Adam Adelson and Elliott Skeer will return to the No. 120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R for the 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season to make a second run at the GTD championship. Australian racer Tom Sargent will join for the …
Adam Adelson and Elliott Skeer will return to the No. 120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R for the 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season to make a second run at the GTD championship. Australian racer Tom Sargent will join for the endurance events, and the team will add young Turkish racer Ayhancan Güven for Daytona.
Adelson and Skeer scored three podium finishes in their rookie season, including a victory in the six-hour Battle on the Bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with Jan Heylen. Also in 2024, the pair captured the Fanatec GT World Challenge America Pro title. They will look to add to Wright Motorsports’ list of successes in what will be the team’s 25th year.
“It’s a pleasure to have Adam and Elliott back for another season,” said team owner John Wright. “Their growth during their first IMSA WeatherTech season was remarkable, and they brought a great deal of energy to the team. Their victory at Indianapolis Motor Speedway proved they have what it takes to excel in this highly competitive class, and we’re excited to build on that success in 2025.”
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Adelson especially expects to be more competitive with a season of WeatherTech Championship competition under his belt.
“Coming into Daytona this year for the second time is a totally different feeling,” said Adelson. “Last year, we had no idea what to expect during the IMSA season, but we quickly found that the preparation we did was paying off. This year we actually know what to expect and can rely on that experience to try and bring home even better results. Aside from that, I’m beyond excited to be racing with Tom and Ayhancan, who are both exceptional talents. We may have one of the youngest driver line-ups in the field, but with that comes plenty of motivation and hunger for success on track.”
Joining Adelson and Skeer for the Michelin Endurance Cup events, Sargent brings a wealth of talent and a proven track record. The Australian driver progressed through karting and Formula Ford before entering North American sports car racing. A race winner in the Porsche Carrera Cup North America and the 2024 Fanatec GT World Challenge America series, Sargent will bolster the team’s efforts in endurance competition.
Güven will join the line-up for the Rolex 24 At Daytona. The 26-year-old Turkish driver began his motorsport journey in karting before transitioning to sim racing and earning a place as a Porsche Junior driver in 2019. Güven holds multiple titles, including championships in the Porsche Carrera Cup France, Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Benelux, and the Asian Le Mans Series. The Rolex 24 will mark his debut with Wright Motorsports.
Porsche may not have had its best day in GTP, but it doesn’t get much better than a double victory at Indianapolis in the GT categories. Not only did AO Racing overcome a qualifying penalty to take its third GTD PRO victory of the season, but Wright …
Porsche may not have had its best day in GTP, but it doesn’t get much better than a double victory at Indianapolis in the GT categories. Not only did AO Racing overcome a qualifying penalty to take its third GTD PRO victory of the season, but Wright Motorsports took the GTD win, the first for Adam Adelson and Elliott Skeer, joined by Jan Heylen for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s six-hour Battle on the Bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Laurin Heinrich had the fastest time in Saturday’s qualifying session, but post-session tech found that the No. 77 Porsche 911 GT3 R didn’t meet the minimum ride height rules. Nevertheless, Heinrich and Michael Christensen recovered nicely, moving steadily through the field and drove to a 12.527s margin of victory over the No. 64 Ford Multimatic Motorsports Mustang GT3 of Mike Rockenfeller and Harry Tincknell.
“I think starting from the very back and knowing that many cars in front of me were Bronze drivers or slower drivers, it’s easy to get overambitious,” Heinrich said of advancing through the field. “I really told myself that I want to hold a bit back and don’t rush too much because I knew it’s a long race, six hours, and we knew rain was coming. That was my approach. I wanted to get them one by one, and I think that worked out pretty well.
“Soon I realized I had good pace and fuel saved when I needed, and when I needed to attack, I took them one by one. … It’s also good for me to prove it to myself that I can do something like this.”
Rockenfeller qualified the No. 64 Mustang third, but found himself at the front after a bit of yo-yoing through the field. It was the final pit stop that proved decisive, though, as the AO crew got Christensen out of the pits in first and he used the clear track in front of him to good effect. Rockenfeller and Tincknell matched their second-place finish at VIR in the last outing.
