Kris Wright, the 2018 IMSA Prototype Challenge series LMP3 class champion, has announced his drive in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) class for the upcoming 2019 running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona race, January 24-27.
This will be the first endurance race for Wright, of Pittsburgh, Pa., but his fourth time to race on the 3.56-mile banked Daytona International Speedway (DIS) circuit in Daytona Beach, Fla. He will drive the Performance Tech Racing Oreca LMP2, teaming with three other co-drivers. He will also complete the Roar Before the 24 test, scheduled for January 4-6.
“I’m really excited to have the opportunity to drive in the LMP2 car at the Rolex 24,” said the 24-year-old Wright. “The longest race I’ve done so far is two hours and 45 minutes, so I know I’m going to have a very unique experience with a 24-hour race. It’s a different mindset to race in endurance racing so I’m training to be better prepared.”
“This is a great opportunity for Kris,” said his driving coach and racer Nic Jonsson. “It will be a new experience for him to drive in an endurance race but he’s ready for it. He’s been competing four years as a professional driver in a multitude of cars and at a number of different tracks around the globe. He’s grown and achieved great success, including the IMSA PC championship this year, where he never finished off the podium in all six races and his consistency paid off.
“He has three years racing experience on the Daytona Superspeedway and we just completed an important test in Estoril, Spain in an LMP2 car. It’s the fastest, most sophisticated race car he’s driven, including using carbon brakes, which requires a different technique. Kris picked it up right away and did an excellent job. He turned about 100 laps and I’m very proud of the job he did to get dialed in with the car and then to be as quick as he was. It was a good preview for him for the Rolex 24.”
In 2018, Wright finished third in the IMSA Prototype Challenge race at Daytona. He also competed at DIS in 2016 and 2017 in the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge.
Wright’s 2018 LMP3 results include third place finishes at Daytona Roar and Sebring, second place at Mosport, VIR and Petit and a victory at Barber Motorsports Park. He also competed in 10 selected Pro Mazda races in 2018, achieving six Top 10 finishes, including a fifth-place finish on the streets of Toronto.
