Performance Tech Motorsports took its final curtain call of the 2019 race season with a knockout performance at Sebring International Raceway.
Performance Tech Motorsports partook in the second annual MICHELIN IMSA Sportscar Encore earning the team’s first LMP3 pole of the 2019 season while adding a few new faces into the mix. The four-hour endurance race around the historic 17 turn, 3.74-mile course presents teams with a unique opportunity to simulate a race weekend for old and new drivers alike outside the pressure of a championship hunt.
Team Principal Brent O’Neill took advantage of the situation to begin transitioning from the 2019 season to the 2020 season.
“It’s always great to spend a weekend at our home track, especially as we prepare for such an exciting upcoming season,” O’Neill said. “Blake laid down a mega lap and got pole. Cameron and Max didn’t skip a beat getting used to driving together. Both Dan and Baylor hopped into the LMP3 and were on pace which is impressive. With all that being said, racing can be full of unknowns. It was terrible to have lost a dear member of the racing community during the Encore, fellow LMP3 driver Dr. Tim George. Our thoughts and sincere condolences go out to his wife, family, and friends.
Veteran driver Cameron Cassels, British Columbia, switched things up this weekend welcoming 2019 Performance Tech LMP3 Driver Max Hanratty, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as his co-driver in the No. 75 NorCan Electric Ligier LMP3. The duo wasted no time in acclimating to one another’s driving styles immediately focusing on setting up the car for the relentless bumps of Sebring International Raceway’s terrain. The pair ended their season on a high note qualifying second for the four-hour race, only .012 second behind teammate Blake Mount, Littleton, Colorado, and going on to finish fifth.
Mount celebrated his 1:59.774 qualifying lap while welcoming two new drivers to the No. 6 Motel 6 Ligier LMP3. He was joined by veteran driver and 2019 Spec E30 Champion Daniel Goldburg, Delray Beach, and Baylor Griffin, Tampa. The trio finished sixth after four hours of intense racing.
The weekend served as the team’s final race of the season causing all efforts to now turn towards the 2020 season. With a shortened offseason due to the Michelin IMSA Sportscar Encore and two official IMSA sanctioned tests, the team must quickly and efficiently begin the diligent prep necessary on both the LMP2 and LMP3 cars. For the crew, this includes a complete teardown, thorough inspection and rebuild on each car. The drivers will spend their time logging hours on the simulator and pushing their bodies to its limits with physical endurance training.
While driver pairings and car entries are still unannounced, Performance Tech Motorsports preparation for the 2020 season is in full swing at its Deerfield Beach shop. The team will take to the track next during the official IMSA December test at Daytona International Speedway during the first week of December. Follow the team on social media or visit performancetechmotorsports.com to keep up to date on the latest driver announcements and pairings.
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Cameron Cassels, Driver of the No. 75 NorCan Electric Ligier LMP3
“This was my first Michelin Encore event and my first weekend driving with Max Hanratty,” Cassels said. “The No. 75 Performance Tech Ligier LMP3 was an absolute beast throughout the race. We struggled to find pace during the two dry practice sessions on Saturday but everyone at Performance Tech never gave up and got it figured out. For qualifying on Sunday morning we had a race car, narrowly missing pole by .012 seconds. That was close, it was down to the last lap before our sister car was able to nab it at the end putting us second for the start. Congratulations to Blake Mount for a hard-fought pole!”
“Once the green flag flew it was down to business as I was able to get to the front and hold the lead for nearly two hours before a caution at the end of my stint affected our strategy. Unfortunately, that put Max in fifth for his stint after he climbed into the Ligier. Max did a great job driving hard to try and make up for the lost track position. Even though our finishing position of fifth does not reflect it, it was a great success this weekend. I have a lot of work to do to get ready for 2020. This was a great start!”
Max Hanratty, Driver of the No. 75 NorCan Electric Ligier LMP3
“I think the weekend went really well,” Hanratty said. “Some bad luck on pit stops and full course cautions prevented us from the results we wanted, but it was a really strong effort from Cameron and the team to bring the car home in fifth. We struggled with the car early in the weekend but were able to improve the platform every session out. Cameron did a fantastic job in qualifying putting us on the front row and leading the majority of the first two hours of the race. We learned a lot at the Encore and I look forward to continuing our progress and being ready to roll out strong at Daytona. Huge thanks to Brent and the team for all the hard work this weekend”
Blake Mount, Driver of the No. 6 Motels 6 Ligier LMP3
“It’s honestly hard for me to put this weekend into words,” Mount said. “I would say that the overall theme of the weekend was a lot of ‘first times’ for me. With the changes in regulations for the 2020 Prototype Challenge, it meant that I came into the weekend with two new teammates, Baylor Griffin and Dan Goldburg. They both had incredible showings for their debuts in the IMSA series, as well as in the Ligier JS LMP3.”
“Although we struggled with the setup of the car for practice they both were able to get in the car and lay down fairly competitive times with no prior time behind the wheel. This gave me a ton of confidence going into the rest of the weekend. We all worked together at Performance Tech to get a platform we felt confident in for Qualifying.”
“On Sunday we had one practice session to get the car right, it was a hard decision but we did decide to make a big change going into qualifying which meant Cameron Cassels and I both had to learn the new platform and then try to run a fast lap with it. Thankfully the awesome guys at Performance Tech made the right call and we had a great car for qualifying. It was insanely close between myself and our sister car the No. 75 however I was able to slide by on the last lap and put our MJ Holdings No. 6 Ligier on pole! I can’t describe the feeling I had on that cool-down lap, but I can say I was definitely happy and proud of what I was able to accomplish.”
“During my stint Cameron and I were able to just lock-on to each other and push forward, creating almost a minute gap before the first round of pitstops. I brought the car in on my stint in P2 and we ended up having a good pit stop but unfortunately the yellow flags, and some incidents on track kept us from taking the No. 6 home on the podium. That being said I am beyond proud of everyone on the team, and thankful for everyone never giving up. We have a solid car come March and I hope to put her on pole then too. Thank you again to everyone at Performance Tech and Michelin for making this incredible event possible!”
Dan Goldburg, Driver of the No. 6 Motels 6 Ligier LMP3
“Wow, what a weekend,” Goldburg said. “I’ve worked with Performance Tech over the past few years but made my last IMSA debut in the 2013 Prototype Lites season. I am thrilled to be back in an IMSA race, but being that this was my first time in an LMP3 car I had a lot of learning to do. Due to the rain on Saturday morning I only had two short practice sessions in the car before I jumped in during the race. Performance Tech worked hard on the car and made a few changes before qualifying which gave Blake and Cameron the cars to land first and second! Those were mega laps by both drivers and it was very exciting to be on pole for my first IMSA race after 6 years. However, jumping into the car mid-race after the setup had changed quite a bit was challenging. Blake drove a great first stint, and Baylor, having no LMP3 experience either, also drove a great stint. We had a couple of issues during the driver changes and a mistake on my part during the race that set us back a bit. But overall, it was a successful event. I learned a lot about this LMP3 car, the other competitors, and the structure of the Prototype Challenge Series. I expect a lot from myself, and I had hoped we’d finish higher up the chart, but considering the limited practice time and changing car setup I am overall pleased with my teammates and my performances. Now the big question for me is what’s in store for 2020? Brent and I are working closely to figure that out in the next couple weeks.”
