BATAVIA, Ohio. (March 21, 2021) – On Saturday evening, Wright Motorsports wrapped up a busy race week at Sebring International Raceway, celebrating a second-place finish in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s Twelve Hours of Sebring. The day prior, the team made their Michelin Pilot Challenge debut, also netting a second-place result.
“All in all, it was a strong weekend for us,” said Team Owner John Wright. “It took a lot of work by everyone on the team to get the WeatherTech, Michelin Pilot, and Porsche Cup programs up and running for this weekend, and I’m proud of how well everything was executed. We had our challenges on track, but we earned some solid points in two of the championships.”
IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship
For the second consecutive year, Jan Heylen captured the pole position in the No. 16 1st Phorm Porsche at the Twelve Hours of Sebring. The team showed dominant pace throughout the entire race as drivers Heylen, Patrick Long, and Trent Hindman worked through the driver rotation. Through fuel saving, competitive driving, and smart calls in pit lane, the Porsche showed itself to be a strong contender for all twelve hours of the race on the incredibly demanding course. Each of the three drivers had their turns at the front of the field, commanding the Porsche through multiple classes and lapped competitors, at one point, leading the field by over twelve seconds. In the end, after twelve tense hours, multiple full course caution periods, and several pit stop competitions later, the race for the lead came down to the final moments, just as it had the year prior. A late-race full course brought the field back together, ready to fight for a final sprint to the checker flag with less than 20 minutes to go. In the end, it was a battle of the Porsches, with the Wright Motorsports Porsche behind the Pfaff Motorsports machine. In the end, the Wright car finished second, giving the manufacturer a one-two finish, and catapulting the 1st Phorm car to the top of the GTD class point standings. The team also secured the win in the Michelin Endurance Cup, in which points are awarded at various race intervals throughout each of the four endurance races on the calendar. Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course will host the third round of the 2021 championship, which will also be the first sprint race of the season. The race will have a runtime of two hours and 40 minutes and only include the DPi, LMP3 and GTD classes.
Driver Quotes
Patrick Long, Driver, No. 16 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R. “It was a great end result. The final restart was timing with traffic. Once we got into clear air, I thought we had something to fight for the win with the Pfaff car but in the end, it was just where the traffic caught you. Ultimately, a Porsche one-two is a great result. It is awesome to get the Wright car up into the championship lead and push forward into the rest of the season.”
Jan Heylen, No. 16 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R. “That is a good result, and for the championship, it was a great race. At the end of the day, it was a good weekend. Of course, you always want to win and it doesn’t always come your way. Well-deserved for the nine-car. I am happy that one of the Porsches won. I want to thank Ryan [Hardwick] and the whole team for their support. I look forward to coming back and doing it again.”
Trent Hindman, Driver, No. 16 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R. “Huge ‘thank you’ to the Wright Motorsports team, Johnny Wright, Ryan Hardwick,1st Phorm and Mountain Motorsports for giving me the opportunity to run once again with these guys. It is an absolute pleasure. That was so close to a great result. We had a super-fast race car. At the end of the day, second puts these guys in a fantastic championship position. Of course, we always want to win but it is just good to see a Porsche upfront and to have Wright Motorsports in the hunt.”