By: Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti
August 19, 2024
August 19, 2024
The Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti (WTRAndretti) No. 45 DEX Imaging Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 team will finish out the sprint portion of the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship at VIRginia International Raceway (VIR). With a string of three consecutive sprint events, the No. 45 GTD team remain within the top 10 in the championship points standings.
Kyle Marcelli will return behind the wheel of the No. 45 DEX Imaging Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 alongside co-driver, Danny Formal, after missing the last round at Road America due to a minor arm injury. Both Marcelli and Formal have success at the 3.27-mile road course as the pair swept both races for the win in the 2023 Lamborghini Super Trofeo Championship. Marcelli and Formal will be looking to capitalize on their familiarity with VIR as they have finished inside the top six in three of the four sprint races thus far this season.
“I am really proud of this team and drivers,” said Wayne Taylor, Team Principal, WTRAndretti. “Our organization took on a lot this year with our expansion into GTD, so to be sitting in the Top 10 in the Championship, we should be proud. We still have a few races to go and I am excited to see what more we can achieve. With the support of DEX Imaging and Lamborghini, I am confident we will continue to show our strength on and off the track.”
The No. 45 DEX Imaging Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 team will begin preparations at VIR with practice at 2:30 p.m. ET on Friday, August 23 followed by qualifying on Saturday, August 24, at 4:50 p.m. ET. The Michelin GT Challenge at VIR is set for 12:10 p.m. ET for the two-hour, 40-minute sprint with broadcast beginning at 12 p.m. ET on USA Network and Peacock.
No. 45 DEX Imaging Lamborghini GT3 EVO2 Drivers
Kyle Marcelli: “VIR is a special place to drive. It’s a unique, old-school circuit that is high risk, high reward. The layout offers a variety of low-speed and high-speed corners along with elevation and lots of curb strikes making this place an engineering challenge, and often a give-and-take mentality. I'm excited to return to the No. 45 DEX Imaging Lamborghini for what is the final sprint race of the season. The goal is clear, we will do everything we can to get a podium finish.”
Danny Formal: “VIR is up next - the last round of the sprint championship. It is my favorite track in the world. Just one of those tracks that commitment is everything and risking it gets the biscuit, so super excited to get back to VIR. I’m excited to get back to racing with Kyle, my teammate for many, many years. It was great to race with Sandy at Road America and it's great to have Kyle back also. It's going to be a hot weekend, it's always muggy at VIR but our No.45 DEX Imaging Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 team is ready to go for it. It's the last sprint round, so we are going for a podium. We really advanced the car in Road America, especially during the race, our race pace was quite good, so super excited and ready for it.”
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.
Canadians In BOLD