Sebring, Fla., (July 16, 2020) – Just two weeks after the 2020 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship resumed at Daytona International Speedway, round three is set to begin tomorrow afternoon at Sebring International Raceway. The No. 16 Wright Motorsports 1st Phorm Porsche 911 GT3 R of Ryan Hardwick and Patrick Long will compete in Saturday’s Grand Prix of Sebring, the second sprint race and third Florida race of the year.
“We’re disappointed our first return to this track isn’t for the Twelve Hours of Sebring, but we’re excited to be back nonetheless,” said team owner John Wright. “Running a sprint race here will be interesting, and as always, we’re up for the challenge. We’ve got a great group of drivers and crew, and we can’t wait to get out on track.”
The return to racing has been a busy one for Wright Motorsports, with the WeatherTech 240 at Daytona being immediately followed by the SRO GT World Challenge America double header at VIRginia International Raceway.
“With the return to racing, our logistics people have really been putting in the time to manage our fleet of cars, trucks, and crew,” said Wright. “Our IMSA and SRO programs have been three weeks of back-to-back events, and our GT3 Cup program will be added to the mix soon as well. We have the best team of people involved in our programs, so it’s been a smooth transition. We’re thrilled to be busy again and back to racing, especially at Sebring.”
Built on a portion of Sebring Regional Airport, the bumpy track surface is notorious for being especially demanding on man and machine. With temperatures expected to reach the high 80s with high humidity, hydration and heat management will be crucial for on-track success. The two-hour and forty-minute race will begin Saturday evening, July 18 at 5:30PM, airing live on NBC Sports Network. Non-cable subscribers can watch via the NBC Sports TrackPass app with a subscription.
IMSA Radio will continue to offer their live coverage of every session over the course of the two-day event, although due to travel restrictions and safety precautions, like most media members, the group will be covering the event long distance. For all coverage and event information, visit imsa.com.
Ryan Hardwick
I’m excited and feeling good heading into this next IMSA sprint race at Sebring. The heat and weather conditions this time of year in central Florida will make this a demanding race, but I’ve put in a lot of work with my physical training, so I feel prepared and looking forward to the challenge. I also feel really good about how well our entire Wright Motorsports team is working together. There’s a great culture within this group, which is a true blessing to be a part of. I’m just really enjoying racing with all these guys!
Patrick Long
Outside of the sweltering heat and bumps of Sebring, it’s one of the best tracks for excellent racing. It surely will put the teams and drivers to the test when it comes to balancing the car and enduring the sprint race at one of the world’s toughest tracks. We’ve had a consistent start to the season, and that’s one of the names of the game for a championship assault. We’ll continue running our program and driving forward. Ryan has been on his game and continuing to improve in the 911, and it’s been great to watch. We’re going to hunker down and push forward.
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