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.

 

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.”

 

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.

 

The Super Production Challenge (SPC) series presented three races last weekend as part of the 54th edition of the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières. After finishing Race 1 in sixth position Friday evening in torrential rain, Trois-Rivières driver Frédérick Magny was the victim of a serious accident on the ninth lap of Race 2, presented Saturday on a dry track.

 

Driving the #12 car, Frédérick was in fifth place when on the ninth lap, he suffered a complete electronic failure of the ABS system at the end of the start/finish straight. Deprived of any means of braking, he hit the tire wall, forming the protection of turn 1 of the Trois-Rivières track, head-on at an estimated speed of 146 km/h. He got himself out of the crashed car and taken to the track's medical center, then to the Trois-Rivières hospital. Frédérick Magny suffered a fracture to his right foot that requires surgery in the coming days, as well as a fracture to a cervical vertebra. He remains hospitalized and will then have to respect a convalescence period of approximately six months.

 

Witnessing the situation, the officials of the Super Production Challenge series would like to thank the rescue teams of the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières, the doctors and the hospital staff for their work and the care provided to the driver in the best possible conditions.

 

Experienced and talented, Frédérick started in SPC series in 2015. Driver for M-Performances team, he has collected three overall Top 5s and twelve Top 10s to date. He was competing in his twenty-ninth race in the series on Saturday.

 

Wishing to respect medical confidentiality, the series officials will not make any further comments on this subject. It would also be appreciated to comment on this news on social networks and elsewhere with messages of encouragement for Frédérick Magny, who has already expressed his desire to go looking for a new car, to replace his Nissan Z destroyed on Saturday, for the next seasons of Super Production Challenge!

 

Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin - Jean-Frédéric Laberge and Kyle Marcelli competed at Road America this weekend for the Fanatec GT World Challenge event. The Canadian duo secured third place in the Pro-Am Class in their debut race, a testament to the team’s strong pairing.

 

Although Laberge participated in the GT America races at VIRginia International Raceway last month, this was his first time competing in a Fanatec GT World Challenge race. He was behind the wheel of the No. 92 Dagobert / Éclair Porsche 992 GT3 R, prepared by GT Racing.

 

“We’re at a disadvantage compared to other teams who have been competing since the beginning of the season,” stated Laberge. “However, I have to commend Eric Côté’s crew for their stellar performance all weekend. GT Racing has brought us up to speed in no time. With Kyle Marcelli as a co-driver, everything fell into place for us this weekend.”

 

In the first qualifying session, Laberge set the 7th fastest lap in the Pro-Am Class, while Marcelli placed the Porsche 992 GT3 R in 5th position for Race 2.

 

The Hard Charger Award that the co-drivers earned in Race 1 highlighted their success. Laberge started the race in 13th place and quickly made his way toward the front of the field. By the end of lap 1, he was 11th overall, eventually climbing to 7th overall.

 

Kyle Marcelli then took over and gained two positions, however he was passed on a restart and ran 6th place overall—3rd in the Pro-Am Class—for the remainder of the race, securing the team’s first podium in its debut outing.

 

"I think we exceeded our expectations in Race 1,” said Marcelli. “We came in with a mindset to avoid mistakes both on track and in the pit lane, and to ensure our choreography was dialed in. We executed a solid pit stop, hitting the mark without going over or under, and we checked all the boxes we aimed for. The podium was just the cherry on top, and we're really grateful we were able to pull it off.”

 

He continued, explaining, “Our speed is consistently improving. We're benchmarking ourselves against the other Porsches, and while we're faster than some and slower than others, we're currently in the middle of the pack. There's still a bit more speed to be found from our car, and a few small details to iron out, but we're very close and really happy with our performance in this first race."

 

Race 2 unfortunately didn’t go as planned. Marcelli started the race and kept out of trouble. However, when Jean-Frédéric Laberge took over, he was spun out by a competitor while running 12th overall. Laberge was relegated to the end of the field but didn’t lose a lap. GT Racing’s outfit finished the race 7th in class.

 

“It was a great learning experience,” said Laberge. “I am overall very happy with the outcome of the weekend. Race 2 was tougher than the first, but I’m pleased to see that we were running consistently and setting good lap times. Kyle has been a tremendous co-driver, and I really value his input. I can’t wait to get back behind the wheel in just two weeks at Barber Motorsports Park.”

 

The Fanatec GT World Challenge now heads south for their penultimate round of the season at the famed Barber Motorsports Park on September 7 and 8.

 

Montréal, Quebec - Jean-Frédéric Laberge is set to partner with seasoned driver Kyle Marcelli for the remainder of the SRO Fanatec GT World Challenge America season. The dynamic duo will be commanding the #92 Dagobert / Éclair Porsche 992 GT3 R, meticulously prepared by MMG and GT Racing, and are aiming to make a significant impact on the track.

 

The next race on the calendar is scheduled to take place at the iconic Road America circuit in two weeks time. This partnership marks an exciting chapter for Laberge, who is eager to learn from Marcelli's extensive experience and expertise in the sport. With their combined skills, they are poised to chase victories and fine-tune their strategies while looking ahead to a strong 2025 campaign next year.

 

Laberge expressed his enthusiasm about the new collaboration, stating, "I am thrilled to be racing alongside Kyle Marcelli, a true professional and an accomplished driver. His experience and knowledge are invaluable, and I am confident that together we can achieve great things this season. My goal is to claim podiums and build a solid foundation for an even stronger 2025 season."

 

Kyle Marcelli shared his excitement about the partnership, highlighting the potential of their new racing alliance. “I'm excited to return to GT World Challenge America. The last full-time campaign I had was in 2019, and we had a lot of success that year, winning the Pro-Am Championship. I did a few races in 2020, and since then I've primarily been racing elsewhere. I'm looking forward to returning to the SRO paddock.”

 

"It's funny how, in this sport and in life, relationships are so important,” he continued. “I met JF back in 2012 while racing in the Porsche Carrera Cup Canada series, and we've always maintained a dialogue. Now here we are, teaming up for this program. I'm grateful for the opportunity and really excited. JF is a great guy and a fantastic driver, and I look forward to building a friendship and a relationship both on and off the track.”

 

“The folks at MMG are familiar faces, and it's a small world and a small community, but I haven't worked directly with too many of them. I'm looking forward to that as well. The Porsche will be a new GT3 car for me. The last time I drove a Porsche was in 2014, just for a test at Daytona. It's a unique car that requires a different driving style, but I always look forward to the challenge.”

 

"I think we can be competitive. We need to keep our expectations within reason, as it's a new car for the team, for JF, and for me. The level of competition is high in SRO with good teams and drivers. We just need to put one foot in front of the other. I definitely expect us to challenge for podium results, and the goal is to find ourselves on the podium and try to win one of these races in the last three rounds."

 

Laberge and Marcelli will be at thelm of the #92 Dagobert / Éclair machine on August 17th and 18th at Road America, the National Park of Speed. Fans can watch the races on the official GT World YouTube channel.