BRASELTON, Georgia (October 2, 2022) – Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing teams secured the second IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Grand Sport (GS) class Manufacturer Championship for Mercedes-AMG in four years this weekend in IMSA’s season-ending event at Michelin Raceway. Four different Mercedes-AMG GT4 entries contributed points for this year’s triumph which anchored a full list of another IMSA championship and season-long and race-weekend top-three showings in a successful season-ending event for Mercedes-AMG Motorsport customer teams on the 2.54-mile road course north of Atlanta.

After winning its first manufacturer title in 2019, Mercedes-AMG Motorsport customer teams stepped up again this season to deliver a second GS crown in a collectively competitive effort. Mercedes-AMG GT4 teams finished in the top-three in half of the year’s 10 races, including a series-leading three race wins for the No. 56 Murillo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4. Eric Foss co-drove the No. 56 with longtime teammate Jeff Mosing and earned the victories with Kenton Koch (Mid-Ohio and Road America) and Marc Miller (Canadian Tire Motorsport Park) when Mosing missed the year’s summer races recovering from a rib injury.

The No. 56’s sister No. 72 Murillo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4 of Kenny Murillo and Christian Szymczak earned the manufacturer championship points with a third-place finish at Watkins Glen while Mike Skeen and Trevor Andrusko sealed the title Friday with a second-place finish in the No. 55 FCP Euro by Ricca Autosports at Michelin Raceway. The runner-up placing for the FCP Euro team was a career-best result for the second-year team.

Foss and Mosing earned points for Mercedes-AMG in the year’s opening races at Daytona and Sebring and were joined by their No. 72 teammates and FCP Euro in scoring in more than one race. The No. 72 was also the top finisher at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca while FCP Euro earned its first points for Mercedes-AMG in its home race at Lime Rock Park.

Returning to the Mercedes-AMG Motorsport customer program for the year’s final three races, even the No. 21 Riley Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT4 of Anton Dias Perera and Scott Andrews stepped up to contribute to the Mercedes-AMG championship at VIRginia International Raceway (VIR). The team endured a heartbreaking loss when the No. 21 ran out of fuel while leading on the last lap of the VIR race, but Andrews still managed to get across the finish line for a top-10 finish that was the best for Mercedes-AMG GT4 in one of the craziest races of the year.

The other Mercedes-AMG Motorsport customer racing championship was earned in a dominating performance by Mercedes-AMG GT4 teams in the first-year Bronze Cup battle that awarded the top “Am” or sportsman driver pairing in the GS class.

The No. 11 Capstone Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT4 driver duo of Gary Ferrera and Kris Wilson went into the record books as the inaugural Bronze Cup winners with victories in six of the year’s 10 races. The four other races, including Friday’s finale at Michelin Raceway, were won by Brent Mosing and Tim Probert in the No. 65 Murillo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4, giving Mercedes-AMG Motorsport customer teams an undefeated 10-for-10 record in the first Bronze Cup season.

Mercedes-AMG Motorsport customer teams also shined in the driver and team championships in both the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the Michelin Pilot Series.

Stevan McAleer and Team Korthoff Motorsports capped a breakout year in their first full season of GT Daytona (GTD) competition with third-place honors in the GTD driver and team championships. Along with McAleer’s co-driver Skeen – who missed the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca due to COVID-19 – the Team Korthoff Motorsports No. 32 Mercedes-AMG GT3 drivers and team battled for the GTD championships all season.

A similar no-quit effort was turned in Foss and the No. 56 team in Pilot Challenge GS. Foss and his co-drivers were a title threat all season and the No. 56 and Foss ultimately finished a solid second in both the GS driver and team championships.

Mercedes-AMG Motorsport customer teams also locked out the 2022 Motul Pole Awards in both IMSA series. In addition to two race wins with co-driver Philip Ellis, Russell Ward earned the GTD pole award for the most top qualifying efforts in the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3.

Kenny Murillo in turn won the Motul Pole Award in GS for the most pole positions on the season in the No. 72 Mercedes-AMG GT4.

McAleer, Team Korthoff and Ward will be presented with their respective awards at tonight’s WeatherTech Night of Championships at Chateau Elan near Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.

Stevan McAleer, Driver – No. 32 Team Korthoff Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3: “I could say I am disappointed, but I am not even in the slightest. The last four or five races for us have been tough. We slowly lost the points lead, and I even thought going into this weekend we could even end up finishing P5 or P6 overall. It was that close, but I really wanted to be at the banquet tonight in one of those top-three spots. So, I am pretty ecstatic to finish third in GTD in my first ever attempt in top GT3 competition, we were the highest Mercedes-AMG, and I can’t thank the team enough for the opportunity. I think the only thing that is missing is Mike Skeen should be up there with me, so I will certainly celebrate with him and the entire team. We will look into next year, there is definitely some tweaks and improvements we can make to get closer and closer, but there is no question going into next year that there is a new team on the map.”

