Veteran PR1 driver Tom Kimber-Smith will miss the fourth round of the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship at Circuit of the Americas in two weeks. Kimber-Smith, who finished fifth at the BUBBA Burger Sportscar Grand Prix at Long Beach, has elected to miss the race in order to return to the United Kingdom to take care of his mother who is currently battling cancer.
“Tom will unfortunately miss the next race at Circuit of the Americas. He needs to be able to spend time back in the UK with his mother who is presently undergoing treatment for cancer,” said team principle Bobby Oergel.
“As all the drivers who have driven with PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports know, once you’re a part of our team, you’re family, and Tom is a big part of this family. It’s unfortunate that he will miss a round of the championship, but we know that family comes before racing, and we’re happy that he is able to take the time he needs to be with his family during this time.”
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Tom and his mother, and we are praying that she will be cancer free in the near future.”
PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports has named Marco Bonanomi to replace Kimber-Smith for the Advance Auto Parts Sportscar Showdown at Circuit of the Americas. Bonanomi completed a test with PR1 at the Austin, TX circuit two weeks ago and will join José Gutierrez for the 2 hour and 40 minute race on May 6.
Bonanomi, an Audi Factory Driver from Italy who finished third overall at Le Mans in 2012, took his first laps behind the wheel of the Ligier JS P217 during the test and is ready for more.
“I was very happy to receive the call from PR1 to drive at their test at COTA. It was my first time driving the Ligier, but I think the test was very positive,” said Bonanomi.
“We tested some set up changes for the race that I think will be very good. The track itself is very demanding on the car and tires, especially with the extreme temperatures that can be present. The first practices during race week will be very critical to get everything just right in terms of set up, but after the test, I think we should be pretty close.”
“I’m very happy to join PR1 and drive with José. It was a pleasure working with the team at the test, and I found that José was very quick in the car. I’m looking forward to returning to COTA and to race there next weekend.”
Gutierrez considers Circuit of the Americas his “home” track in the United States. Having completed thousands of laps at the track, he is ready to return for the race and compete for an overall win.
“It’s good to be back racing at COTA with PR1 Motorsports. COTA is like my home track because it is the closest track to my home in Mexico,” said Gutierrez.
“I love this event because there are always a lot of people who come to support the series, and we get a lot of Mexican fans at COTA too. I feel positive PR1 has done an awesome job working on the car since our last test there. The Ligier is working very well, and I think we will be able to have a good result at the end of the race next Saturday.”
PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports returns to the track next week for the Advance Auto Parts Sportscar Showdown at Circuit of the Americas. On track action begins on Thursday, May 4 with the race starting at 11:35 AM PT on Saturday, May 6. You can watch the race Live on IMSA.tv or tune in to Fox Sports 1 at 4:00 PM PT to watch the replay.
