BATAVIA, OH (October 15, 2019) – Wright Motorsports will campaign two Porsche 911 GT3 R race cars in North American competition for the 2020 season. The two-car program will see new partners, 1st Phorm and Mountain Motorsports brought on board with Ryan Hardwick and the return of Henry Repeating Arms with Wright Motorsports regular, Anthony Imperato.
“I’m very pleased to welcome 1st Phorm, Mountain Motorsports and their driver, Ryan Hardwick to the Wright Motorsports team for 2020, along with the continuation of our partnership with Henry Repeating Arms and their driver, Anthony Imperato,” said Wright Motorsports Principal, John Wright. "Securing the new partnerships with 1st Phorm and Mountain Motorsports so early in the game allows us to focus on early preparations for the 2020 season. Having the support of world class companies like these, along with longstanding partnerships like Porsche Motorsport North America, says that we are here to win races. We’re eager to come back strong with the Porsche 911 GT3 R.”
Leading sports nutrition company, 1 st Phorm and Mountain Motorsports – one of the largest retailers of motorcycle and powersports vehicles in the nation – will come on board as the team’s newest sponsors for 2020. 1 st Phorm is all too familiar with the motorsports scene having served as the title sponsor of Gold Rush Rally for six years, in addition to their partnership with Hardwick through his various sports car racing endeavors.
“I’m excited to be racing with Porsche because they represent the pursuit and commitment to perfection in all areas of their company," said 1st Phorm CEO, Andy Frisella. "This is a core commitment both our companies share and it’s great to be aligned with a company that has represented that commitment for decades.”
Though new to Porsches race cars, Hardwick has amassed an exceptional amount of experience in his very short sports car racing career. In his first year of competition, he earned the runner-up championship in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo World Final, only to best that with both the Lamborghini Super Trofeo World Championship and SRO America Championship in 2018. This year, the 1 st Phorm athlete campaigned the first five IMSA WeatherTech Championship events, earning a podium at Mid-Ohio SportsCar Course before getting sidelined due to injury. He’ll return fresh for the 2020 season with the Wright Motorsports team.
“John Wright and Wright Motorsports have been longtime members of the Porsche family," said Daniel Armbruster, President and CEO of Porsche Motorsport North America. "Through the team’s performance and professional approach, Wright Motorsports has become a true representative of the Porsche brand and has been an entry point for many into the Porsche way of racing. We are very pleased to see Ryan Hardwick join Wright and Porsche for the 2020 race season. Having competed against Ryan on the track, we look forward to him racing the Porsche 911 GT3 R rather than against it. We believe this will be a great combination of driver, team and manufacturer.”
The 2020 season will also see the return of Henry Repeating Arms and Anthony Imperato for their fifth consecutive year racing Porsches under the Wright Motorsports banner. After three years of success in the IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge, Imperato has climbed the ranks to GT3 competition with a Porsche 911 GT3 R. This season, Imperato has enjoyed success and a multitude of podiums campaigning in the full SRO America Championship and select IMSA WeatherTech Championship rounds paired with Porsche Young Professionals, Matt Campbell and Dennis Olsen.
Preparations for the upcoming season are already in full effect at the Batavia, Ohio shop. While options are still being evaluated between platforms, the team anticipates additional news including driver lineups at a later date.
Driver Comments:
Ryan Hardwick | Driver, 1 st Phorm/Mountain Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R
“I’m very excited to be joining Wright Motorsports for the 2020 season. I connected with John Wright back in 2016, when I first entered car racing. I was looking into going the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge route and really had a great experience speaking with him at the time. I was really impressed with John, how he runs his organization and the amount of effort that he personally puts into all of his programs. I’m a massive Porsche enthusiast and collector. My father was a big Porsche fan, so I grew up idolizing the brand. To be able to race one at this level is a dream come true and I know that partnering with Wright Motorsports will make this an exceptionally competitive program.”
Anthony Imperato | Driver, Henry Rifles Porsche 911 GT3 R
“I am very excited for myself and Henry Repeating Arms to be joining Wright Motorsports for a fifth year. We’ve made a lot of progress as a team with the Porsche 911 GT3R in this past year of both Blancpain GT World Challenge America and IMSA WeatherTech Championship competition and I’m eager to continue building off of that in what I already know will be a very competitive 2020 season.”
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
1st Phorm
1st Phorm is a sports nutrition company based in St. Louis, MO. In 2009, CEO Andy Frisella and his business partner Chris Klein started the brand, and since then, it has become the fastest growing supplement company in the world. 1st Phorm has set the standards in the industry for quality and helping people reach their goals. This new racing partnership is not their first time in the exotic car scene either. 1st Phorm has been the title sponsor for the Gold Rush Rally for six years running. With over a million followers across social media, 1st Phorm has amassed a huge cult-like following known as, “The Legion of Boom.” They stand for a movement in the fitness world. To turn it back to what it was meant to be. Helping others improve their lives, to be a good human... and to drop the excuses and do the work. 1st Phorm is a winning brand and they don’t expect anything less when it comes to their race team. For additional info: www.1stphorm.com
Mountain Motorsports
Mountain Motorsports is a group of motorcycle and powersports dealerships with multiple locations in the southeastern United States. The company was founded by lifelong friends Ryan Hardwick and Justin Price when they opened their first location as a single-line Honda dealership in Sevierville, Tennessee in 1999. The company has since grown into one of the largest retailers of motorcycle and powersports vehicles in the nation, spanning eight dealership locations representing eleven of the industry’s most well-known brands. For additional info: www.mtn-motorsports.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.