Russell Ward, Driver – No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3: “This is a team sport, and you win, and you lose together. We have come a long way as a team in the past couple of years. We are really kind of getting to our stride, and I don’t even really know how to say how proud I am of the team. They are the ones that get us there. We have really what I think are the best guys in the world. Not only are they amazing at their job, but they are also my friends, and we will get through a tough season together and come back strong next year. Now we know all of the tracks better, and Philip and I are going to come back with fire in our veins for sure.”

Jeff Mosing, Driver – No. 56 Murillo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4: “Running with this Murillo team as long as we have, it is like family here. They way that they are able to adapt to the new Mercedes-AMG GT4 platform when they first got it five years ago, they have really brought it a long way to make it a possible championship-winning car. I am just really, really proud of how they were able to work through the different things we had to do to learn what was a new car for us and our first effort in GS. It’s super competitive in the series and congratulations to Mercedes-AMG for the Manufacturer’s Championship.”

Eric Foss, Driver – No. 56 Murillo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4: “We chose the Mercedes-AMG GT4 back in 2018 because we knew it was going to be a great car to contend for championships. All year the car was flawless, we never had a mechanical issue, and it is always a joy to drive. We came into Road Atlanta realistically knowing it would be very tough to win the driver and team championships, but we had our heads down and sights set on still trying to win the race. Jeff had a great first stint, the team put in a 100 percent effort, and we drove the wheels off the car. Mercedes-AMG being able to win the manufacturer championship again this year just shows how really good the cars are. We are proud to have the most wins in the series with three and it’s a credit to what an easy platform the Mercedes-AMG GT4 is.”

Trevor Andrusko, Driver – No. 55 FCP Euro by Ricca Autosport Mercedes-AMG GT4: “FCP Euro and Ricca Autosport have been just fantastic this year. The Mercedes-AMG GT4 was just awesome to drive, and I really enjoyed it. It was an abbreviated season, but this is my first professional podium here at my home track at Road Atlanta, so it is really cool with friends here, family here, it is just really awesome. I think we kind of showed we can contend in the championship if we do a full season. The team has worked hard getting the car to where it is, and we have spent quite a bit of time getting to this point.”

Gary Ferrera, Driver – No. 11 Capstone Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT4: “We wanted to win the race in total, we knew we had the championship just crossing the line, but we really wanted at least the Bronze Cup victory. Unfortunately, we had a penalty but Tim and Brent, who we love as competitors, had no hiccups and had a good day. Still very happy, we had a great year, and I am very excited to go to Barcelona for the Mercedes-AMG awards.”

Tim Probert, Driver – No. 65 Murillo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4: “It’s just terrific. We were very fortunate that both Brent and I drove really, really consistently. We didn’t make any mistakes, the strategy from the pits was flawless, and it all went perfect. We really enjoy the Bronze Cup, and it is all just fantastic.”

Braselton, Ga. (October 1, 2022) — The 25th Running of the MOTUL Petit Le Mans has seen the end of the DPi era, with the 2022 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship on the line in the final event. The No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 came up just short of the title, finishing second in the points standings after a dramatic chase in the final minutes culminated in mechanical damage for the blue and black machine. Although the Wayne Taylor Racing team didn’t capture the drivers’ championship, the team’s success throughout the 2022 season boosted Acura to the manufacturers’ championship which was secured at the drop of the green flag today.

As the green flag flew for Petit, Ricky Taylor started behind the wheel of the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 for the opening stint of the final event on the IMSA season. The 10-hour race started with Taylor pitting immediately in order to switch out Friday’s qualifying tires for a fresh set, securing his qualifying points and avoiding a penalty for pitting before the start. Despite dropping to the rear of the DPi field and battling traffic, Taylor was able to gain positions and get the sister Acura car back in his sights.

During the second caution period of the day, Taylor brought the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 to pit road to end the first stint of the 10 hours and swapped positions in the driver’s seat to the team’s third co-driver for the weekend, Brendon Hartley. The New Zealander quickly began putting pressure on their championship rivals. A timely yellow in the pit window circulated Hartley to the lead, however, the team still needed to come to pit lane for fuel and tires, shuffling the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 back to fifth for the restart at the seven-hour mark. With Hartley still in control through another caution period, it was time to make the trip down pit road once again for a full-service pitstop of four tires and fuel. The crew excelled in their stop and was able to exit the pits ahead of their fellow championship contenders.

Hartley completed his drive time in one run, a triple stint, before Filipe Albuquerque took over. Luck was on the side of the team with another caution falling as they completed their green flag pitstop, putting Albuquerque into the lead of the race.

