BATAVIA, OH (May 14, 2019) – The longer the wait, the sweeter the triumph. Wright Motorsports proved just that after Patrick Long and Scott Hargrove drove the No. 58 Porsche Consulting Porsche 911 GT3 R to a breakthrough win at Sonoma Raceway.
The weekend started on a high for the SRO America squad after Saturday morning’s qualifying rounds. The first of two sessions saw both Imperato and Hargrove qualify second in each of their respective classes. Race 2 qualifying saw Campbell put the No. 91 on the overall pole by blistering 6-tenths, while Long claimed third for the No. 58.
At the Start of Race 1, both Hargrove and Imperato dipped back to third, but didn't miss a beat as the Porsche Selected found himself in a two-way Bentley battle and Imperato filled Sofronas's mirrors for second in Pro/Am. Unfortunately what had been a promising run went south for Hargrove after a hard-luck pitstop dropped Long back to fifth overall, where he ultimately finished the race. Campbell, who had taken over the controls of the No. 91, put on a stellar show, holding off Werner to take a second place podium for Imperato and himself in Pro/Am.
Race 2 started off strong with Campbell on the overall pole and Long in the third place slot. Before competitors could complete the first lap, Race Control issued a full-course yellow to retrieve a disabled car. At the restart both Wright Motorsports Porsche maintained their positions, with Campbell stretching his lead by a second every two laps.
The moment the pit window opened the Long dove into the box, handing the Porsche Consulting machine off to Hargrove, who beat the second place Ferrari out of the pits. By the time Campbell passed the No. 91 off to Imperato, the Porsche had an 8-second advantage over the No. 58. It was only a few laps later when Hargrove overtook Imperato, putting the No. 58 Porsche into the overall lead.
There was no shortage of caution periods during the second half of the race as both Hargrove and Imperato maintained their composure through the restarts. Despite a front splitter issue that handicapped the No. 91 Porsche, Imperato was able to put his head down and cross the line in a third place podium position. Meanwhile, Hargrove continued to control the field, stretching his margin to 1.8-seconds, before taking the checkered flag and earning the overall victory for Wright Motorsports, Patrick Long and Porsche.
Driver Quotes:
PATRICK LONG
No. 58 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R
“Victory at last! After a tricky Race 1 where we knew we had a car that could’ve battled for first, this was the best way to seek redemption. This was such an amazing effort by the entire Wright Motorsports organization. It was also great to do in the back yard of Porsche Consulting. We’ll push on to a little bit of a break before Watkins Glen."
SCOTT HARGROVE
No. 58 Wright Motorsports/Porsche Consulting Porsche 911 GT3 R
“It’s been a hard-luck year and it’s finally over. Pat [Long] had an awesome qualifying and held it in third and the Wright Motorsports guys did a great job in the pit stop and were on it and we managed to jump the Ferrari. Our Porsche was absolutely on rails and I’m just so happy to be back in victory lane. The Wright Motorsports guys have I think been the fastest in the pit lane all year, and they got the job done today.”
ANTHONY IMPERATO
No. 91 Wright Motorsports/Henry Rifles Porsche 911 GT3 R
"It wasn't the race we had hoped for given the speed we had starting from pole, but I'm proud of the team's performance. If we didn't have the issue that we did we would've be able to run for the win. We'll look to make it happen at Watkins Glen.
MATT CAMPBELL
No. 91 Wright Motorsports/Henry Rifles Porsche 911 GT3 R
"Starting from the pole was a perfect way to start the weekend. I was really happy with the car performance and Anthony also did a great job. It's just a shame front splitter problem towards the end of the race and lost some speed. If it wasn't for that issue, I think we could’ve won it. It wasn’t meant to be this time, but we’ll have to try again at the next one."
About Wright Motorsports
Wright Motorsports is the premier Porsche race engineering facility in Ohio and a multi-series, international racing team known for superb car preparation, expert race strategy and driver development. Located in Batavia, Ohio, it is owned and directed by John Wright, a certified Porsche factory-trained technician. As a crew chief John Wright has played a key role in winning eight driver and seven team championships in World Challenge, IMSA (ALMS) and the Grand-Am Rolex Series. Wright Motorsports won the team championship in Porsche GT3 Cup USA in 2012, 2013 and 2015. After a most successful 2017 season, the team holds the Pirelli World Challenge Overall, Sprint, Team and Manufacturer’s titles. For the 2019 season, the group is campaigning two Porsche 911 GT3 Rs in SRO America – a PRO entry for Patrick Long and Scott Hargrove and a PRO/AM entry for Anthony Imperato, Dennis Olsen and Matt Campbell
About Porsche Consulting
The Porsche Consulting management consultancy was founded in 1994 in response to the successful restructuring of the Porsche sports car maker. Porsche had gained so much experience and knowledge from mastering a major crisis that it decided to make this expertise available to other companies. Four of its employees formed Porsche Consulting’s initial team. Their small office in Zuffenhausen became a worldwide consultancy—with sites in Stuttgart, Hamburg, Munich, Milan, São Paulo, Atlanta, Shanghai Berlin and Belmont (Silicon Valley). Find out more at www.porsche-consulting.com
About Henry Repeating Arms
Henry Repeating Arms is the leading lever action manufacturer and one of the top-five long gun manufacturers in the USA. Their goal is to manufacture a line of classic, well-crafted firearms that every enthusiast can afford. The passion, expertise, and dedication of our employees embody the company’s motto, which is “Made in America Or Not Made At All”. Rest assured, when you read the roll-mark on the barrel of a Henry it’s going to say “Made in the USA.” Learn more about them at www.henryusa.com.