PR1/MATHIASEN WINS FIFTH TIME IN A ROW AT LAGUNA SECA

September 16, 2019 – Monterey, California – PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports won the Monterey SportsCar Championship Powered by McLaren at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca with their LMP2 entry as part of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

The No. 52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA LMP2 driven by Matt McMurry and Dalton Kellet won their fifth race in a row around the famous 2.23-mile circuit over the weekend. The penultimate round of the 2019 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship ran under green flag conditions through its entirety allowing the crew and drivers to execute their winning strategy and secure the championship points lead.

PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports finished one lap ahead of season-long competitor No. 38 Performance Tech Motorsports ORECA. The points lead now stands 235-227, and PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports will only need to score points at Motul Petit Le Mans to take the 2019 WeatherTech Championship title. The 10-hour Motul Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road America will take place on Saturday, Oct. 12.

Matt McMurry – Driver of the No.52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA LMP2

“Another win! This win makes five in a row, and more importantly, it means we only have to start at Petit Le Mans to win the championship. The car was great as always, and the crew performed flawlessly all weekend.”

Dalton Kellet – Driver of the No.52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA LMP2

“It was a great return to the team. We had a good day. At the start of the weekend, we struggled a little bit. We brought our pace right in line with the Performance Tech guys today. I think we did a better job managing traffic. I think we got a bit of a gap with a nice buffer when we did the driver change, so it was good.”

Bobby Oergel - Team Principal

“Both drivers did exactly what was needed by keeping it clean and consistent. We worked hard to get the car balanced for the tricky conditions of WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. The PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports crew performed flawlessly again. The whole race was under green flag with no yellows, which really helped us in building a gap to the competition. With the points championship settled we can go to Petit Le Mans only shooting for the win.”

BOTH PR1/MATHIASEN ENTRIES ROUND OUT TOP 15 IN TOUGH VIR RACE

August 26, 2019 – Alton, Virginia – PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports rounded out the IMSA Prototype Challenge Championship race at VIRginia International Raceway in the top 15 with both entries despite challenging weather conditions.

The Prototype Challenge entries included the No. 52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Ligier JS P3 piloted by Chris Archinaco and Scott Huffaker and the No. 70 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Ligier JS P3 driven by Joel Janco and Jonatan Jorge.

The one-hour, 45-minute race had a total of 16 laps under full course yellow conditions. The slick track presented many challenges all 23 Prototype Challenge entries. The No. 52 had a great start from 14th on the grid with Archinaco behind the wheel. Archinaco was able to make it up to 7th before a mistake sent him off track. The No. 52 was able to re-enter the fight with no damage, but at the back of the field. Running a similar pace to the top 5, Archinaco finished his stint around the 50-minute mark of the race. Huffaker's stint almost mirrored his teammates as he was running lap times consistent with the top 3 competitors before spinning. Huffaker was also able to return to the race with no damage and finished in 11th.

The No. 70 started from 19th with Janco in charge of the first stint. Janco did what he set out to do and ran a clean race before pitting for Jorge to take over. PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports felt confident about the No. 70's position until a full course yellow came out and wrongfully placed the pace car in front of Jorge. This put Jorge in front of the leader, which took away any opportunity to pass for the remainder of the race. Jorge took the challenge in stride and pulled away from the leaders on the green flag and the following laps until the crew of PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports asked him to be conservative to the finish. Jorge crossed the line in 14th overall and solidified the lead in the Bronze Cup Prototype Challenge Championship point standings.

The next outing for the IMSA Prototype Challenge Championship will be at the Motul Petit Le Mans on October 12. The IMSA Prototype Challenge race from VIR will be televised on NBCSN on Monday, Sept. 2 at 6 p.m. ET

Bobby Oergel - Team Principal

"The whole team (crew and drivers) did a great job all week through some very tough conditions. The result really saddens me, but I'm happy with the pace and possibilities that were in play for the race. Unfortunately, the weather conditions of damp track and slick tires caused many drivers, including ours, to have some agricultural experiences during the race. On the other hand, I am amazed by the little to no damage that both left the event with. It was a tough event for sure, and I can't thank the whole crew, drivers, and their families enough for the upbeat mindset throughout the week."