Albuquerque settled into controlling the field and navigating traffic. As the halfway point of the 10-hour race was reached, Albuquerque built a lead of over two-and-a-half seconds ahead of second place. The team soon called Albuquerque in for a pitstop before a stalled car by pit lane entry nearly collided with the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05.

Taylor climbed back in the car with four hours to go, continuing to create gap to the other championship contenders. As the clock wound down, the action was only just beginning. Like teammate Albuquerque, Taylor worked to keep the fellow championship contenders behind.

With over two hours remaining, Taylor came to pit road and traded driver positions with Albuquerque to finish out the event. As the final hour of the 10-hour race ticked on, the intensity grew with the championship battle on the line. A race proven to provide the unknown and unpredictable in the final hour, history proved repeatable as two non-contending teammate DPis made contact to bring out a caution with 51 minutes to go. Under the yellow flag, Albuquerque brought the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 to pit lane for service and a tight battle saw the sister Acura edge out in front. Before coming back to green, the team decided to come back to pit road to top off with fuel. Knowing the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 didn’t have to worry about saving fuel as the field restarted, Filipe went to work catching the championship rivals in a 30-minute dash to checkered. Pushing to the limits, the Portuguese driver closed an almost four-second gap to the No. 60 Acura and took a daring move around the outside of Turn 1 in hopes of taking the race and championship lead. As the No. 60 Acura held the first position out of Turn 1, lapped traffic made contact with Albuquerque, effectively ending the team’s night early.

“It is very disappointing not to win the championship,” said Ricky Taylor. “I’m very proud of the team. Everybody at Konica Minolta, HPD, and Acura fought really hard. We didn’t get here by chance, it was a lot of hard work and fighting. I couldn’t be more proud to be teammates with Filipe. He gives everything and we wouldn’t be in this position in the championship without him. We take risks and I don’t even think what took us out was even a risk. He was fighting for the win and I had no doubt that he was going to pass the 60 car if he had the chance. Thank you to everybody. This will be some huge motivation for next year. I think the positive is if you look at all the teams in the series, there is one consistent thing–you can never sleep on the 10 car. We are always gonna be there fighting and you have to do a very good job to beat us. Next year even more so. We are very excited to redeem ourselves next year.”

“I’m simply devastated with the ending,” said Filipe Albuquerque. “I really think we were doing a perfect race and unfortunately the last pitstop wasn’t great for our side. Obviously, when you start on pole and up front, you always have a little bit of an advantage. Traffic always benefits the guy leading and it got me big time there. We were quick and we caught back up. Passing a GT car and I don’t think he saw me and the level of risk was high. We touched and my car was damaged and it was over for us. It was a bit inglorious to finish like that. So competitive and tight fun today, but it is what it is. It’s a shame for two years in a row to be so close. One thing is for sure, we are always there. Unfortunately, it’s not us winning. Great job by Wayne Taylor Racing the whole season and Acura for securing a 1-2 in the championship. Tomorrow, we start preparing for 2023.”

“I’ve really enjoyed my experience with WTR. I was up-to-speed in the race and we fought hard. Big thanks to the entire crew and especially Ricky and Filipe who made me feel part of the family—we had good laughs together all week. It was heartbreaking to see the win and championship slip away in the last moments. Filipe was on maximum attack and we have no regrets. I played a small part in their season but was proud to play a small part.”

“Congratulations to Mike Shank for winning the drivers’ and teams’ championships,” said team owner Wayne Taylor. “What can I say. We thought we had it, but didn’t. Everybody gave it their all. Thank you to HPD, Acura, Konica Minolta, Harrison Contracting, CIT, all our partners and the drivers. Everybody did a fantastic job. We led for a long time. It just was another year of coming second. Everybody did as much as they could, couldn’t do more.”

The entire Wayne Taylor Racing team sets their focus now to the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and ushering in the new LMDh era of racing. While the team will be busy with preparations on the new Acura ARX-06 over the winter months, the action returns for the next season with the Roar Before the 24 and Rolex 24 Hours of DAYTONA on January 20-28, 2023. Stay tuned to Wayne Taylor Racing’s official social media channels for news, updates, and announcements.
ABOUT KONICA MINOLTA

Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. is reshaping and revolutionizing the Workplace of the Future. The company guides and supports its clients’ digital transformation through its expansive office technology portfolio, including IT Services (All Covered), intelligent information management, managed print services and industrial and commercial print solutions. Konica Minolta has been included on CRN’s MSP 500 list nine times and The World Technology Awards recently named the company a finalist in the IT Software category. Konica Minolta has been recognized as the #1 Brand for Customer Loyalty in the MFP Office Copier Market by Brand Keys for fourteen consecutive years, and received Keypoint Intelligence’s BLI 2021 A3 Line of The Year Award and BLI 2021-2023 Most Color Consistent A3 Brand Award for its bizhub i-Series. Konica Minolta, Inc. has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for nine consecutive years and has spent four years on the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World list. Konica Minolta partners with its clients to give shape to ideas and works to bring value to our society. For more information, please visit us online and follow Konica Minolta on Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and Twitter. The No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 effort and Wayne Taylor Racing is supported by an outstanding lineup of partners including Harrison Contracting, Acura Motorsports, Hammer Nutrition and CIT.

