Photo: wrightmotorsports.com
Batavia,Ohio-based Wright Motorsports has announced that it will contest the 2018 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Wright Motorsports’ GTD-class Porsche 911 GT3 R will be driven current GTD champion Christina Nielsen and long-standing Porsche factory driver Patrick Long.
Wright Motorsports Principal John Wright is excited at the prospect of the 2018 season with Nielsen and Long.
“I am very pleased to have this great opportunity come together in such a short time,” said Wright. “It is a tremendous opportunity to be heading back into the endurance racing arena with such a strong program. In my experience, I haven’t seen too many driver combinations better to compete for a championship than what I think we will see in Patrick Long and Christina Nielsen.”
“I’m also happy to have Patrick back for the 2018 season,” continued Wright. “Coming off this year’s championships, our momentum could not be stronger than it is now. I am looking forward to working with Christina and seeing her behind the wheel of a Porsche. We have tried to make something happen in the past, but due to different circumstances we were never able to pull anything together. The stars have aligned to make it possible for this year and hopefully years to come.”
2017 Pirelli World Challenge champion Patrick Long is looking forward to continuing his partnership with Wright Motorsports.
“I am thrilled to continue my journey with Wight Motorsports for the 2018 season,” said the Californian driver. “We will have our work cut out for us starting with two of the biggest international endurance races in sports car racing, the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring, but I am confident in the group’s ability. Christina has been on an amazing run with her two titles over the last two years and I want to blend that momentum with our 2017 title and aim for victories right out of the box.”
Two-time GTD IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship title-winner with Scuderia Corsa, Christina Nielsen is also looking forward to 2018 with Long and Wright Motorsports.
“I am really looking forward to being back in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and I am absolutely thrilled that we’ve come up with such a strong combination with Wright Motorsports and Porsche,” said the Danish driver. “I’ve had a great run for the last three years, but it won’t be easy to do what I’ve already done. For me the biggest thing is to go into 2018 without relying on any previous results. We’ll start from scratch beginning with Daytona and go from there.”
The 2018 IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship opens with the Rolex 24 at Daytona on January 27-28.