EVENT PREVIEW: Wright Motorsports to Tackle Multiple Race Venues
in One Weekend
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BATAVIA, Ohio. (August 3, 2021) – The 2021 motorsport season has presented Wright Motorsports with one packed race event after another, and this weekend is no exception. Starting this Thursday, Wright Motorsports will be supporting six Porsche entries at two different events, spanning over 600 miles. In Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, the IMSA-sanctioned series of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Michelin Pilot Challenge, and Porsche Carrera Cup North America will race at the famed fan-favorite permanent road course, Road America. Meanwhile, GT America, sanctioned by SRO America, will be competing in the inaugural Music City Grand Prix on the temporary course on the downtown streets of Nashville, Tennessee.
“The expansion we’ve seen at Wright Motorsports this year has really shown the strength of our program and the quality of the individuals we have to make it happen,” said Team Owner John Wright. “We’ve taken great care to get everyone in place and ready for our multi-city race weekend, and we’re ready to get racing.”
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IMSA WEATHERTECH SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP | ROAD AMERICA
The drivers and crew of the Wright WeatherTech effort are no doubt eager to get back to racing after the previous round at Lime Rock Park was cut short due to prolonged lightning in the area. With the race red-flagged mid-event, teams had no opportunity to put their professional drivers in and let their strategy play out as intended. Weather won’t seem to be a factor this weekend, with Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin offering perfect summer days with temperatures ranging from high-50s in the morning to mid-80s in the afternoons.
Fourteen other entries are listed in the GTD class to compete against the No. 16 1st Phorm Porsche 911 GT3 R of Patrick Long and Trend Hindman, making it the largest class of the event. While the team leads the Michelin Endurance Cup points, the endurance championship within the full-season championship, Wright Motorsports currently stands fifth in the overall standings, just three points away from the next position ahead. Four races remain in the 2021 championship, the next three of which being sprint events. Sunday’s race, the IMSA SportsCar Weekend, will run for two hours and forty minutes, beginning on August 8 at 1:40 PM CT, airing live domestically on NBC Sports Gold’s TRACKPASS, and tape-delayed on NBCSN starting at 8:00 PM ET.
This will also mark the first event that autograph sessions have been on the schedule since the COVID-19 pandemic began in spring 2020. Long and Hindman will be signing outside the Wright Motorsports transporter in the WeatherTech paddock from 10:45 AM to 11:15 AM CT on race day.
DRIVER QUOTES
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Patrick Long
No. 16 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R
Road America’s long straights and flowing corners make it one of my favorite tracks to visit in the world. The racing is always fierce when we stop off here, so we will be hard at work to quickly dial our setup and hone-in our long-run pace. I am excited to get after it.
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Trent Hindman
No. 16 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R
Dwelling on past rounds is generally not the way to move forward, especially in the midst of a championship hunt, but I think this Wright Motorsports/1st Phorm team is motivated for redemption - I know I certainly am. I’m excited to get right back to work with Pat and the team at a racetrack that seemingly suits the 911 GT3 R quite well. The strength and resolve this organization has shown all year long is pretty remarkable, the desired results will come as long as we keep doing what we are doing.
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MICHELIN PILOT CHALLENGE | ROAD AMERICA
After a third-place finish last month at Lime Rock Park, the No. 16 Wright Motorsports Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport, driven by Ryan Hardwick and Jan Heylen, jumped from fifth to second in the championship point standings. The team will be riding that momentum into Road America for the Road America 120, a two-hour sprint race on Friday, August 7. The team has shown strong pace and strategy all year long, finishing in the top five for every race entered this season.
The Road America 120 will begin on Sunday, August 7 at 4:35 PM CT, airing live on NBC Sports Gold’s TRACKPASS streaming service.
