of the race by an unfortunate incident in the final hour. Many thanks to all of our customer teams and congratulations to Acura for the overall win. And, of course, I wish Lucas a speedy recovery.”

Cooper MacNeil, Driver – No. 79 WeatherTech Racing/Proton Competition Mercedes-AMG GT3: “Tears of joy. This has been a long time coming, a lot of hard work, and it’s just amazing to complete the cycle with winning here. It’s lucky number 13 for me and we got the win. I honestly couldn’t be happier. What a day, what a 24-hour race. We were in contention the whole time and we knew we had a fast car. Mercedes-AMG gave us three of the best drivers that they have, if not the best in the world. The best thing is they build a fast and reliable car, because if you don’t have those two you can’t win a race. A hell of a way to end my IMSA career.”

Maro Engel, Driver – No. 79 WeatherTech Racing/Proton Competition Mercedes-AMG GT3: “Just amazing! Big, big thank you to the whole WeatherTech Racing team and the Proton Competition crew, Mercedes-AMG for giving us an amazing car and my teammates. What an amazing job they did. They did an incredible job. Racing with these guys, they’re the best in the business and we just had an awesome race. I said to them yesterday, I woke up and said ‘I’ve got a feeling we’re going to do this. It’s going to come our way.’ And it did, but boy was it hard. The pace of our car was good, but some cars turned it up at the end and got real fast, and also had good fuel economy. So, it was tough out there and I’m just so happy we could deliver it for everybody. Now it’s time to celebrate!”

Daniel Juncadella, Driver – No. 79 WeatherTech Racing/Proton Competition Mercedes-AMG GT3: “This is amazing. I think it hasn’t sunk in yet. I’m just in shock. The last three or four hours looked very difficult against the Corvette, they played a very smart strategy. In the pits they were better than us, they were better on fuel, but Maro – the guy woke up yesterday morning and said ‘guys, I want to finish, I’m feeling it.’ And oh yeah, he was feeling it. He did an amazing job. As well as my teammate, Jules, he is such a great driver to have next to me for the full season. Cooper, last year, he was on the back foot and getting to know the car and I think he lost a lap last year. This year he held P4, so that says a lot about his performance. I think he only lost 15 seconds during his stint. It was really unbelievable from a guy who is not racing like us, week in and week out. Congratulations to him and thanks to the whole MacNeil family for putting this together because it’s such an amazing program to be part of.”

Kenton Koch, Driver – No. 32 Team Korthoff Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3: “It feels good to be a part of something like this. I knew it from the get-go. All the people were in the right place at the right time. The right decisions were made to make this year a good one. As you can see, it was pretty solid. We had a good showing, we led a lot of laps, we were really fast, and we had a good driver line-up, so the team was awesome. It was just some fluke thing that knocked us out, and that’s just how racing is sometimes.”

Maximilian Götz, Driver – No. 32 Team Korthoff Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3: “We had an exciting 24 hours with ups and downs. We showed that we’re fast and all the drivers did a great job. In the end, a lot of things came together. We still had an exciting weekend and will do even better next time. Congratulations to WeatherTech Racing on winning the GTD Pro class.”

Russell Ward, Driver – No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3: “Hats off to all the crew. It was either win it or this. Those were the two options. We left everything on the table, and it was probably the most incredible race we’ve ever done. We started from the back and made it all the way up to the front and we led for a long time. We came here to give it our all. It was a blast. Philip and Indy and Daniel and I, we drove the wheels off of the car. The crew was fantastic, I just have to give huge credit to everybody. It’s a sad way to end it, but we’ll be back.”

Philip Ellis, Driver – No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3: “Of course, I am disappointed that we couldn’t secure the result for the team and for Lucas that they would have deserved. It was a very difficult with many thrilling duels. Sadly, racing luck left us at the end. Nevertheless, I am more than proud of the entire team and my fellow drivers, everybody has done their utmost. Now, we are looking forward to the next IMSA round at Sebring.”

Pole and pace but a third straight runner up result

JUPITER, Fla. (29 January 2023) – Sean Creech Motorsport (SCM) rode a roller coaster of circumstances in the 61st Rolex 24 At Daytona, coming from second position to two laps ahead of the entire LMP3 field mid-race, but an electrical issue cost the team the chance to take home the coveted Rolex for the race victory.

