Former CJ Wilson Racing Team Manager, Andris Laivins, today announced the formation of a new operation, Gradient Racing. The team will continue to operate out of its base in Austin, Texas and it is making plans to enter its home event, the CoTA 24 in November with its Acura NSX GT3. The team is currently evaluating a number of race programs both domestic and international and is in active discussion with a number of partners regarding GT3, GT4 and TCR options for 2019.
“The last handful of months have been quite an adventure working on a new path forward. With my partner, we are building on the structure created at Laivins Race Cars, and then CJ Wilson Racing to establish ourselves as a serious GT3 competitor. Although Gradient Racing is a new company, the people, infrastructure, and our 15+ years experience racing at a professional level are being carried forward in the new venture.”
“Getting the new team off the ground took a little longer than we hoped, so we are looking at some opportunities to enter another race this fall before we get into the 2019 season. For next year, the SRO’s Intercontinental GT series, and IMSA GTD are two places we are looking seriously. Obviously Daytona and Bathurst are both very soon and mutually exclusive, so we have a lot of decisions to make quickly. Separately, there has been some interest in IMSA GT4 where we had a lot of fun the last two years. I think it’s a really competitive class, a solid value, and we have the infrastructure and experience to run more than one program, so it’s on the table alongside GT3. The customer-facing business in Austin will grow as well, as we’ve renewed our focus on regional race client support and serving as a COTA logistics hub.”
The driving duo of Marc Miller and Till Bechtolsheimer will once again form part of the roster for both the upcoming events and next year’s program while talks continue with a number of interested parties regarding domestic and international opportunities for 2019.