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“Rocky had a really good start and it looked like we were capable of running up front,” said Tincknell. “The rain gradually picked up, and we made a good strategy call to go to wets. We were behind the safety car for a long time, so the team decided to box and put on new tires. I hopped into the car and the stop sent us to the back. I had a lot of fun moving through the field. This was the second time I’ve ever driven this car in the wet, and I wasn’t sure what to expect. The car performed really well and sliced through the field.
“I made it up to podium position, and we decisively changed back to slicks. That phase of the race brought us to the lead. Some lapped traffic kept me on my toes, and I was challenged by a competitor behind me. I was giving it every single ounce I could. Unfortunately, we came out of the final pit second. The car is really showing its strengths across all conditions.”
Antonio Garcia and Alexander Sims in the No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Z06 GT3.R took third ahead of Jack Hawksworth and Ben Barnicoat in the No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Racing Lexus RC F GT3.
Heart of Racing doubled up on its GTD PRO effort by moving the second Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo from GTD, but still the best that Ross Gunn and Alex Riberas could do was fifth in the No. 23 Aston. It allowed Heinrich and AO to stretch their championship lead over Gunn and Heart of Racing to 99 points. A tough day for the No. 01 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 meant an eighth-place finish for Bryan Sellers, Madison Snow and Neil Verhagen, all but eliminating Sellers and Snow from the championship as they now have a 219-point deficit going into Petit Le Mans.
It’s always good when the only sight your competition sees is the tail of your car. Once again Wright Motorsports bounced back from a hard recent go and slip-slided to a win at the Brickyard. Jake Galstad/Lumen
The No. 120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R had an impressive debut at Daytona, but the mid-season has been fraught with struggles. The No. 120 led the class for most of the Indy race, with Heylen driving the final stint and taking a 2.465s victory over a charging Robby Foley in the No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 he shared with Patrick Gallagher and Jake Walker.
Adelson started 15th in the 22-car GTD field, but advanced steadily to hand the car to Heylen in fifth. Heylen took it to the front before turning it over to Skeer for a double stint before taking the car to the finish. Overall, the No. 120 Porsche led 140 laps of the 207 they completed.
“Usually, it’s just survive and stay on the lead lap and try to stay as high up in the pack as you can,” Adelson said. “Today I really felt like I made a difference. The driver order, after that, just with the yellows and the rain, it just made sense to keep me in for the first 1h30m, 1h40m, and hand off to Jan and have Elliott double and have Jan finish because we wanted him to finish.”
“Adam was definitely in the most changing conditions out there, and ultimately he did an unbelievable job driving through the field in the middle of the rain and chaos to put us in a strong position. Then it became the job of both Jan and myself just to minimize any losses,” added Skeer.
The drivers hadn’t really been comfortable with the car after missing most of the first practice session due to contact. Even in qualifying, they felt they still hadn’t made the right calls. For the race, the car was great in all conditions.
“I think we really didn’t have the right setup on the car, and we didn’t get it right for qualy either, so we kind of threw the kitchen sink at it … but in a very calculated way with a lot of intent in every single change,” Adelson said. “I have to give a really strong shout out to the guys at Wright Motorsports because they really pulled a rabbit out of the hat with that one and gave us an incredible, incredible car that worked great in the dry, worked great in the wet. It was comfortable to drive. It was just amazing.”
Kenton Koch, Mikael Grenier and Mike Skeen finished third in the No. 32 Korthoff Preston Motorsports Mercedes AMG that saw its first victory in the most recent race at VIR, ahead of the No. 78 Forte Racing Lamborghini Huracan driven by Loris Spinelli, Misha Goikhberg and Devlin DeFrancesco. Championship leaders Winward Racing with Russell Ward, Philip Ellis and Indy Dontje were fifth.
That fifth-place finish means Ward and Ellis don’t go into the finale with the championship in hand, but they only need to start the race to secure the title.