In the end, the team showed perseverance and dedication, recovering from a 28-minute trip to the garage to repair a electrical issue in the rear of the car to bring its No. 33 SCM Exelixis/Focal One/Jerich International Ligier JS P320 home in second position. While a visit to the Daytona podium is always welcomed, it was a bit bittersweet as the result marked the third-straight second place finish in the endurance classic for the Florida-based team.

Drivers Lance Willsey, João Barbosa, Nico Pino and Nolan Siegel put impressive numbers through the Rolex 24: the team led the most laps (282 of 737 laps) and set the quickest LMP3 time of the race, when Siegel posted a lap of 1:43.265 in his charge back into the race after the electrical issue.

Pino had placed the No. 33 Ligier on pole last Sunday during the Roar Before the Rolex 24 prologue, with a fast lap of 1:43.197. The team’s level of tenacity saw its first test last Thursday, when an engine malfunction near the end of the second practice session necessitated a complete engine change. But the team rose to the occasion, making a lightning-fast engine change that saw them almost make it out in time for night practice. Since they had not, the team had only the 60-minute Friday morning practice session to make sure all systems were go for the Rolex 24.

Polesitter Pino took the green flag on Saturday and immediately knew he had a car that could win the race. He held off a persistent charge from the No. 74 Ligier – the car the team had finished second to in 2021 and 2022. Pino kept the No. 33 in the top spot through his stint as the field settled in for the long haul. After a solid double stint from Willsey, Barbosa went straight to the front of the field at the four-hour mark before handing back to Willsey. Siegel subsequently took the helm for a double stint, trading the lead back and forth.

As the clock ticked over to Sunday, the drivers continued to pace the No. 33 at the front of the field while managing clutch issues that caused a few tense moments in pit lane. Pino, then Barbosa, then Siegel battled hard through the early hours of the morning and held that top spot – only relinquishing the lead during the mandatory four-minute pit stop for new brakes.

Barbosa headed back on track in the 5 o’clock hour in second position – and proceeded to lay down a master class in chasing down the competition, and then leaving them behind. By the time the sun rose near the end of his double stint, the four-time Rolex winner had not only taken the lead, but had put second-place an incredible two laps down.

Siegel returned to the helm and held that lead until just before 9:00 a.m, when the car ceased shifting. Diagnosing on pit lane then heading to the garage, the crew discovered an electrical in the exhaust system that had damaged the gearbox. Once again affecting repairs with impressive speed, the crew had the car back on track a mere 28 minutes later in third position, keeping up the fight to the finish to score second at the flag.

For team principal Sean Creech, a lifelong Florida resident with a 30-year sports car career, the lost opportunity was especially hard to take – though he was first and foremost proud of the effort from the entire team.

“It’s tough to lose a race like this especially when you know you had the car to win,” said Creech. “It means so much to win Daytona and we’ve had a front row seat to the watch presentation for three years in a row. But the entire team put forth an outstanding effort, both on Thursday and throughout the entire race, so my main emotion is pride. We’ll regroup quickly and head to Sebring – where we won last year.”

All four drivers expressed the same level of disappointment – but also the same level of gratitude for the team’s hard work and dedication through some extremely difficult circumstances.

“It just goes to show how good these guys are, that never quit mentality,” said Barbosa. “The car was working really well, the team was doing a really good job, nobody was making mistakes and everything felt really good – until we had problem. But that’s the way that it is. Racing is hard but they did a tremendous job and they should be very proud. There is nothing they could do about what happened, it’s just one of those things. We finished second for the third time but this is a tough one, since we had the pace and led most of the race. We were pretty dominant but unfortunately it didn’t work out. It’s a tough one to swallow.”

“A decade ago, I would’ve been thrilled with a second place finish but at this point, I will admit that it’s pretty hard to take,” said Willsey. “Every driver performed flawlessly. For me, it’s a testament to the car that the team put under me. I knew the pace I needed to have for us to be there in the end and I knew first and foremost that I needed to not put a mark on the car despite there being 61 other cars on track, and a lot of chaos. For João, Nico and Nolan, it’s pretty clear what those guys did – and also what the team did to support them behind the scenes, to give us a car that we could take to the front and stay there. A freak thing put us behind the wall and any shot of a victory ended there but the point is, just like we had to do a hot motor change three nights ago, the team rose to the occasion, got the car back on track, came out P3, finished P2.”

