BATAVIA, OH (January 31, 2019) – Wright Motorsports will return to Blancpain GT World Challenge America competition in 2019 with two new Porsche 911 GT3 R entries. Sharing the seat of the No. 58 PRO-class Porsche will be Patrick Long and Scott Hargrove. Anthony Imperato will lead the PRO/AM-class No. 91 Henry Repeating Arms entry alongside Matt Campbell and Romain Dumas, with a driver sequence to be announced at a later date.
No stranger to Wright Motorsports and Porsche fans alike, Long will be entering his fourth consecutive season with the group. This marks the Porsche factory driver’s return to SRO America competition for the first time since claiming the 2017 Overall, Sprint, Team, and Manufacturer’s championships with the John Wright-led team. With a wealth of knowledge and experience to back himself, the Californian looks to pick up right where he left off in his sixteenth year as a Porsche factory driver.
“Continuity in motorsport is something a driver can only hope for", said Long. "I am honored to add a fourth chapter to my story with Wright Motorsports and to be back with a team that has the talent and focus to win. GT3 racing in today’s landscape is ultra-close and that requires you to squeeze every hundredth of a second out of yourself. It tests your communication and trust as a group, so that’s where I find comfort in building on what we’ve worked on together for the last three seasons."
"Scott will make a great addition to the effort. He’s a proven winner in all categories he's been in and has been very exciting to watch", Long continued. “It will also be fun to rejoin SRO America and see how it's evolved after a season away. The way you attack these races is very unique, so getting back into that groove will be priority for me personally.”
Hailing from British Columbia, Hargrove joins Wright Motorsports as the reigning Blancpain GT World Challenge America champion and first rookie to claim the honor. The 23-year-old has quickly worked his way up the Porsche ranks with two additional championships in the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge and over thirty victories under the marque. Having recently been slotted as the 2019 Porsche Selected Driver, Hargrove has every intention of capitalizing on that success teamed with Long.
“Joining Wright Motorsports in 2019 is an unexpected, but very exciting development", said Hargrove. "I’ve been a fan of Patrick Long for a long time and watched him race growing up. It’s an honor for me to now be teammates with him and to join Wright Motorsports, with all of the experience they have. They’ve proven time and time again that they’re a team to beat and I have no doubt that we’re going to be a strong package. Like Patrick, I was fortunate to have gotten a taste of the new Porsche 911 GT3 R this month. The car feels phenomenal and I’m eager to develop on what is already a very strong platform."
Stepping up to his first full season of GT3 competition, Imperato could not be more prepared to kick things off surrounded by all things familiar. In addition to three seasons of driving Wright Motorsports-prepared Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars to success, the New Yorker has spent the last year getting to know the Porsche 911 GT3 R, having run the previous model in two SRO America events. With four podiums in the four 2018 races he contested, Imperato looks to keep the momentum rolling, alternating with Porsche aces Dumas and Campbell.
"I’m really looking forward to another season with Wright Motorsports and my first full season in the Blancpain GT World Challenge America," said Imperato. "Teaming up with Romain and Matt will be a great learning experience for me. We've already had a few very productive days of testing and the new Porsche 911 GT3 R is a lot of fun to drive. I'm looking forward to getting back behind the wheel and can’t wait to get the season started.
The first of seven newly renamed, Blancpain GT World Challenge America events will kick off March 2-3 with two 90-minute races at Circuit of the Americas.