PR1/MATHIASEN SECURES FOURTH CONSECUTIVE WIN AT ROAD AMERICA

August 5, 2019 – Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin – PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports won their 4th consecutive race at the IMSA Road Race Challenge at Road America with their LMP2 entry as part of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

 Matt McMurry and Patrick Kelly piloted the No. 52 ORECA LMP2 to a 31.35-second victory over the No. 38 Performance Tech Motorsports ORECA shared by Cameron Cassels and James French. The win was especially significant to Kelly, a 51-year-old driver from Minnestrista, Minnesota who had not raced in nine years since being involved in an accident with a school bus that almost took his life.

The win contributed to a five-point lead in the overall standings with two races left in the 2019 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season. Next up for PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports will be the penultimate round of the season at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on Sept. 15.

Matt McMurry – Driver of the No.52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA LMP2

“It was just perfectly executed by everyone on the team. Patrick made a huge comeback, coming from not running for nine years and jumping right back in and holding the gap to Cassels. He did exactly what he needed to do, holding the gap to him. I got back in and did what I needed to do by holding another gap back.”

Patrick Kelly – Driver of the No.52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA LMP2

“I’ll tell you; it’s hard to describe. I think the last race I was in was Laguna or maybe it was Sebring in GTC, remember when we had the (Porsche 911 GT3) Cup cars that ran in the class. I was in a really horrible crash with a school bus driver who was texting and swerved into oncoming traffic. I was just about a year ago able to be cleared to go back. I just said I have to keep a clear head, do what I need to do, do decent lap times, don’t do anything stupid and foolish and just hand it over to Matt in one piece. I’ll admit it was hard to stay relaxed.”

Bobby Oergel - Team Principal

“This was a great weekend for us. Happy to have Patrick back and able to capture our fourth consecutive win. Very happy to be leading in the Championship points standings as well. Great job by everyone here at PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports.”

PR1/MATHIASEN CAPTURES THIRD CONSECUTIVE WIN AND POINTS LEAD IN CANADA

July 8, 2019 – Bowmanville, Ontario – PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports captured their third consecutive win and moved into the points lead at the Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix Presented By Acura with their LMP2 entry. The team also had one podium finish out of their two Prototype Challenge entries as part of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

After winning at Mid-Ohio, Watkins Glen, and now at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports No. 52 ORECA LMP2 entry leads the No. 38 Performance Tech Motorsports ORECA in the overall championship points standings. A season staple, Matt McMurry was joined by local Canadian, Dalton Kellet who made his IMSA debut and secured his first IMSA win in front of his hometown crowd.

The LMP2 class competes next month at Road America for the IMSA Road Race Showcase on Sunday, Aug. 4.

The two Prototype Challenge entries, which ran the day before the LMP2 class included the No. 52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Ligier JS P3 piloted by Chris Archinaco and Scott Huffaker and the No. 70 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Ligier JS P3 driven by Joel Janco and Jonatan Jorge. The No. 52 finished an impressive performance in 2nd place while the No. 70 faced adversity and finished in 16th place.

The next IMSA Prototype Challenge race will take place at VIRginia International Raceway during the Michelin GT Challenge race weekend Aug. 23-25

Matt McMurry – Driver of the No.52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA LMP2

“Really happy with this win at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. The team’s just been performing perfectly. The last three races the car’s been great. The execution of the pit stops have been great. And our teammates have been doing well this whole time too. We gained the championship lead with this one and showed that we have the pace to stay in the lead for the rest of the season.”

Dalton Kellet – Driver of the No.52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA LMP2

“What a weekend! Racing at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park with PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports was a blast, and they gave Matt and me a perfect car. I ran the first two stints, and we were able to take the lead on a good strategy call and grew the gap, being efficient in traffic. Matt did an excellent job in the second half of the race and brought the car home for the win. Being my first IMSA event, there was a lot to learn. The team did a great job helping me get up to speed with traffic, pit-stops, driver changes, and a new car!”