DRIVER QUOTES
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Ryan Hardwick
No. 16 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport
I am excited to be heading into Road America tied for the Michelin Pilot Challenge championship lead. This might be one of the toughest tracks for our Porsche Cayman GT4, but our Wright Motorsports team is up for the challenge. We are going to keep doing what we have been doing, and that is focusing on consistent race finishes.
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Jan Heylen
No. 16 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport
For the first time this year, we’ll be going into the weekend leading the championship, and that’s always a good place to be in, and something we’ve worked really hard on the last few weeks. We just need to continue doing what we’re doing and be consistent. Now more than ever, it’s important that we keep that championship in mind and that we make all the right moves and decisions to keep us upfront. Hopefully, we come out of this weekend extending our lead in the championship. Road America is a super fun track, and it presents a lot of good overtaking opportunities. For us, like any other time this year, we’re going to need a little help with the weather. It gets harder for us when it’s too hot. Hopefully, we’ll have cool mornings and not too hot afternoons. The car has been good all year. The team has been super consistent, and Ryan is doing a really good job. We’ll keep doing what we’re doing and come away with a lot of points. A win would be nice. In all the series and classes we compete in, we’ve been consistent. A win is missing here.
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PORSCHE CARRERA CUP NORTH AMERICA PRESENTED BY THE CAYMAN ISLANDS | ROAD AMERICA
Coming off a successful weekend at Watkins Glen in June, the trio of Wright Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race cars also have strong momentum heading into Road America for their next double header. Max Root not only picked up his first pole position of the year, but he and John Goetz together earned the team three podium finishes in two races. Hutton McKenna has also shown a strong consistency in the first half of the season and will look to continue to improve his progression as the team enters the remaining races of the year.
Both races will air live on imsa.tv and porschecarreracup.us, on Saturday, August 7 at 11:35 AM CT and Sunday, August 8 at 9:45 AM CT, respectively.
DRIVER QUOTES
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No. 57 Porsche GT3 Cup
I’m looking forward to a fun race at a wonderful track! Our Wright team is on point and ready to roll. The Porsche [type] 992 Cup car keeps feeling better and better.
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Max Root
Moorespeed-Wright Motorsports No. 7 Porsche GT3 Cup
I’m very excited to get back to the Porsche Carrera Cup North America with Moorespeed and Wright in the No. 7 car. We have some great momentum coming form the last event at Watkins Glen. We’re going to take all the energy and trail it right into Road America. It’s a beautiful track; four miles of American excellence. I’m looking forward to maximizing the car and enjoying the weekend with the boys.
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GT AMERICA | NASHVILLE
Charlie Luck will be taking on new challenges in GT America this weekend, as the series heads to the inaugural Music City Grand Prix on the streets of Nashville. The series, in its inaugural season, will join the likes of IndyCar, Stadium Super Trucks, and TransAm for the exciting new addition to the race calendar. Not only will the weekend present Luck and the other competitors with the task of learning a new course layout, but the temporary street course will provide little forgiveness to any car that suffers a mistake or misfortune. With two races in two days, the field will have to take special care of the machinery to make the most out of the doubleheader event in downtown Nashville.
Race one will take place Saturday evening, August 7 at 7:25 PM CT, followed by race two on Sunday, August 8 at 2:45 PM, and both races will air live on youtube.com/GTworld.
DRIVER QUOTE
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Charlie Luck
Porsche 911 GT3 R
I’m very excited to get back to the Porsche Carrera Cup North America with Moorespeed and Wright in the No. 7 car. We have some great momentum coming from the last event at Watkins Glen. We’re going to take all the energy and trail it right into Road America. It’s a beautiful track; four miles of American excellence. I’m looking forward to maximizing the car and enjoying the weekend with the boys.
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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
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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
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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
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Wright Motorsports
Wright Motorsports is the premier Porsche race engineering facility in Ohio and a multi-series, 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. The 2020 season will see the team return to IMSA Weathertech SportsCar Championship. For more information, visit wrightmotorsports.com
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Kelly Brouillet | KBru Communications
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