By: Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti
October 8, 2024
October 8, 2024
The Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti (WTRAndretti) No. 45 DEX Imaging Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 team will enter the final race of the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IWSC) season with MOTUL Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. This follows a strong showing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS), where the GTD team secured its best endurance race finish of the season, indicating an upward trajectory as the team heads into the final round.
Kyle Marcelli. Danny Formal and Graham Doyle will return as the driver lineup for the No. 45 car as they take on the ten-hour endurance classic. Road Atlanta represents an opportunity for the team to finish the season strong after testing at Road Atlanta last month. The challenging 2.54-mile, 12-turn circuit will require the team to maintain the strong form they have shown in the previous rounds while navigating a busy track throughout all ten hours.
Marcelli and Formal have proven themselves in the No. 45 car across a variety of racetracks, showing incredible pace throughout the entirety of the season. Doyle has also shown a strong ability to keep consistent pace with his competitors and teammates, despite Petit Le Mans representing just his fifth start. Entering the final race, the WTRAndretti GTD team is poised for a positive result to finish their inaugural season.
“Everyone is excited for Petit Le Mans,” said Team Principal, Wayne Taylor. “They had a good race at Indy, and I know that they had a good test at Road Atlanta. Graham Doyle will once again join Danny and Kyle, so I’m looking forward to seeing what they can do this weekend and hopefully get another good result to end the season.”
The No. 45 DEX Imaging Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 team will have its first on-track action at Road Atlanta with practice at 10:40 a.m. ET on Thursday, October 10 followed by qualifying on Friday, October 11 at 3:25 p.m. ET. The MOTUL Petit Le Mans is set for a 12:10 p.m. ET start on Saturday, October 12 for the ten-hour event with broadcast beginning at 12 p.m. ET on air for the opening hours from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. ET on NBC followed by USA Network broadcast from 6 p.m. ET through 10:30 p.m. ET. while Peacock will host full event coverage.
No. 45 DEX Imaging Lamborghini GT3 EVO2 Drivers
Kyle Marcelli: “Indianapolis was a positive race for us in the No. 45, and a good platform to launch us into Road Atlanta 10-hour, Petit Le Mans! While the circuit length is a similar 2.5-mile, the race flow at Indianapolis and Road Atlanta could not be more different! Road Atlanta is high-speed, high-risk and old school. Managing the faster LMP2 and GTP prototype traffic is critical for both survival and speed. Our spotters and strategists will be extremely valuable to us behind the wheel. While IMSA is thriving and GTD is more competitive than ever, we are excited for the challenge and aiming to end our 2024 campaign with another best finish for the DEX Imaging Lamborghini Huracan."”
Danny Formal: “Well, just like that the season comes to an end. The last race of the year, Petit Le Mans 10 -hour race. Amazing racetrack, amazing facility. This was my second ever race in IMSA competition in 2020 was at Road Atlanta, so it brings back a lot of memories for me. We had a great test there last month and Graham got up to speed quickly. Kyle and I were on pace with everyone else there, so super excited and so grateful to be hard of this team - especially for this race, it's just going to be insane. I'm so grateful to be part of Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti and the DEX Imaging No. 45. We've been preparing for this one. We finished on the lead lap at Indy, our first top 10 in an endurance round. We will keep the momentum going and hopefully we get a top five here at Road Atlanta.”
Graham Doyle: “After Indy, which I believe was a turning point for the No. 45 endurance crew, we are looking to capitalize on our momentum and continue our positive growth into the final race of the season. It's truly unbelievable that the 2024 season is coming to a close, and looking back, the improvement in our performance has been incredible. Ending at an iconic track like Road Atlanta, we hope to maintain this momentum and finish the season on a high note.”
ABOUT WTRANDRETTI
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.
ABOUT WTRANDRETTI
Based in Indianapolis, Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti (WTRAndretti) is a global motorsports organization that combines the resources of its two Championship-caliber teams to compete in the top classes of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the North America Lamborghini Super Trofeo series.
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