Braselton, Ga (2 October 2022) – After ten hours of intense racing, Jr III Racing (“Junior three”) brought home a second-place LMP3 class finish in the 25th annual Motul Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on Saturday. The season-ending race saw the team execute with outstanding driver performances, strong strategy calls from the pit box, and flawless pit stops through the duration of the IMSA event.

The podium result saw the team close out its first full-season of IMSA WeatherTech competition third in the points championship as full-season pilots Garret Grist and Ari Balogh were joined by Nolan Siegel for the final enduro of the year.

Balogh started the No. 30 AirBnB Ligier JS P320 from the third row of the class grid, moving to fifth in the opening stanza of the race before turning the car over to Siegel on lap 104.

Siegel continued his forward charge, moving up to race in podium position for an extended stint before handing the Ligier over to Grist as the race reached the halfway mark. Grist kept the podium pace while running second. California native Siegel resumed the controls on lap 213, continuing the pursuit of the leading No. 36 entry, closing to within seconds on multiple occasions before turning the No. 30 AirBnb back over to Grist on lap 299. The young Canadian closed out the 2022 season with a second place result for the Jr III Racing entry which brings the team to four podiums this season.

“You always have to be happy with a second-place finish,” said Grist, who scored second with the team in the 2021 edition of the race. “Jr III is two-for-two on second place finishes at Petit Le Mans. It’s good to know that we’ve been within 10 seconds of the win in both years. We are proud to earn third overall in the championship in our first year, especially against teams like Riley and Core. We have a long off-season ahead of us, and we have a lot to work on and to improve in several aspects, including me. If we can start next year where we finished this year, we’ll be in a better spot. Big thanks to Billy (Glavin) and Ari (Balogh) for allowing us to do this.”

After starting the season at Sebring International Raceway with a second-place finish in the 12 Hour, the No. 30 team brought home their fourth second-place finish to end the season at Michelin Raceway.

“It was a great weekend running both IPC and WeatherTech,” said Siegel. “In the IPC race, we didn’t get the result we wanted, but I think it was still a really strong showing for the team, and we ended up with the fastest lap of the race by quite a bit. In WeatherTech, we scored second, which is a huge accomplishment. Everyone wanted to win, but it’s still incredible to be on the Motul Petit Le Mans podium.”

The team is looking forward to announcing plans for the 2023 season in the off-season.

Prototype Challenge:

The Motul Petit Le Mans weekend got started early for Jr III Racing with its IMSA Prototype Challenge (IPC) program, closing out the season on Friday with a 90-minute race with two team entries. Jr III Racing drivers Ari Balogh and Nolan Siegel pulled double duty, driving the No. 30 AirBnB Ligier JS P320 as the sister team entry of Courtney Crone and Terry Olson fielded the No. 3 Jr III Racing Ligier.

Balogh took the green flag from sixth on the grid, and was on a quick run when he and another competitor made contact as they dueled for position through the tricky 10a and 10b complex. Unfortunately the contact sent the No. 30 Ligier off track before being able to return to action in 12th. The team worked to put strategy to use and make up the lost track position, with Siegel making a strong charge to the finish to come home ninth.

Olson took on the first stint of the race onboard the No. 3 Jr III entry. Approaching the 30-minute mark, Olson put his heads up driving on display as he deftly avoided a spinning car ahead of him on the daunting final fast downhill corner on the circuit. But the incident cost track position, leaving Olson to restart from eleventh.

He charged through the field to put the No. 3 Ligier as high as fourth before pitting for a driver change. Crone continued to set steady lap times but an unfortunate spin saw her fall down the order briefly before recovering to bring the car home twelfth at the line.

“There are mixed feelings there,” said Crone. “The Jr III Racing guys brought a great car. The first half of my stint wasn’t the best with the spin. I made a mistake trying to turn the traction control off, and the Ligier wasn’t quite ready for that. The last half of the race was pretty decent; I kept pace with the mid-pack. Overall, it’s been a great season with Jr III.”

“The track was chilly, and a little bit slippery, but it was set up great,” said Olson. “I thought we had some good momentum going from our position, starting closer to the back, but unfortunately, I got caught up behind somebody that spun in front of us, and we had to take some major action to avert a big crash. It was a great way to end the year. Michelin Raceway is such an amazing track that being out there in the car is something you’ll always remember.”

The Crone – Olson duo finished the IPC season fifth in provisional points championship. The No. 30 team was not far behind, finishing the season in seventh out of a twenty-four-car field.