As RACER reported last week, the Brad Pitt racing movie centered on Formula 1 is filming at Daytona International Speedway during the Roar Before the 24 and the Rolex 24 at Daytona, with real life IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship cars and …
As RACER reported last week, the Brad Pitt racing movie centered on Formula 1 is filming at Daytona International Speedway during the Roar Before the 24 and the Rolex 24 at Daytona, with real life IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship cars and action expected to be featured. Both Wright Motorsports and Turner Motorsports cars are connected to the filming.
Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Joseph Kosinski, the not-yet-officially titled movie (although it has been referred to as “Apex”) stars Pitt as former F1 driver Sonny Hayes brought back to help an F1 rookie played by Damson Idris. It also counts Lewis Hamilton as a producer through his Dawn Apollo Films, and he’s expected to be on screen as well.
The No. 120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3R has been liveried the same as a second car that’s being used for filming, the only difference being the movie car has the names “S. Hayes,” “C. Kelso,” and “P. Long” above the door — the latter being former Porsche factory driver Patrick Long. The camera-laden 911 sits next to Wright’s real entry in the Daytona garage, with the banner above it reading “Chip Hart Racing.”
Prop cart from “Chip Heart Racing.” Richard S. James
Wright’s drivers have been seen wearing suits identical to their own for this race, but with “Hayes” sewn where their name would be. Wright driver Elliot Skeer was called away from Media Day activities on Wednesday to do some driving on a day when no on-track activity was scheduled. Skeer will share the No. 120 with Adam Adelson, Jan Heylen and Porsche factory pilot Fred Makowiecki for the Rolex 24 at Daytona.
In addition to the car housed next to Wright’s real entry, there are at least two other cars with the same shades-of-blue livery, one made to look like it had been through 24 hours of racing. Other cars involved in the filming are scattered throughout the paddock, including a spare pair of Turner Motorsports BMW M4 GT3s and a Lola B2K/10 prototype fitted with a camera rig at the rear.
Other film-related sightings around Daytona International Speedway include a vintage Volkswagen bus.
Bruckheimer, who also produced another Daytona movie, Days of Thunder, has been named Grand Marshal for the 62nd Rolex 24 at Daytona, which officially begins on Thursday, Jan. 25.
“Daytona International Speedway is an iconic venue and it’s going to be an honor to give the command for the Rolex 24 At Daytona,” said Bruckheimer. “I’ve been here for the biggest NASCAR race and now I can’t wait to experience one of the most prestigious sports car races in the world.”
Following their inaugural season competing in the Fanatec GT World Challenge America’s Pro/Am class, Adam Adelson and Elliott Skeer are moving to IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s GTD class with Wright Motorsports. The pair will run the five …
Following their inaugural season competing in the Fanatec GT World Challenge America’s Pro/Am class, Adam Adelson and Elliott Skeer are moving to IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s GTD class with Wright Motorsports. The pair will run the five Michelin Endurance Cup rounds with Wright regular Jan Heylen, plus the sprint at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Porsche factory driver Fred Makowiecki will complete the lineup in the Porsche 911 GT3 R for the Rolex 24 At Daytona.
“We’re proud to see another Wright Motorsports effort move up to face new challenges,” said team owner John Wright. “Adam and Elliott had a strong season last year in SRO America’s GT World Challenge America, and our team is well-equipped to ensure a strong debut in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. With Jan and Fred alongside them, we are eager to see what we can achieve in this fiercely competitive series.”
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Adelson and Skeer’s move to the GTD class comes on the heels of a GT World Challenge Pro/Am season in which they secured six victories and an additional podium finish. The pair, along with Wright Motorsports, took second place in the championship standings.
In addition to the heightened competition, Adelson and Skeer will face longer races, transitioning from GT World Challenge’s 90-minute format to races spanning from six hours to 24. Jan Heylen, a seasoned coach and driver for Wright Motorsports, will bring endurance experience to the team, including a Rolex 24 win. Frenchman Makowiecki’s endurance racing record includes victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Twelve Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans.
In Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS, Jan Heylen and Madison Snow took home the win in the PRO Class, with teammates Elliot Skeer and Adam Adelson winning the PRO-AM Class at Sebring International Raceway. The field had the …
In Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS, Jan Heylen and Madison Snow took home the win in the PRO Class, with teammates Elliot Skeer and Adam Adelson winning the PRO-AM Class at Sebring International Raceway. The field had the additional challenge of high temperatures alongside the bumps and technicality of the 3.741-mile, 17-turn circuit.
The grid lineup for race one saw a couple of changes before the green flag flew. After the field made its way through tech, the No. 38 ST Racing BMW M4 GT3 had its qualifying laps removed due to an infraction. With those laps removed, Madison Snow came into race one as the GT3 lap record holder for SRO Motorsports America at Sebring.
PRO Class
The PRO Class was consistent throughout the duration of the opening stints. Snow led Chandler Hull, Ashton Harrison, Seth Lucas and Manny Franco in qualifying order. Heylen in the No. 45 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R made no use of his rear-view mirror leading through to the checkered flag. Bill Auberlen in the No. 94 BimmerWorld BMW M4 GT3 never got the look at Heylen he was hoping for, keeping the BMW firmly in second place. The action in the PRO Class all happened from the third place back in the closing laps.
The third-place finish came together for the No. 53 MDK Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R of Lucas and Trenton Estep in the final minutes of the race. Estep steered clear of an incident between the No. 93 Racers Edge Motorsport Acura NSX GT3 and No. 28 RS1 Porsche 911 GT3 R. Fourth place was up in the air at the checkered flag due to a post-race penalty served to Stevan McAleer in the No. 28 RS1 Porsche 911 GT3 R after an over-correction on track put him in the side of Mario Farnbacher in the No. 93 Racers Edge Motorsport Acura NSX GT3. Fourth place would go to Farnbacher as the post-race time penalty was added to McAleer’s finishing time. McAleer inherited fifth place.
Franco and Alessandro Balzan in the No. 21 Conquest Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 had a heartbreaking early end to the race. Balzan pulled the car off course and came to a stop on the final lap of the race, settling the entry with a sixth-place finish.
SRO America
PRO-AM Class
Pole sitter George Kurtz in the No. 04 CrowdStrike Mercedes-AMG GT3 had an issue with a tire change during the pit stop, giving the lead over to Adam Adelson and Elliot Skeer in the No. 120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R. Colin Braun put his head down once out of pit lane and began recovery. However, Neil Verhagen was a man on fire and elbowed his way past Braun to take over second place in the No. 38 ST Racing BMW M4 GT3. Braun would finish the race in third. Verhagen’s pass for second made for a wonderful recovery of its own. Samantha Tan had a seemingly stellar start after beginning from the rear of the field due to a drive-through penalty for an infraction during race start procedures.
The No. 007 TRG Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 of Derek DeBoer and Ross Gunn finished fourth. They were gifted the opportunity to advance after an incident at the start. DeBoer protected the fourth-place position before handing it over to Gunn, who kept the car clean while fighting for the podium.
The fifth-place position was captured by Bryan Sellers and Scott Smithson in the No. 08 DXDT Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3. The entry began the race in seventh, but they too capitalized on the incident on the opening lap, which included the DXDT Racing sister car.
On the opening lap of the race, Anthony Bartone in the No. 43 RealTime Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 and Jeff Burton in the No. 91 DXDT Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 spun together. Justin Wetherill in the No. 33 Triarsi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3 was forced to come to a full stop before collecting Burton as his Mercedes was still perpendicular on the track when Wetherill was rounding Turn 1.
The No. 33 Triarsi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3 of Wetherill and Ryan Dalziel finished sixth after carrying on from the hectic start. Bartone and co-driver Adam Christodoulou in the No. 43 RealTime Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 finished eighth. Burton, with teammate Corey Lewis, fought through to finish eighth after serving a drive-through penalty for a pit lane speed violation in the No. 91 DXDT Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3.
The final race of the weekend takes place Sunday, Sept. 24 at 2 p.m., streamed on the GT World YouTube channel.
