The 27-year-old from Yorktown, Va., was quickest among the Lamborghini drivers during the recent Roar Before the 24 test at DIS. He was joined there by Eric Lux, a former IMSA champion and 9-time Daytona 24 veteran from near Buffalo, NY. They will share time in the No. 47 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO with IMSA endurance regular Mark Kvamme (with sponsorship from FactGem, Avery’s Trail Gin and Drive Capital) and Johnathan Hoggard of Great Britain. Kvamme is a 7-time Rolex 24 veteran and Hoggard is a Sunoco Whelen Challenge winner and the Aston Martin Autosport BRDC’s 2019 Young Driver of the Year.
“Each time I leave without that (winners-only) Rolex watch provides me with even more motivation to try again as soon as I can,” said Lux. “I’ve come close to winning several times, with a best finish of 5th-place and several top-10 finishes. We led most of the race but lost an axle with less than two hours remaining. I wouldn’t be competing in this year’s race if I didn’t believe we can win.
“The dedication and preparation of the Precision Performance Motorsports (PPM) Team has us perfectly positioned to be in the hunt for a win. The team had a steep learning curve with transitioning to endurance sports car racing and developing a new car just last season. The team will be rewarded for the hard work over the past year.”
Lux is confident the PPM team has the right equipment, the right strategy and a strong driver lineup for the grueling twice-around-the-clock classic. “The GTD has always been highly competitive, and I believe the winner will come down to the final minutes if not the final seconds,” he said. “We must be fast, avoid penalties, and run a clean race on the track and in the pits, avoiding all mistakes that could cost us time. We have a strong line-up with Brandon, Mark, Jonathan and me. I’m thankful to (team owner) Richard Gdovic and Brandon Gdovic, and everyone at PPM for welcoming me to the team. I’m really looking forward to the green flag!”
The North Carolina-based team will compete not only in the Rolex 24 in Daytona Beach over the Jan. 22-26 weekend, but also the 12 Hours of Sebring on March 18-21 weekend with Driver Mark Kvamme. Kvamme has competed in IMSA for eight years and has driven in the Asian Le Mans, Ferrari Challenge and the TORC Off Road Pro4 circuit. “We have a great team and a great race car,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to the challenge of these great endurance races in such a fine machine.”
Said Hoggard: “I’m really looking forward to be able to get behind the wheel of the No. 47 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo for the infamous Rolex 24 at Daytona. After getting a small taste of what the track is like at the Roar Before the 24, I feel that PPM is a great and competitive team. It will be interesting to see how we all get on during the race. Thanks to Sunoco, Anglo American Oil Company and Precision Performance Motorsport for this incredible opportunity.
The Rolex 24 at Daytona kicks off on NBC at 1:30 ET on Saturday January 25th. It will be the first race of the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship season race and the four-round IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup Championship. See IMSA.com for live stream along with live timing and scoring for practices and qualifying starting 10:05 ET Thursday January 23rd.
