Harrisburg, N.C. - With the start of the Pirelli World Challenge season just around the corner, CRP Racing is proud to announce Canadian Kyle Marcelli as the driver of the no. 2 DeVilbiss / CRP Racing Audi R8 LMS.

Marcelli joins a team that has enjoyed a long string of success since joining the PWC in 2008. Since that first race, the CRP Racing has scored ten victories, 14 podiums and 28 top-five finishes and finished in second position in the 2014 championship.

Marcelli, 26, from Barrie, Ontario, Canada brings a wealth of professional sports car experience to CRP Racing. A former champion in FF1600 and Porsche GT3 Cup, and multi-time pole and race winner in the European Le Mans Series and American Le Mans Series, Marcelli transitioned from prototypes to GT in 2014 with a goal of pursuing a factory driving role. Since then, Marcelli has experienced GT success in both the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge. This year will mark the debut season for Marcelli competing in the Pirelli World Challenge series.

"I can't say enough about how excited I am to be joining CRP Racing to drive the DeVilbiss Audi R8 LMS in Pirelli World Challenge this season," said Marcelli. "Competing in Pirelli World Challenge has been a goal of mine for a while, and with the level of competition growing each season, I am glad to have my first run in PWC with a winning team like CRP Racing and a competitive car like the Audi R8 LMS. The team and the car have a proven record of success. I have really enjoyed getting to know CRP Racing team owner Nick Short and I think his team and I will be a great fit for each other. The season can't start soon enough!"

With the season starting next week, the team is anxious to have Marcelli behind the wheel for the first time.

"I am thrilled that we've been able to secure Kyle to drive our Audi R8 LMS this season," said Nick Short, CRP Racing team owner. "Obviously, Kyle is an extremely talented driver and I am looking forward to seeing him drive our DeVilbiss / CRP Racing Audi R8 LMS. We have enjoyed quite a bit of success in Pirelli World Challenge, and with Kyle on board now we are looking forward to building on that success in this new season. And with the first race just a few days away, we get to start on that very quickly!"

The 2016 Pirelli World Challenge season kicks off next weekend, March 3-6 at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas. The first race will be streamed live on Saturday, March 5 at 1:05 PM ET with Sunday's race streamed live on 3:00 PM ET on world-challenge.com.

About DeVilbiss Automotive Refinishing

DeVilbiss Automotive Refinishing, a division of Finishing Brands, is a leading global designer and manufacturer of refinishing equipment and productivity products. DeVilbiss offers a broad range of solutions for the refinishing market including spray equipment, disposable paint cups, air filtration, contamination control products, and more. Finishing Brands is a global manufacturing company focused on the spraying, pumping, mixing and curing of a variety of coatings used in the transportation, general industrial, protective coating, wood, specialty and auto refinishing markets. The company markets under the brand names DeVilbiss, Binks, Ransburg and BGK and became a member of Carlisle Companies early in 2015. For information about DeVilbiss, visit www.autorefinishdevilbiss.com.

About CRP Racing

CRP Racing is a leading edge race car engineering company with a winning pedigree that offers full service race car prep, full track set-up, restoration and custom fabrication, and shock, dyno and design services. Owner Nicholas Short has made a career out of motorsports with experience in IndyCar, NASCAR, Trans-Am, Group C Endurance Racing, Baja desert racing, Vintage SVRA and HSR and the World Challenge series. Visit www.competitionraceparts.com.

About Kyle Marcelli

Canadian Kyle Marcelli is an established professional racing driver and one of North America's top rising stars in professional sports car racing. After a successful career in go-karts and single-seaters, Marcelli made his professional debut at the pinnacle of sports car racing, the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) in 2010. Marcelli's auto racing accomplishments include; FF1600 champion, FF2000 3rd, Porsche GT3 Cup champion, American Le Mans Series vice-champion, Petit Le Mans winner, runner-up at the Sebring 12 Hours , and Thunderhill 25 Hour Winner. Marcelli is a consummate professional both on and off the race track. He represents his passion, sport, sponsors, team and fans proudly and effectively. He's winning, engaging and always visible. For more information visit: www.KyleMarcelli.com.