BATAVIA, Ohio, (October 28, 2020) — The battle for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship titles continues this weekend at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. In the GTD class, Wright Motorsports, after finishing in the top five for all but one of the nine races, stands just two points from first place in the team championship standings. Ryan Hardwick and Patrick Long, co-pilots of the No. 16 1st Phorm Porsche 911 GT3R, are within four points of the driver championship leaders, the pair currently standing in third. Only two races remain in the 2020 championship, but the top honors remain up for grabs.
“The pressure is on for these final two races, but we’re feeling confident,” said Team Owner John Wright. “Our guys haven’t made a mistake all season, and we’ve done everything possible to be here in the end. The goal is to keep that consistency going and get every point possible. This is an excellent team, and I have faith in our execution.”
WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, in Monterey, California is another fan-favorite road course, as well as Patrick Long’s home track. Both he and co-driver Ryan Hardwick have ample experience at the 2.238-mile, 11-turn circuit, with Hardwick’s time at the track coming from his years in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo series. The course offers 180 feet in elevation change, including the legendary Corkscrew drop at turns 8 and 8A.
Competitors will load into the IMSA paddock on Friday, October 30, and hit the track on Saturday for both practice sessions. The GTD class will qualify on Sunday, November 1 at 8:30AM PT and the session will air live on imsa.tv. The entire field will return to the circuit to take the green flag for the two hour and 40-minute race at 1:05PM PT. The race will air live on NBC Sports Gold’s TRACKPASS, beginning at 1:00PM PT. The event will air tape-delayed beginning at 3:30PM PT. For full event information, visit imsa.com.
Driver Quotes
Ryan Hardwick
Laguna Seca is a circuit that I have a lot of experience with from all my years racing in the Super Trofeo series. I really enjoy the technical aspects of how you have to constantly adjust your driving to always be searching for the grip. Obviously, this is an important race for us, as we are right in the middle of a championship fight. For our team, we are going to continue doing what got us here, which is detailed planning from our leadership, and disciplined execution of that plan from all the crew & drivers.
Patrick Long
Technical, blind, fast, and narrow: Laguna Seca always is an ultimate test. I always head into WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca fired up, as it’s a home race. I expect the mixed class racing to be a large factor this weekend, as is the single line racing that the local blowing sand often creates. We are in a great place as a team and my mantra is: focus on the process and the results will take care of themselves. We are enjoying our racing, pushing hard, and remembering to enjoy ourselves. I’m so grateful for everyone’s efforts and our sponsors’ support to get us this far! I’m really excited to head into these final two races with a chance for wins and a championship.