January 30, 2019 – Daytona, Florida – PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports finished 4th at the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona scoring valuable points for the rest of the 2019 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
High hopes surrounded PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports after their performance at the Roar Before the Rolex 24 where they posted the fastest lap time in the LMP2 class. When the historic weekend finally came around, the team was prepared and had a full line-up of drivers that included Matt McMurry, Gabriel Aubry, Mark Kvamme, and Enzo Guibbert. Aubry qualified the #52 ORECA 07 in 2nd with a time of 1:36.42.
Aubry gave PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports a clean start to the 57th running of the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona and maintained an excellent pace for the first few hours of the race. Significant rainfall was looming on the event and accidents began to happen in the early stages of the shifting weather. Kvamme suffered a spin that lead to another car making contact with the right rear of the #52. The car was sent back to the garage where the crew of PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports worked diligently to get back on track. Although laps accumulated between PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports and the rest of the LMP2 entries, the team knew it was most important to finish and that anything can happen in this level of an endurance race.
Around four or five in the morning, the weather became relentless. Many competitors fell victim to the inclement conditions and never made it back out on the track. Race control threw the first red flag on Sunday morning where they waited over an hour for the rain to let up. Attempting to go green again, the officials did their best to keep the race going but were forced to have the competitors follow a safety car under yellow for two hours. Another green was attempted, but the Rolex 24 at Daytona was eventually cut eleven minutes short. As the checkered flag waved, PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports saw had survived the fight finishing in 4th.
The second race of the 2019 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship will be another test of endurance at the 12 Hours of Sebring on March 16th. For tickets and more information visit https://sportscarchampionship.imsa.com/events/2019-mobil-1-twelve-hours-sebring-presented-advance-auto-parts
Matt McMurry
Driver
#52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Oreca 07 LMP2
“We had a great car and driver lineup going into the race, and we're definitely hoping for better than 4th place. Sadly, the accident in turn one and the rain pretty much denied us any chance of getting on the podium. Everyone on the team did a great job all weekend, and we learned a lot about the car, so we’re in a good position for Sebring in March.”
Gabriel Aubry
Driver
#52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Oreca 07 LMP2
“The team and drivers had a strong start to the week, and even a good fight for top position in the first few hours of race. Unfortunately, in endurance racing, mistakes can come quickly and this one blew our chances early in the race. I’m proud that everyone fought through the very end of this 24-hour race in such terrible conditions. We keep our heads up, focusing on the good work achieved during the week, and we are looking forward to the next big event in Sebring!”
Mark Kvamme
Driver
#52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Oreca 07 LMP2
“PR1 are first class ‘professionals’ in every sense of the word. Driving with Enzo, Gabriel, and Matt was a true pleasure. I am confident if it were not for my spin and then being hit by another driver we would have been sitting on top of the podium. I can’t thank everyone enough for a fabulous experience racing with PR1!”
Enzo Guibbert
Driver
#52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Oreca 07 LMP2
“It’s was a pleasure to drive with PR1/Mathiasen and for the first time in the United States and Daytona. The team did a perfect job during the whole week of the race. After two free practices and about twenty laps, I took the best lap in practice three. The first stint of driving in the race went really well and we were in third at 4.5 seconds off the leader. I enjoyed my adaptation to the car and the track. After my teammate had contact with another car, we stayed in the pits for two and a half hours. We ended up finishing fourth thanks to the mechanics and the job they accomplished. Not only during the race but also during the week along with the engineers. I also want to thank Bobby, the team manager for this opportunity.”
Bobby Oergel
Team Principal
#52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Oreca 07 LMP2
“I’m very proud of the entire PR1/Mathiasen team and all four of our drivers for such a great job the whole month of January and into the 24. Our ORECA 07 was flawless, and we had such a clean and smooth race in the works. Sadly, a small error turned into a big issue after being hit very hard in our right rear. Even after the repairs were made the car was again flawless and quick. I couldn’t be prouder of our crew and drivers. I personally want to also thank the crew from ORECA, Xtrac and the Carl Haas folks for their help in getting us back on track in a quick, efficient manner.”