“This was one of the races that you try to find an explanation as to what happened or why we didn’t win and there is no way,” said Pino. “We did everything we could and were perfectly efficient. There were times we were extremely fast. It was my first time on pole here in the 24 and also my first time on the podium so it’s a special one. Of course, it’s bittersweet being P2, knowing that we had the pace to win. All the guys did all you could ask for. The next time, it will come.”

“We led a lot of the race and everything was going really smoothly until we had a gearbox issue,” said Siegel. “I think we deserved a win today and for sure had the car and the driver lineup to do it, so it’s definitely a disappointment to not come away with a win. For sure, there is a lot of pressure when you get in the car in the lead and have to keep it there, but it’s a lot of fun when you’re in contention for the lead. It’s a bummer, what happened, but I think everyone should be proud of the job they did. It’s a great group of people and it was a pleasure to get to know them all and drive for them. I’ve learned a lot from them all this weekend. It’s been great getting to know them and I hope we get another chance to do this in the future.”

Next up for Sean Creech Motorsport will be the second of two home state events, the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring March 11-18.

About SCM
Team leader Sean Creech has competed in a multitude of sports car series from 1990 until the present day, including Group C, IMSA GTP, WSC, Grand-Am, SRO World Challenge, and IMSA. SCM will contest the full WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in 2023 with João Barbosa and Lance Willsey. http://seancreechmotorsport.com/

About Exelixis
Founded in 1994, Exelixis, Inc. is a commercially successful, oncology-focused biotechnology company that strives to accelerate the discovery, development and commercialization of new medicines for difficult-to-treat cancers. https://www.exelixis.com/

About Focal One
One in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime in the United States. The Focal One® HIFU Prostate treatment offers patients a non-invasive outpatient procedure to target prostate tissue while avoiding the common side effects such as loss of urinary continence and sexual function. The Focal One treatment uses high-performance, high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) to precisely target and ablate the prostate, allowing patients to quickly return to normal activities. http://www.focalone.com/

About Jerich International
Jerich International is a family-owned global group of companies that offers large-scale trade and industry customers a holistic logistics approach to freight forwarding through global supply chain management. The company makes use of tailor made concepts, extensive know how and immeasurable experience to set industry-leading practices in logistics. https://www.jerich.com/

SCM thanks partners Exelixis, Focal One and Jerich International for their continued support.

Strong Race, But Tough Ending for the No. 93 Harrison Contracting Company NSX GT3 Evo22 in the 61st Running of the Rolex 24 At DAYTONA

Daytona Beach, Fla.) January 29, 2023 — The No. 93 Harrison Contracting Company NSX GT3 Evo22 made its debut in the Rolex 24 at DAYTONA this weekend with hopes of bringing home famed Rolex watches for its resume-stacked driver lineup including Ashton Harrison, Ryan Briscoe, Kyle Marcelli and Danny Formal.

Marcelli took the green flag from fifth position in the 25-car GTD field, boosting the No. 93 into the lead of the GTD class. Harrison continued to keep the No. 93 in contention as the midnight hours approached. The drivers and No. 93 Harrison Contracting team experienced the highs and lows of 24-hour racing—even having the hood of No. 93 detach near the halfway point in the race. Through the trials and tribulations of late night and into sunrise on-track action, the No. 93 team quickly found themselves back in the running for a podium result with an hour to go.

Battling to keep within range of the podium, Marcelli suddenly lost all power steering out of Turn 5 and was required to bring the No. 93 to pit lane to examine the issue. The mechanical hiccup unfortunately forced the No. 93 to collect a sixth-place result, still securing key points for the 2023 Michelin Endurance Cup.

