After an incredible start, damage curtailed the progress made by the Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti (WTRAndretti) No. 45 DEX Imaging Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 as the team worked around the issue to get the car to the checkered flag in 12th position at VIRginia International Raceway (VIR).

 

Despite strong pace from both Kyle Marcelli and Danny Formal, a damaged airjack from an early collision hindered the team’s performance as pit stops became difficult, forcing changes to strategy and pit stop protocol.

 

Kyle Marcelli took the green flag of Michelin GT Challenge at VIR and quickly moved the No. 45 car into fourth position, showcasing the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2’s impressive pace. However, upon making an overtake near the start of the race, contact stripped the car of the rear bumper, damaging the bodywork as well as the airjack system. Marcelli continued to hold onto fourth position despite the damage before pit stop sequences.

 

Danny Formal took over after 45-minutes of green flag competition, with the team unable to change tires due to the damaged jack system. Formal battled on, doing a second stint on the original tires around the punishing corners of VIR. After a second and improvised pit stop, Formal finished the final stint, bringing home a 12-th place result.

 

“The problems at the beginning of the race were very unfortunate,” said Wayne Taylor, Team Principal of WTRAndretti. “We have proven we have the pace and the ability to be competitive. The No. 45 DEX Imaging Lamborghini team did a great job today overcoming tough circumstances.”

 

Next up, the No. 45 DEX Imaging Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 team will head home to the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks, a new six-hour endurance event, on September 20-22, 2024.

 

Kyle Marcelli: “We were off to a great start today. I think the whole WTRAndretti team was fired up. We had a good start, moved the car forward. We were running in fourth position and had some quick sectors. I think we were fastest in sector two in the first stint of the race. All was going well. We made a few tweaks to the car overnight and all for the better. I was really enjoying my first stint. I made a pass on a car into Turn 4, but as we were going through Turn 5, he came across my rear bumper and tore the bumper off and damaged the airjack. That put us on the back foot. The car still had pace, but we just couldn’t make pit stops properly. Danny had a really tough first stint; he had to stay on the same set of tires and double stint them. I just feel bad for the group. Today was a day where we saw a glimpse of hope at the start of the race and tough luck took us out. Two more to go, and we’ll continue to give it our best.”

 

Danny Formal: “I’ve been racing for a long time now, and this was by far the most difficult race I’ve had to experience. The team deserved a lot better. We had some crazy speed. Kyle probably did the best stint I’ve seen from him in four years of racing together. That was unbelievable what he was able to do in the first stint; it was just incredible. Our guys did amazing to try to fix the problem in the first pitstop, but we couldn’t fix it, so on a high degradation track, I had to double-stint tires with no rear bumper. I’ve never experienced degradation like that before, and I felt like a champion of drifting. But the car was phenomenal. I’m so proud of this team. They deserve a result, and it just hasn’t come our way. We had some seriously crazy pace. On my final stint, I was able to lap faster than the leader. The pace was there, but unfortunately didn’t happen for us today. We’ll regroup and go back to Indianapolis in a few weeks, and we’ll get the No. 45 WTRAndretti DEX Imaging Huracán GT3 EVO2 the good result it deserves. We all need it.”

 

Andretti Global and Wayne Taylor Racing announced a new, long-term partnership in 2023 that combines the resources of the two championship-caliber teams to compete in IMSA’s top classes. In 2024, Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti (WTRAndretti) has expanded to a two-car GTP program as well as competes in the GTD class. Coming off its 2023 championship winning effort, WTRAndretti continues its Driver Development Program competing in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America series with a full stable.

 

WTRAndretti’s global motorsports enterprise boasts two IMSA driver championships (2013 and 2017), and back-to-back IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup Championships (2020, 2021) which contributed to nine IMSA manufacturer championships for Acura, Pontiac, Corvette and Cadillac. In its brief 17-year history, WTRAndretti has accumulated multiple victories in sportscar racing’s most iconic events: Rolex 24 At Daytona, Twelve Hours of Sebring, Petit Le Mans, Mid-Ohio, Road America and the Six Hours of The Glen. With its back-to-back PRO Class Championship wins (2022, 2023), WTR also has ten North America Lamborghini Super Trofeo Championship titles and a Lamborghini World Finals title.

 

Andretti Global, a Championship-winning motorsports organization, competes in additional racing categories worldwide, including the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, Extreme E, Australian Supercars and the Mexico SuperCopa Championship. Additionally, the racing enterprise commits to driver development through competition in INDY NXT by Firestone and through support of Sebastian and Oliver Wheldon’s racing careers.

 

WTRAndretti’s long term partnerships include Lamborghini Squadra Corse, DEX Imaging, Harrison Contracting Company and Gainbridge.