BRASELTON, Ga., (October 2, 2022) – When Wright Motorsports secured their monumental victory at the Rolex 24 At Daytona in January, the Porsche customer racing team immediately showed they would be a championship contender for the 2022 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Sunday at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, the battle for the GTD class title came down to the final laps, and with a fourth-place finish, the Wright Motorsports Porsche finished as runner-up in the championship standings.

“This is the second time in two years that we’ve come just a handful of points shy of the championship,” said Team Owner John Wright. “While it’s heartbreaking, it makes me so proud that each year, we’re right there in the fight to the very end. Ryan and Jan drove an incredible season, and really showed some true grit against such a competitive field. The crew consistently gained positions in pit lane, and the Porsche’s power and stability have no match in this series. We executed flawlessly and I’m proud of everyone.”

Petit Le Mans, the 10-hour season finale endurance racing event gifted competitors with perfectly sunny autumn days each day of the weekend. Drivers Ryan Hardwick, Jan Heylen, and endurance addition Zacharie Robichon made the most of each practice session, working with the team to develop the optimal race pace for Saturday’s final event.

Robichon started the 25th Annual Motul Petit Le Mans from ninth place, behind the No. 21 Ferrari of Simon Mann and the No. 57 Mercedes of Russell Ward. He gained a position on the start, intent on staying close to the No. 27 Aston Martin of Roman De Angelis. A majority of the field pitted within the first 65 minutes following the first full-course caution of the event. The No. 16 Porsche pitted from eighth, undergoing a full-service stop with fuel, tires, and a new driver. Hardwick took over the driving duties of the 1st Phorm Porsche, taking his first stint of the race. With over nine hours of racing remaining, Hardwick kept his pace fast and kept his moves risk-free, running near the top-ten under perfectly sunny conditions. The second full course caution came out with 90 minutes of racing complete.

The Atlanta, Georgia resident gained some ground to sit eighth at the next set of full course cautions, when a GTD battle sent two cars off course. The team pitted Hardwick for fuel only on lap 69, giving him a full tank for the restart. He took the green from eighth place, clocking in consistent lap times to maintain pace and position to save the car for the night racing. He slid to ninth, running about six seconds behind the No. 21 of Luis Perez Companc.

The field went back to green with three hours complete, and Hardwick had a trouble-free conclusion to his stint before passing the No. 16 1st Phorm Porsche over to Jan Heylen. As Road Atlanta encountered the warmest temperatures of the day, Heylen experienced a slight loss of overall grip during his stint. Despite the hindrance, he climbed from seventh place to fifth, closing in on Ward’s Mercedes. On the following pit stop, the team brought him into pit lane under caution for a scheduled pit stop from fourth place, where they made some quick adjustments on the car to help with performance.

Just before the halfway point, Heylen pitted from sixth place for a full-service stop, and the No. 16 Porsche 911 GT3 R took on new tires and a tank of fuel, and traded drivers from the Belgian to Canadian Robichon. Robichon had a quiet and drama-free stint as dusk settled on the track, maintaining seventh place behind the No. 21 of Luis Perez Companc. The overall balance of the Porsche continued to improve with the cooler temperatures and with each setup adjustment by the team. Aided by speedy work from the Wright Motorsports crew in pit lane, the Porsche had an advantage over the No. 42 NTE/SSR car.

The track fell under full darkness and with less than two hours to go, and Heylen passed Luis Perez Companc to break back into the top ten, with the No. 57 machine 53 seconds ahead. With 40 minutes to go, the eighth full course caution occurred, bringing the field back together. The tension was palpable, as every team surveyed positions and counted potential points. The field went back to green with 30 minutes to go. The 1st Phorm Porsche restarted from sixth position, behind the No. 1 BMW of Bryan Sellers.

Heylen made the pass on Sellers and continued to climb in the final hour. In the final ten minutes of the race, the No. 57 Mercedes went off course and into the tire wall, causing a shakeup in the potential points possibilities. Sadly, the incident brought out a final full-course caution ending the race under yellow. The Wright Motorsports effort finished in fourth place, just one position shy of clinching the 2022 championship.

With two wins and five top-five finishes across 12 races, the team remained solidly in the championship hunt throughout the season. The team will carry this momentum into the 2023 season, the details of which will be announced at a later date.

DRIVER QUOTES

Ryan Hardwick

In the end, we were one position short for the championship, but while it’s frustrating to come up short by such a small margin, it was an unbelievable experience to compete for this championship all year long. From the first race at Daytona all the way here to the final race at Petit Le Mans. I couldn’t be more proud of our entire team. We made no mistakes on pit lane, and no mistakes on track. Everybody did their part. We did the best we could today. Ultimately, it was one position short of where we needed to be. I’m excited to compete in this field, with these teams and these drivers, and I look forward to next year and the challenges that lie ahead. One year, this championship will be ours.