Racers Edge Motorsports and the No. 93 Harrison Contracting Company NSX GT3 EVO22 will return on track for the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring at Sebring International Raceway on March 18th, 2023. The 12-hour event go green at 10:05 a.m. ET with full race coverage on Peacock and on USA Network from 4:30 p.m. ET until the checkered flag flies.
No 93 Harrison Contracting Company Acura NSX GT3 Evo 22 DRIVER QUOTES:

Kyle Marcelli:
“Where do I begin. We just concluded the 61st Running of the Rolex 24 Hours at DAYTONA. We had a few things work against us. We lost the hood of the race car at the 12-hour mark. We had a lot of green flag running and had to stretch and take care of our brakes. Thankfully we got the rears (brakes) done around the 12-hour mark, but we weren’t able to get to the fronts under a yellow until about the four and half hours remaining. All the guys executed flawless pit stops and we were good on the box. We really didn’t put a wheel wrong on the track or off the track for 24 hours. Ashton just executed flawlessly. Ryan was amazing to work with this weekend – the guy’s got so much experience and it was fun to learn from him. Danny was super quick as expected—hungry, excited and kept the energy levels high. I was pleased with my own performance as well and did a number of stints in the car. I was in to close it and we pushed hard at the end. We first had to work hard to get laps back, which we did. With about two restarts to go, we struggled with some pace and then for whatever reason that final stint we found a ton of pace in the last stint and got by the Lexus and sister Acura. We were running fourth and running strong, caught up to the McLaren and was all over the back of them for that podium spot then nine minutes to go my steering just locked out coming out of Turn 5. I lost all power steering and totally deflated our efforts. We definitely had a shot at a podium. The team did a fantastic job, the drivers executed flawlessly and we end up sixth. We’ll move on to the next one. Big thanks to Harrison Contracting Company, HPD, Racers Edge Motorsports, Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport and the whole group.”

Ashton Harrison:
“I’m pretty bummed with the finish, but I’m so thrilled and excited for Racers Edge Motorsports for all the hard work they put in and thankful for Harrison Contracting Company for supporting this effort. Wayne Taylor and Travis Houge put in so much work trying to help us get this program off the ground. When the announcement came out with WTRAndretti, it made the program that much better. I’m so thankful and I can’t wait to get back to Sebring. I hope that we win. It was fun dicing it up with the other NSX, but next time I hope that it is for a podium or a win.”

Ryan Briscoe:
“I’m so proud of the effort by everyone at Racers Edge Motorsports. We fought all 24 hours and had ourselves on the lead lap right down to the end—competing for a podium. We all executed and worked really hard and ran a really good race. We were just unlucky with less than 10 minutes to go in the race which had us limp home with some steering issues. Kyle, Danny and Ashton, all three of my teammates were absolutely phenomenal out there. We were very consistent, great lap times, great driver changes—I think everything you could ask for to run a perfect 24 hours. I’m really happy and proud to be a part of the team. We’re all a bit bummed about the final result when we were so close to that podium. I think there is a lot we can take away and be proud of.”

Danny Formal:
“What can we say. It’s 24 hours of racing, it’s not 23 hours and 50 minutes. We were running in the top four, possibly top three. Kyle was doing a fantastic stint and we had an issue and lost two positions to come home P6. Super proud of Racers Edge Motorsports, Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport, just everyone in this family, this team—Ashton Harrison, Brett, Harrison Contracting Company—it’s just a huge family and huge amount of love for each other. It’s one big family. We had great pace, great stints. The mechanics had perfect pit stops and brake changes in under a minute, just incredible. I felt very comfortable in my stints and got to race with guys I watched growing up. Obviously, not where we wanted to finish after such a long, grueling race but it is what it is. It’s good championship points for our endurance championship and now we’ll try Sebring in a couple weeks.”

About Harrison Contracting
Harrison Contracting Company, Inc. (HCC) is a commercial painting and facility maintenance contracting company headquartered in Villa Rica, GA with divisional offices in Florida and Texas. HCC provides repainting/reimaging and facility maintenance services nationwide, and new construction painting across the southeastern US. At HCC, red is more than the company color, its culture. RED stands for Reliable, Experienced, and Diligent, and is the cornerstone for all we do. We are more than just your painter; we are your partner.

Racers Edge Motorsports with WTRAndretti is also proudly sponsored by Acura Motorsports and Honda Performance Development (HPD).