P1 Motorsports announced Wednesday its 2018 driver lineup, which expands to a Liger JS P3 three-car effort in the LMP3 class within the IMSA Prototype Challenge (IPC) series.
Last season marked the team’s first year racing within IMSA in IPC and the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America series. Returning drivers, former Prototype Lites champion Kenton Koch along with Robby Foley, were highly successful, with Koch coming in second place in series competition, narrowly missing being crowned the LMP3 class champion. Newcomer Foley posted two podiums in his five races with the team, also in the LMP3 chassis.
Koch missed two rounds of competition at Sebring International Raceway but made the most of his shortened season, posting seven wins, 10 podiums, and six poles in the 11 rounds he raced. Koch made a run for the championship during the final weekend, in a close battle with Colin Thompson, ultimately ending the season just behind in points, 217-209.
“I’m very excited to be back with P1 Motorsports this year,” Koch said. “With IPC’s new format, I’ll have the chance to co-drive with my close friend, Joel Janco. We go back a few years and it’s an honor to be racing with him. Testing has been going well and we are looking promising for some good results next year.”
Koch and Janco will be sharing the No. 25 Ligier, sponsored by Sonic Tools, Deathtolionfish.com, Donate Life and Justice Brothers.
P1 Motorsports, under the leadership of team owner JC Perez, also came away from the 2017 season winning the LMP3 Team Championship and finishing third in the LMP3 Masters Class.
In addition to Koch and Foley, joining P1’s stable in 2018 are several new and returning faces, including Matt Dicken, Corey Lewis, Janco and Jim Garrett. Dicken finished in fourth in the championship last year, with eight top-five finishes. He will be sharing a car with sportscar veteran Corey Lewis, who will also serve as his driver coach.
“Words cannot describe how excited I am about the 2018 season with IMSA, P1 Motorsports and my co-driver Corey Lewis,” Dicken said. “After a successful first year of sprint races the LMP3 prototype we are campaigning will now be entered into endurance races. I’ve always enjoyed the endurance aspect of racing because strategy and teamwork plays a major role.
“Behind JC Perez’s leadership is Alberto Peña’s management, which has created a team of experts and specialists who are needed to properly setup and maintain these highly sophisticated Prototypes. For next season, I’m thrilled to be co-driving again with Corey Lewis. Over the years, he has helped my immensely with my driving and he has proven himself time and time again to be very fast whether it be in GT cars, open-wheel cars or Prototypes.”
“The new endurance platform for the IMSA Prototype Challenge gives a good feel what it would be like racing in the IMSA WeatherTech Championship series,” Lewis said. “This will be a great way to groom teams and drivers. Throughout the 2017 season, I noticed that the professionalism and passion behind the P1 Motorsports team could not go unnoticed. Every race weekend, the cars looked brand-new, great presence in the paddock and goes without saying, performance on track was extremely dominant.
“With every season, Matt [Dicken] continues to improve his driving and race craft. I really believe that the LMP3 car suits Matt’s driving style and it has shown. I am very excited for the 2018 season and putting our Strategic Wealth Designers LMP3 and P1 Motorsports on the podium!”
Other sponsors for the duo’s No. 17 Ligier include American Tax Law Planning, Sonic Tools and Monster Energy.
IPC veteran driver Janco is making the move to the Ligier JS P3 with P1 Motorsports and will join Koch in the car next season.
“The new endurance format is what the LMP3 was designed to do,” Janco said. “Having a pit stop this year will be fun, but even more fun will be the privilege of racing again with my co-driver Kenton Koch and my longtime friend and coach Jonaton Jorge. This year is the my first to race with P1 Motorsports and they have proven exceptional through several tests so far this year. The engineers and crew are just the best!”
Last season, Koch, Jorge and Janco raced in another sports car series in Europe.
Foley made his series debut in 2017 with P1 Motorsports. Foley will be sharing the Sonic Tools No. 42 Ligier with Jim Garrett.
“I think IMSA made the right decision introducing the new option to have two drivers, making the series more relevant for Pro-Am racing,” Foley said. “I am really excited to join forces with Jim [Garrett] and I’m also thrilled to continue my relationship with P1 Motorsports. I’ve always been impressed with the team atmosphere, combined with the professionalism and experience of everyone; it’s really a great place to be. I feel very lucky to be a part of what is already a very successful program and look forward to a strong 2018 season.”
The Florida-based team is also expected to field entries in the GT Daytona class in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, as well as the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America series, where Perez won the 2017 LB Cup Championship in just his first year of competition.
Source. LST Marketing
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