Jan Heylen

A big thank you goes to the whole team for a great season. Thanks to Ryan Hardwick and 1st Phorm for putting this program together and for all of the support from our partners. John Wright, Bobby Viglione, and all the guys here. We just came a little bit short today. It’s disappointing to be that close and not get it, but we just didn’t have the speed today. There were cars out there that were so much quicker on the front straight that we couldn’t put up a fight today because of the BOP. I’m happy with everything we’ve achieved this year, and I’m looking forward to Daytona. We have an incredible crew here and we’ll be ready for another run next year.

Zacherie Robichon

It was a very difficult race from the beginning. I don’t think I’ve ever done a race where we worked on the car and on the set up so much throughout the race. It was incredible the amount of work the guys were doing in pit lane. We were doing sway bar adjustments and diff adjustments. Ultimately, we got the car in a much better place where we could really keep up with the cars around us. They turned our car around. Ryan and Jan missed the championship by one position, but it wasn’t for lack of effort. We should be super proud of the fact that we came home fourth in this race, given the way it started. We’re disappointed right now, but we can’t be disappointed with the performance of the team today.

Porsche Carrera Cup North America Presented by the Cayman Islands

The season finale for the Porsche Carrera Cup North America Presented by the Cayman Islands also took place over the weekend for John Goetz, Hutton McKenna, and Varun Choksey. The trio of Wright Motorsports-prepared Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race cars participated in the final doubleheader of the season and after securing the win in race one, Goetz came runner-up in the 2022 Am driver championship. Varun Choksey celebrated a strong seventh-place finish in race one, closing the year out seventh in the Pro Driver championship.

1st Phorm
1st Phorm is a sports nutrition company based in St. Louis, MO. In 2009, CEO Andy Frisella and his business partner Chris Klein started the brand, and since then, it has become the fastest growing supplement company in the world. 1st Phorm has set the standards in the industry for quality and helping people reach their goals. This new racing partnership is not their first time in the exotic car scene either. 1st Phorm has been the title sponsor for the Gold Rush Rally for six years running. With over a million followers across social media, 1st Phorm has amassed a huge cult-like following known as, “The Legion of Boom.” They stand for a movement in the fitness world. To turn it back to what it was meant to be. Helping others improve their lives, to be a good human… and to drop the excuses and do the work. 1st Phorm is a winning brand and they don’t expect anything less when it comes to their race team. For additional info: www.1stphorm.com

Mountain Motorsports
Mountain Motorsports is a group of motorcycle and powersports dealerships with multiple locations in the southeastern United States. The company was founded by lifelong friends Ryan Hardwick and Justin Price when they opened their first location as a single-line Honda dealership in Sevierville, Tennessee in 1999. The company has since grown into one of the largest retailers of motorcycle and powersports vehicles in the nation, spanning nine dealership locations representing eleven of the industry’s most well-known brands. For additional info: www.mountainmotorsports.com

Una Vida Tequila
Una Vida translates to One Life. That is how this brand started. By people who want to live their “One Life” to the absolute fullest and to their highest potential. A group of guys from the Midwest who love great quality tequila, and want their One Life to have meaning and impact others.

One Life, One Tequila is our CORE BELIEF. We’re building the only tequila brand you will ever need to drink. Una Vida is bigger than just tequila we’re also building a culture of people who want to live their life to their utmost potential.

Our story begins and continues to grow bottle by bottle. It’s a life mission for us to create a community of people who all raise a glass knowing they’re living their ONE LIFE! For more information, visit unavidatequila.com

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.

Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020 No. 62:
Davide Rigon (ITA)
Daniel Serra (BRA)
James Calado (GBR)

(Braselton, Georgia, October 1, 2022) … The No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 GT3 team had a heart-breaking finish in today’s 25th annual Motul Petit Le Mans IMSA WeatherTech Championship Series finale at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. The three Ferrari factory drivers, Brit James Calado, Italian Davide Rigon, and Brazilian Daniel Serra, drove the race of their lives and crossed the finish line first in class, only to be penalized by a drive time violation and moved to the back of the class. The penalty, too long of a drive time for Serra during a six hour time period, negated the Petit Le Mans GTD Pro class victory. However, the team still secured winning the IMSA GTD Pro Team IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup with its seventh place class finish today.

Up until the tear-jerking final result disappointment, the team had put together an incredible race with good pit strategy, smooth pit stop, and impressive drives by all three drivers.

The Risi Competizione team celebrated 25 years since their first win at Petit Le Mans in 1998 during their inaugural season with a full team photo. Team Principal Giuseppe Risi is at the center.

