Compass Racing will head into its seventeenth consecutive season in IMSA competition – and its fourth with manufacturer partner McLaren – when the first round of WeatherTech’s Sprint Cup eight-race season begins at Long Beach, CA on April 17th-19th.
Long-time team driver and McLaren Factory pro Paul Holton, who brought the squad a number of dramatic wins at the helm of a McLaren 570S GT4 – including Long Beach in 2018 and Daytona in 2019 – returns to the team with new co-driver Corey Fergus. Fergus himself is no stranger to the brand, having competed in a McLaren in the Michelin Pilot Challenge for the past two years, finishing second in the championship last season.
“We are truly excited to have Paul and Corey drive together in the Sprint Cup this season,” enthused Team Owner Jill Beck. “All of the pieces we’d hoped have come together, and we head into our second year with the McLaren 720S GT3 in a very strong position. The No. 76 car will once again feature primary sponsorship from our partner Richard Mille, with great support from US LED, AERO Paint, the Torque Show and our friends at McLaren Automotive.”
The team comes off a strong end to the 2019 Sprint Cup season, which saw steady improvements in the 720S GT3 around the globe. As the only team in North America to compete with the platform, Compass Racing has proudly flown the flag for McLaren in IMSA to position the car for success.
“IMSA’s GTD championship is perhaps the most competitive in the world, and last season we ‘earned the right’ to be competitive by contesting the full Sprint Cup,” remarked Holton. “For 2020, we expect to be in a position to fight for wins, podiums and the championship.”
Fergus is equally effusive. “I’ve raced against Compass for the past few seasons, and I could not be happier to join them. They are truly fierce competitors who are focussed on one goal: to bring McLaren the IMSA Sprint Cup championship.”
Compass Racing is also proud to continue the team’s relationship with The Race Day Foundation, who bring children and families dealing with life-changing illnesses to the race track for a day away from their regular routine. Many other IMSA teams support the charity, which will have an expanded presence in sportscar paddocks this year.
The team is busy preparing for testing at Sebring at Road Atlanta in March, which will include direct technical support from the manufacturer. “We’ll have Rob Boakes from McLaren, who was with us for the entire year in 2019, along with a number of other top engineers from England, working with us to refine what is an already very good package,” noted Beck.
The Long Beach Grand Prix will be broadcast live on April 18th at 2:00pm PT on NBCSN.