BATAVIA, Ohio, (May 10, 2022) – The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship races in Lexington, Ohio this weekend, and that means Porsche customer racing team Wright Motorsports – who leads the GTD class championship – is preparing to race at the organization’s home track. Drivers Ryan Hardwick and Jan Heylen have celebrated two wins in four races and will look to continue their success in front of the home crowd at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
“Mid-Ohio is a special racetrack for us since it is so close to our main shop in Batavia, Ohio,” said Team Owner John Wright. “Coming into this event as the points leaders brings a healthy kind of pressure for us to continue our drive in this championship effort. We know we have a proven driver lineup, a more than capable race car, and a consistently the fastest team in pit lane. This will be a good event for us.”
The No. 16 1st Phorm Porsche 911 GT3 R will be the sole Porsche contender in the GTD category, representing the manufacturer in the 13-car class. The event will have a total of 34 entries, with all but the GTD Pro class participating. From the team’s Batavia-Ohio headquarters, the effort will journey 170 miles northeast to Lexington, Ohio to the 13-turn, 2.258-mile road course.
The Rolex 24 At Daytona winners are coming off another win at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, another sweeping, low-grip circuit. Their home track has been traditionally strong for the team. In 2021, the team started the race in tenth and made it up to fourth place when the 1st Phorm Porsche received contact from another competitor, an incident that sent the team three laps behind the leaders. That same weekend, Hardwick and Heylen earned Wright Motorsports a second-place finish in the team’s GT4 racing effort in the Michelin Pilot Challenge series following a pole-position qualifying effort from Hardwick. In a unique twist for the multi-faceted team, with most race series quiet this weekend, Wright will only have the single Porsche under its awning at Mid-Ohio.
This weekend, the team will look to build on their recent achievements in Sunday’s sprint race, which will have a runtime of two hours and forty minutes. The Lexus Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio will go green on Sunday, May 15 at 2:10 PM Eastern. Television coverage will begin at 2:00 PM on the USA Network. Peacock subscribers can also stream live starting at 2:00 PM.
DRIVER QUOTES
Ryan Hardwick
It’s a home race for our Wright Motorsports team this weekend at Mid-Ohio! We are very proud to be coming into this home race with the GTD championship points lead. I’ve always enjoyed racing at Mid-Ohio, and I’ve had quite a bit of success at this track. I finished on the GTD podium here in 2019 and 2020, and I also took the pole position here last season for the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge race as well. So it’s safe to say that I like this place! The focus is going to be centered around keeping our positive momentum going and continuing to execute on what we can control. Looking forward to it!
Jan Heylen
This is the home race for Wright Motorsports, and we’re back in the lead of the championship. The goal is to keep It there. Mid-Ohio is another low-grip surface which should suit us well.