Flawless Performance Nets Wright Motorsports Multiple Podiums at Watkins Glen

June 28, 2021

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (June 27, 2021) – The first of two sports car racing weekends at Watkins Glen International is complete, following the checkered flag of the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen. Wright Motorsports brought five Porsche race cars to the IMSA weekend, securing four podium finishes across the three-race series. While the team ran an error-free weekend and ran brilliant fuel strategy calls, the timing of full course cautions chose the weekend’s winners.

“Everyone did an excellent job this weekend,” said Team Owner John Wright. “We say it often here, but from strategy to engineering, mechanics, and drivers, everyone did exactly what they were supposed to do. I’m very proud of everyone and proud of the organization we’ve built. While a couple of cautions threw a wrench in some of our plans, we still had some great, clean racing, and our cars came home without any damage, ready to fight next week, right back here at the amazing Watkins Glen.”

IMSA WEATHERTECH SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP

After securing a second-place qualifying position for the headliner race, hopes were high in the Wright Motorsports camp at the start of the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen. Trent Hindman took the green flag in the No. 16 Porsche 911 GT3 R, staying in second place until the restart after the first caution, taking the lead from the No. 14 Lexus of Kyle Kirkwood, roughly 20 minutes into the race. From there, the blue, black, and white Porsche executed pit stops and racing flawlessly, staying out front as each lap’s fuel targets were carefully calculated.

Hindman raced for two and a half hours, then pitted from first to hand the driving duties over to Jan Heylen. The team’s fuel strategy and a flawless pit stop allowed the Porsche to exit the pit lane with a large gap ahead of the competition. Heylen also enjoyed a smooth, trouble-free stint, hitting his fuel targets and leading the race when he handed the car over to Patrick Long. Playing a different fuel game and short filling their tank, the No. 14 Lexus of Jack Hawksworth exited ahead, taking the class lead. The Wright team never worried, sticking to their fuel targets knowing they’d have the upper hand as the field approached their final stops.

Everything changed when a full-course caution came out with one hour remaining, dramatically shifting everyone’s fuel game. As some cars opted to stay out and risk running out of fuel, the majority of the field came in to pit for fuel. As the final stop cycled through, the Wright Porsche sat sixth in class, but third on their particular fuel strategy. In the end, the cars that stayed out and upfront were able to save fuel under the lengthy caution and avoided a final stop. Despite intense racing in the final stint by Patrick Long through a congested field, the Wright Motorsports Porsche finished eighth in the GTD class, a result not reflective of the flawless and highly competitive run by the drivers and crew.

Following the conclusion of the weekend, the team will stay on-site to prepare for another week of racing at Watkins Glen, with the WeatherTech 240 on Friday, July 2. For more information, visit imsa.com.

Driver Quotes | No. 16 Porsche 911 GT3 R

Patrick Long

I’m disappointed with the end result. It’s not reflective of everyone’s efforts today. Unfortunately, where that yellow fell, it was a game of track position. We couldn’t convert on the first five hours of the day, and we just battled as hard as we could at the end there. The No. 14 Lexus, the No. 9 Porsche, and ourselves were locked in, thinking the other cars would fade or run low on fuel, but that never happened. These are the days where you don’t win championships, but you can sure lose them trying to do something that isn’t there. I had to swallow my pride there at the end and bring the car home.

Trent Hindman

An unfortunately timed yellow flag caught us out on an ideal strategy to fight for the win. The Wright Motorsports guys gave us a great car in traffic, which around here in the heat is always a hard thing to do, no matter who you’re up against. Our execution on pit lane was unreal. No penalties, no mistakes, just an unfortunate situation with a horribly timed yellow for us. Once you get shuffled back in the order with 40 minutes to go on a high-speed track, you really have to wait for people to make mistakes to move forward. It was bad luck all around. Big thanks to the Wright guys. I love working with Patrick and Jan. I’m learning a ton. Big thank you to 1st Phorm, Mountain Motorsports, Una Vida Tequila, and everyone for making it happen.

Jan Heylen

Today was a disappointing result for the whole team after a strong qualifying and a strong start to the race. It just wasn’t meant to be today. The strategy didn’t come our way in the end with those final yellows. Great job by the whole team, and thank you to Ryan, 1st Phorm, Una Vida Tequila, and Wright Motorsports for putting us in this championship.