QUOTES

James Calado, driver, No. 62 Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo:
“I feel like we poured our heart into this one. I was quite aggressive in my stint to try to make up some positions. I knew I had to because I wanted to win. Daniel did an amazing job and did sort of the same thing. The car was quick. It’s just one of those things. We take it on the chin and move on to the next one. Thanks to the team; they put a lot of effort in for this weekend. We crossed the line in first, but it wasn’t to be this time.”

Davide Rigon, driver, No. 62 Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo:
“We did our best together with the team and my teammates, Daniel and James, we did our best. We are sad to lose for being over in the driving time. It’s a big disappointment. We deserve this victory and the endurance championship. It was hard for us to have this end result after all the effort by everyone. Although we did not get the race victory, at least the team won the GTD Pro Endurance Cup. And now we must look forward to coming back someday.”

Daniel Serra, driver, No. 62 Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo:
“It’s difficult to understand what happened. I have mixed emotions. The last two stints were probably one of the best of my life. I didn’t know until the checkered flag and then when I crossed, I said ‘so this is it, we won’, and they said ‘no, we had a problem with the driving time’. So, it’s still quite difficult to say what I’m feeling. It’s just strange because we won the race and because of our mistake we lose it. We did what we had to do to win but we made a mistake and lose and that’s it. At least we won the Endurance Cup.”

The Risi Competizione team has not made any official announcements for 2023 racing plans yet but stay tuned for future announcements.
For more information, please go to www.risicompetizione.com and follow us on Facebook/RisiCompetizione, Twitter @RisiComp and Instagram @RisiComp.

Cadillac concludes DPi era with two podium finishes

• No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R is runner-up for second year in a row
• No. 48 Ally Cadillac DPi-V.R claims third place in final endurance race for the team

BRASELTON, Ga. (Oct. 1, 2022) – Cadillac began the Daytona Prototype international (DPi) era with two podium finishes and closed the books on the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship classification with a pair of podium finishes.

The No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R, co-driven by Pipo Derani, Olivier Pla and Mike Conway, was runner-up for the second consecutive year in the 25th edition of the Motul Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. The No. 48 Ally Cadillac DPi-V.R, co-driven by Jimmie Johnson, Kamui Kobayashi and Mike Rockenfeller, finished third.

Overall, the Cadillac DPi-V.R recorded 27 victories – tops among all manufacturers – and 84 podium finishes in 59 races since 2017. Additionally, Cadillac earned three Manufacturer Championships and three Team and Driver Championships. A Cadillac DPi-V.R claimed four wins, 18 podiums and four pole starts in 10 races this season.

Derani started the 10-hour race from the seventh position and closed out the daylight-to-darkness race 4.369 seconds behind the winning Acura. The No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R also claimed the trophy for the fourth round of the endurance championship.

“Ups and downs, but in the end we were there to fight for the win,” said Derani, the 2021 DPi champion. “Unfortunately, I got really unlucky with traffic at the last restart, so I lost a lot of time and then I was catching them back. But that’s part of multi-class racing. The Cadillac was amazing. Most of my wins and the championship have been with this car. A great era that comes to an end, but I’m glad I am here to be fighting for the win.”

The No. 48 Ally Cadillac DPi-V.R, which has competed in the eight endurance races over the past two seasons, started sixth.

“This has been great; what an awesome opportunity,” said Johnson, the seven-time NASCAR Cup champion. “I’m so thankful to Ally, Action Express and Hendrick Motorsports. I’ve been able to meet and race with a lot of great people. It’s really been a fun two years.”

The No. 02 Cadillac Accessories Cadillac DPi-V.R, which Earl Bamber drove to a front-row starting position on the 2.54-mile, 12-turn natural-terrain road course, was involved in an incident with the sister No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R in Turn 1 with 51 minutes left, essentially eliminating both cars from contention for the victory. The No. 01, co-driven by Renger van der Zande, Sebastien Bourdais and Scott Dixon, placed fourth. The No. 02 car finished fifth.

The No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R finished seventh in class after it was involved in an incident with a GTD car with 5 hours, 42 minutes left and did not return. Eighteen minutes earlier, race leader Richard Westbrook picked up five points to put the JDC-Miller MotorSports group in the Team/Driver Endurance Championship lead.

While five Cadillac DPi-V.R entries contested the Motul Petit Le Mans to close one chapter of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Cadillac Racing is simultaneously preparing for the next level of competition in 2023.

The Cadillac V-LMDh race car — a collaboration between GM designers, GM’s Performance and Racing propulsion team, chassis manufacturer Dallara and suppliers for the spec hybrid energy recovery system – has successfully completed early stage on-track testing in preparation to compete in the new IMSA Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) category and FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) Hypercar class in 2023.

On-track testing will continue into the new year, with IMSA-sanctioned testing on Oct. 3-5 and Dec. 6-7. The Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 28-29 opens the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season. The WEC season commences with the 1,000 Miles of Sebring on March 17.

