August 5, 2020 – Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin – PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports finished fourth in the LMP2 class at the 2020 IMSA SportsCar Weekend at Road America last weekend.
After starting pole position for the second race in a row, Patrick Kelly drove the #52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Oreca 07-Gibson LMP2 away from rest of the field and created a lead of over 40 seconds. Simon Trummer took over from Kelly and maintained that lead in the second half of the race until the rain began to fall at the 4.048-mile road course. In the high winds and heavy rain, the #52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Oreca 07-Gibson LMP2 fell out of the lead after coming in contact with the #6 TEAM PENSKE Acura DPi, causing heavy damage to the #52 LMP2. After assessing the damage, PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports decided that the damage was too severe to continue in the event. With just under an hour left of the race, the #52 LMP2 retired.
PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports will be back fighting for the championship win in the IMSA Weathertech SportsCar Championship on Sunday, September 6 at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. For more information about the race at Road Atlanta, click here.
Simon Trummer - Driver of the #52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Oreca 07-Gibson LMP2
“It was a very good weekend until the rain hit. Several unlucky things happened and it all ended with the worst case scenario, a did not finish. Patrick Kelly and the PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports team did an awesome job. We will come back stronger at Road Atlanta.”
Patrick Kelly - Driver of the #52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Oreca 07-Gibson LMP2
“It was a fantastic weekend right up until the rain made for blinding conditions. Racing can be a cruel sport. But, we'll be back at Road Atlanta giving it our all.”
Bobby Oergel - Team Principal
“Once again I am so happy and thankful for PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports teams’ efforts and performances this weekend. The end of that race turned out amazingly sad for us but the facts are simple and straight-forward, Patrick Kelly and Simon Trummer both drove amazingly, the whole crew was flawless once again and we had a 45 second lead before the heavens crashed down on us with hail and monsoonal rains. Sadly, if the yellow flag had been 3 seconds later the pits wouldn’t have been closed and we could’ve pitted on that lap of the accident. The car that we hit was crawling down the front straight and didn’t have any lights on. I do think the series needs to reinstate the rain light protocol where they control when rain lights are on or off to prevent these types of situations. After that contact, I am very happy that Simon is okay. We will get everything back in top shape and be ready for the next event at Road Atlanta. This next one feels like a win.”
Ray Mathiasen - Team Principal
“I want to thank Patrick Kelly and Simon Trummer for their masterful job of driving at Road America last weekend. We had the best performing LMP2 car all weekend; P1 in both practices, pole position, and leading for the majority of the race. Unfortunately, the deluge hit and lady luck didn't go our way resulting in damage that would not allow us to finish the race. I am very confident that based on our performance over the last two races with this driver combination we should have great success this season. I can't wait for the next race.”