Spectators can witness Porsche in action in the GTD Pro and GTD classes of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship as well: Five additional teams are in the running for top spots with the Porsche 911 GT3 R.
The Porsche 911 GT3 R competes no less than seven times in the GT classes of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Under the mantle of the customer racing teams Pfaff Motorsports, Wright Motorsports, Kelly-Moss with Riley, MDK Motorsports and AO Racing, Porsche is strongly represented in the GTD Pro and GTD classes.
In the past decades, it was the customer racing teams that have held the Porsche name high in various race series by winning with their customer vehicles. In the past season in the GTD Pro class, it was Pfaff Motorsports that won the championship, while Wright Motorsports reached the second spot of the GTD class ranking. Both teams have trusted Porsche vehicles for the past few seasons and once more enter the respective previous classes they have already participated in before.
The Team Kelly-Moss with Riley was newly founded as cooperation between Kellymoss Road and Race, and Riley Technologies. The racing history of Kelly-Moss is impressive: they hold the record of most races won in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge and Porsche Sprint Challenge in the USA. Now, they are ready to face the challenge of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD class together with Riley Technologies and two GT3 R.
Another contender racing in the GTD class is MDK Motorsports. Their driver line-up is promising: entering the grid for them is former Formula 1 driver Kevin Magnussen together with his father Jan Magnussen. The third pilot of the team: Trenton Estep, who managed to win good placements in the Porsche GT3 Cup in the past years.
The last customer racing team with a Porsche vehicle in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is the newly founded AO Racing team. Just last year, the team surrounding PJ Hyett, Sebastian Priaulx, Gunnar Jeannette and Harry Tincknell was founded. Still, it would be a mistake to underestimate their ambition: Particularly Priaulx, Jeannette and Tincknell are veterans and have covered several kilometers on various racetracks and in renown race series.
Even though all five teams participate against each other, they have all chosen the Porsche 911 GT3 – a vehicle that experienced its first official commitment during the opening IMSA event, the Roar Before The Rolex 24 in Daytona.
Depending on the extent of factory support, the customer teams receive support from the Porsche team by way of engineers and factory drivers. With the knowledge and factory support, the customer teams can give their best showing with the vehicles and both sides benefit from the exchange. Because every victory of a Customer Racing Team is a victory for Porsche Motorsport as well.
Customer Racing Teams of the IMSA at a glance.
Drivers in customer racing.
After the qualifying in Daytona, the Porsche 911 GT3 R begins the adjustment process for the Balance of Performance (BoP). Only then will all data be available to initiate this process. But the confidence in the 911 is there: all drivers expect hard-fought races at the top of the grid of their respective classes.
We’re keeping our fingers crossed for them!
