DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – They’re going to “leave the light on” for another year at Performance Tech Motorsports.
The IMSA Prototype Challenge team has extended its sponsorship agreement through 2021 with Motel 6, whose famous tagline is, “We’ll leave the light on for you.” The hotel chain will again sponsor the No. 6 Performance Tech Ligier JS P3 during the 2021 IMSA Prototype Challenge season with drivers Rasmus Lindh and Dan Goldburg.
Goldburg placed fourth in this year’s Prototype Challenge driver standings, with the No. 6 finishing fifth in the team competition. Goldburg and Lindh had a season-best finish of second place at Road America.
“I am very excited to kick off my second year in IMSA Prototype Challenge,” Goldburg said. “Rasmus and I enter the season with so much more going for us. First off, we have committed to run the full year together, where 2020 was a partial year as a driver pairing and some of the events were organized last minute. Rasmus and I are already working together to plan out everything we need to be successful together for 2021.”
Lindh teamed with Goldburg for the final five races of the 2020 Prototype Challenge season, providing a foundation to build upon for 2021.
“I’m very proud to represent Motel 6 for the upcoming season in IMSA Prototype Challenge,” Lindh said. “I’m also really looking forward to racing with Performance Tech Motorsports and my friend and teammate Dan Goldburg. We are used to each other after racing in 2020 and can now work great together during the upcoming season. I think this all will allow us to be very competitive in 2021.”
Brent O’Neill, team principal at Performance Tech Motorsports, is confident that the continuity of drivers, team and sponsor will lead to even more success in the coming season.
“It’s so exciting to have Motel 6 back with us,” O’Neill said. “When we first met the group in 2020, it was clear we had a lot of common ideas and morals. For us to have success in such an unprecedented year was a testament to how well we meshed. This season holds a lot of exciting opportunities as we run Ligier JS P3’s in IMSA Prototype Challenge and WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and we’re proud to have Motel 6 on the journey with us.”
Performance Tech Names 16-Year-Old for Rolex 24 LMP3 Entry
Performance Tech Motorsports also announced that 16-year-old Mateo Llarena from Guatemala will be one of the drivers in its No. 38 Ligier JS P320 entered in the Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) class for the 2021 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season opener, the Rolex 24 At Daytona.
Llarena has been racing since he started in karting at age 4. By age 14, he moved to FIA Formula 4. His talent caught the eye of Porsche AG Motorsports and earned an invitation to the 2020 Mobil 1 Supercup Europe season, where he was the youngest entrant. Llarena has also tested in an LMP3 car.
“After a weekend spent testing an LMP3, I got connected with Brent (O’Neill) and Performance Tech and was able to get a deal set for the Rolex 24 in January,” Llarena said. “I already feel good in the car and we have a test at Sebring before the race, so I think I will feel even stronger once we arrive at Daytona.”
The remainder of the No. 38 driver lineup has yet to be named.
CORE autosport Adds Kurtz, McMurry to No. 54 LMP3 Lineup
CORE autosport has named its drivers for the endurance rounds of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship LMP3 season to team with full-season drivers Jon Bennett and Colin Braun in the No. 54 Composite Resources/CrowdStrike Ligier JS P320. George Kurtz will be the third driver for the four endurance rounds and two-time WeatherTech Championship champion Matt McMurry will join the team as a fourth driver for the Rolex 24 At Daytona.
Kurtz has driven with Braun before, including the 2020 SRO GT World Challenge America, where the pair finished second in the Pro-Am Championship.
“I’ve known Colin for a long time and followed his success with CORE,” Kurtz said. “This relationship is an extension of a successful run with Colin in sports cars, including our recent class win at the SRO Indy 8 Hour race and a successful Spa 24 Hour debut. I know CORE operates with a high level of professionalism, which is important to me if the car is carrying the CrowdStrike logo. I’ve been racing GT cars most recently, but I’m thrilled to get back to Prototypes, where my racing career began.”
McMurry is the reigning WeatherTech Championship GT Daytona (GTD) champion along with Mario Farnbacher. In 2019, McMurry took home the drivers’ title in the Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) class.
“I’m so excited to be joining CORE for the Rolex 24,” McMurry said. “They’re one of the biggest names in American sports car racing, so it’s an honor to get to join them. I look forward to working with Colin, Jon and George and fighting for a win with them.”