Cadillac Racing finishing positions and driver quotes

No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R (Action Express Racing)

Pipo Derani, Olivier Pla, Mike Conway (start seventh, finish second)

Derani: “Ups and downs, but in the end we were there to fight for the win. Unfortunately, I got really unlucky with traffic at the last restart, so I lost a lot of time and then I was catching them back. But that’s part of multi-class racing. I’m glad we had a fantastic time with the DPi car. The Cadillac was amazing. Most of my wins and the championship have been with this car. A great era that comes to an end, but I’m glad I am here to be fighting for the win.”

Pla: “It’s never over (until it’s over). We had some problems on the pit stop and we lost quite a bit of time. At that time, the car was starting to come alive. It was getting colder (outside). I think we had a really good car for the end. But, as you can see, the race is never finished until the last lap. It’s a great result for the team.”

Conway: “(My stints) were quite good. Then, I went back out in the night, I just had some crap traffic for about five or six laps in a row. I thought I couldn’t do anything right out there. Then, it seemed to be OK after that. Pipo pushed really hard to the end and that was pretty cool. He brought home a good result. It was crazy with the two Cadillacs coming together somewhat and then what happened to the No. 10 Acura. It was a crazy finish.”

No. 48 Ally Cadillac DPi-V.R (Action Express Racing)

Jimmie Johnson, Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Rockenfeller (start sixth, finish third)

Johnson: “It was a very challenging day. But, at the end of the race, we finally got some breaks to come back our way and ended up on the podium. It’s really tough trying to work traffic. I was brave sometimes, but I just needed to be more brave all of the time. I was just trying to be smart and cautious with the car. Ultimately, I left some speed on the table in my stint. But, I got two full stints in the car each time I was in. This has been great, what an awesome opportunity. I’m so thankful to Ally, Action Express, and Hendrick Motorsports. I’ve been able to meet and race with a lot of great people. It’s really been a fun two years.”

Kobayashi: “For of all, that you to Cadillac, Action Express and my teammates, Jimmie and Mike. We did our best. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the pace in the beginning of the race. But, finally, something came to us and we got this podium in the last race. This is only one podium for this year, but we all worked really hard and it’s good to end the season like this. Thanks to all the guys.”

Rockenfeller: “We earned the podium in the last race of the season and of the DPis, which is satisfying. But it just wasn’t our season for the 48 and not really our race. We didn’t have the pace early and with the penalties we were always on the back foot. It was a tough day, but nice to get a podium.”

No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R (Chip Ganassi Racing)

Renger van der Zande, Sebastien Bourdais, Scott Dixon (start fifth, finish fourth)

Bourdais: “Obviously, that is not the end of the championship that anybody wanted for Cadillac Racing and the Chip Ganassi Racing team. It’s a shame; there was a race win on the line, and everybody wants to go out on the high note. We’re disappointed to finish like that with the new era ahead of us. The team worked very hard this year and we can only thank them for all their efforts. We will see what the future brings.”

van der Zande: “We came to Petit Le Mans to win and to finish the race like this is really difficult. There’s never any intention to come together out there and we’ll reflect on this and regroup as a team. We can look back on a season where we had great success with wins in Long Beach, Detroit and Mosport. Chip Ganassi Racing and Cadillac put out a really fast car all year and to do that is no easy feat. It takes a lot of really talented people to make this all work.”

No. 02 Cadillac Accessories Cadillac DPi-V.R (Chip Ganassi Racing)

Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn, Ryan Hunter-Reay (start second, finish fifth)

Bamber: “I think we had a fantastic race all day and had a really good car with the No. 02 Cadillac. We managed to lead a lot of laps and hours and that’s something to be proud of. Obviously, I’m quite disappointed with what happened and mostly for everyone at Cadillac and Chip Ganassi Racing. We come here to win as a team, whether it’s the No. 01 or the No. 02, and that is a tough scenario to be in. I think this was a season to be proud of and I believe we’ve scored the most pole positions, as well as a lot of race wins. Now, it’s on to what’s next which is testing for GTP.”

Lynn: “We had a very strong car today, so it was a disappointment to not get the result that the team deserved. I think Ryan, Earl and myself were driving really well and it’s sad that we haven’t brought home the result that we wanted.”

No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R (JDC-Miller MotorSports)

Tristan Vautier, Richard Westbrook, Loic Duval (start fourth, finish seventh in class after incident)

John Church, JDC-Miller MotorSports managing partner: “It’s been an awesome experience to race in the DPi category these years. Everybody at Cadillac, GM and Dallara have been wonderful to work with. It’s sad that it’s the end of an era and disappointing to end the season this way. Racing has a way of going full circle and I’m sure we’ll be back together some day and looking forward to that.”

About Cadillac

A leading luxury auto brand since 1902, Cadillac is growing globally, driven by an expanding product portfolio that features distinctive design and technology. More information on Cadillac appears at www.cadillac.com.