Keeping Tabs on Team Announcements as Focus Shifts to 2022 for Teams, Drivers, Manufacturers
By Mark Robinson
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The dust has barely settled since the checkered flag waved at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta last Saturday night.
But with only two months until cars get back on the racetrack for The Roar Before the Rolex 24 At Daytona, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship teams, drivers and manufacturers aren’t wasting time confirming their plans for 2022. Here’s a roundup of some recent announcements, knowing there’s many more where this came from:
Cetilar Racing Adds GTD Ferrari for Michelin Endurance Cup Races
Cetilar Racing is returning to the WeatherTech Championship in 2022, this time to compete in the GT Daytona (GTD) class at the four IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup events. The Italian outfit entered this year’s Rolex 24 At Daytona in Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2), finishing sixth in class after gearbox issues forced a long pit stop for repairs.
The No. 47 Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo will be driven in all of the races by Roberto Lacorte, Giorgio Sernagiotto and Antonio Fuoco – each of whom was part of this year’s Rolex 24 LMP2 entry. Alessio Rovera, winner this year of the FIA World Endurance Championship’s Endurance Trophy for LMGTE Am drivers, will join the trio for the 2022 Rolex 24.
“The decision to participate in the four most important endurance races of the IMSA championship next year is the result of several factors,” Lacorte said. “The first and most important being the desire to live a new championship as protagonists.
“For Cetilar Racing, it will be a high-level, stimulating challenge, rich in history, tradition and interest. The 24 Hours of Daytona of last January, which we took part in with the LMP2 prototype, was a very nice experience that left a sour taste in our mouths. We therefore promised ourselves that we would come back, and in doing so we decided to extend our presence to the other great classics of the star-spangled calendar, which we look forward to facing in a very competitive category such as GT.”
Jr III Racing Plans Full-Season WeatherTech Championship LMP3 Campaign
Fresh off a runner-up finish in the Motul Petit Le Mans, Jr III Racing is set to contest the 2022 WeatherTech Championship in Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) with drivers Ari Balogh and Garett Grist. The team will field the Airbnb-sponsored Ligier JS P320 in its first full season of WeatherTech Championship competition.
The team made its WeatherTech Championship debut in August at Road America. Balogh, Grist and Spencer Pigot led 102 laps in class Saturday at Michelin Raceway, finishing second to the season-champion No. 74 Riley Motorsports entry.
“I am thrilled to be representing Jr III Racing in the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship next season,” said Grist. “Becoming a part of this team has been seamless and everyone works at a high professional level. Ari and I have shown that we are capable of contending for wins, and by taking this partnership that we have to IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship, we will be in a great position to represent Jr III Racing well.”
Jr III Racing will continue its IMSA Prototype Challenge program with two entries in the LMP3 development series. Balogh and Grist will share a Ligier in the Prototype Challenge as well, with drivers of the second entry to be named.
Paul Miller Racing, Lamborghini Going Separate Ways
After six seasons together that saw them team for six race wins and one GT Daytona championship, Paul Miller Racing and Lamborghini announced they are parting ways in the WeatherTech Championship. Neither the team nor the manufacturer has yet made public their 2022 plans.
Among the victories achieved together were the 2020 Rolex 24 At Daytona and 2018 Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Advance Auto Parts, along with 25 podium finishes and 10 Motul Pole Awards. PMR won last year’s IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup as well and helped Lamborghini secure the overall GTD manufacturer championship in 2018 and 2019, the Michelin Endurance Cup for manufacturers in 2018 and 2020, and this year’s IMSA WeatherTech Sprint Cup.
The crowning achievement was the 2018 WeatherTech Championship GTD title with drivers Bryan Sellers and Madison Snow aboard the No. 48 PMR Huracán. It was the first full-season championship for all involved.
“Our relationship with Lamborghini since 2016 has assisted us in achieving some of our greatest successes to date,” team owner Paul Miller said. “I want to thank them for that partnership over the last six years and thank them for all the hardware we’ve been able to take home on the team, driver and manufacturer side.”
Giorgio Sanna, Head of Lamborghini Motorsport, also expressed his appreciation for the relationship.
“We thank Paul Miller Racing, the entire crew and last but not least Madison and Bryan, for the extraordinary job done with our Huracán GT3,” he said. “They all have massively contributed to our achievements and important milestones for Lamborghini Squadra Corse. We are grateful for their partnership over the last six seasons, and we wish all the best for their future.”
Previous 2022 WeatherTech Championship Team/Driver Announcements
Daytona Prototype international (DPi)
Action Express Racing: No. 31 Whelen Engineering Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R, drivers Pipo Derani and Tristan Nunez (story here)
Chip Ganassi Racing: Two Cadillac DPi-V.Rs, drivers Earl Bamber, Sebastien Bourdais, Alex Lynn and Renger van der Zande (story here)
Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian: No. 60 Acura ARX-05, drivers Oliver Jarvis, Tom Blomqvist and Helio Castroneves (endurance) (story here)
Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2)
High Class Racing: Drivers Anders Fjordbach and Dennis Andersen (story here)
GT Daytona Pro (GTD PRO)
BMW Team RLL: Two BMW M4 GT3 entries, drivers to be named (story here)
Corvette Racing: No. 3 Corvette C8.R, drivers Antonio Garcia, Jordan Taylor and Nicky Catsburg (endurance) (story here)
Vasser Sullivan Racing: One Lexus RC F GT3, drivers to be named (story here)
GT Daytona (GTD)
Vasser Sullivan Racing: One Lexus RC F GT3, drivers to be named (story here)