For more information:
Linda Mansfield, Restart Communications
E-mail: LKMRestart@gmail.com
Cell: (317) 201-0729

Wright Motorsports to Field Five Porsches
In 2015 IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge
Beginning with Season Opener at Sebring March 18-20

BATAVIA, Ohio, March 13 - All drivers want to be on the podium, but achieving that in a series as competitive as IMSA's Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama can be a tall order.

Wright Motorsports, which won the series' top drivers' championship in both 2012 and 2013, will field Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars for five drivers in the series this year. Everyone on the Batavia, Ohio-based team intends to do their best to help all five of them pursue podium finishes and that elusive first overall victory starting with the season-opening doubleheader at Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Fla., March 18-20.

The doubleheader supports the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida on March 21. It is the first event in a 16-race, eight-event season that concludes in late September.

All five drivers will compete in the top class, Platinum Cup. They approach the challenge with different levels of experience, however.

Kasey Kuhlman of Cincinnati finished fifth in the Platinum class last season. He also dominated the Masters division, which is for drivers over the age of 45, sewing up the championship before the last event of the year. He returns with his familiar Kuhlsport #15.

Michael Schein of New York City and Santiago Creel of Mexico City, Mexico were two Wright Motorsports teammates who often battled each other last season. Schein finished eighth in the point standings last year and Creel was tenth. They hope to continue that battle, but move it up a few spots so they're battling for podium finishes in 2015.

The other two Wright Motorsports IMSA GT3 Cup drivers in 2015 are both new to the team, and one is completely new to the series. John Goetz of Weston, Conn., will move up to the Platinum class this year after posting two victories in the Gold Cup division in 2013 with another team. He is the reigning Porsche Club Racing national champion in GTC4.

"I chose Wright because of its stellar reputation as a team capable of winning championships and helping its drivers succeed," said Goetz, who is a global equity investment manager by profession. "In just a few test days I've experienced the team's intensity and sincerity in getting the most out of the cars and drivers."

In a move announced just yesterday, 20-year-old Elliott Skeen of Carlsbad, Calif. will make his series debut at Sebring in a Wright Motorsports-prepared Porsche. One of five drivers invited to the Porsche Young Driver Academy last October, he hopes to learn as much as possible as quickly as possible under John Wright's tutelage.

Sebring's preliminary schedule, which is subject to change, shows two 30-minute practice sessions at 9:30 a.m. and 2:25 p.m. on Wednesday, March 18 prior to qualifying at 8:35 a.m. on Thursday, March 19. The first 45-minute race starts at 3:50 p.m. that same day, while the second half of the doubleheader is slated to get the green flag at 11:10 a.m. on Friday, March 20. The official schedule and other information, including live timing and scoring, will be available on imsa.com.

Wright Motorsports' Web site is at WrightMotorsports.com. The team is also active on Facebook and Twitter.

Driver quotes follow:

Kasey Kuhlman: "My goals are to improve upon the P5 overall finish in the standings from last year, finish on the overall podium in each event, and finally win a race in this series.

"This will be my fifth year in the series. Each year has built upon the last in terms of improving my race craft, confidence and ability to concentrate. I am in the best physical shape of the past five years heading into the start of this season. I hope that translates into more podium finishes and perhaps an overall win or two this year.

"It is always exciting to see the new and talented drivers that join the series each spring. It is difficult to know how I will stack up until we put the first couple of timed sessions in the books at Sebring.  I never take my competition for granted. As such, my Masters championship from last year doesn’t mean anything heading into 2015 in my mind. I have to earn it all over again.

"I am looking forward to being with my teammates this season. They are all good guys and we are going to have lots of fun!"

Michael Schein: "I'm looking forward to reaching the podium in 2015, and a win would be a great achievement.

"I always enjoy coming to Sebring. It's a great atmosphere, and the fans make it one of the best events on the calendar."

Santiago Creel: "I'm very excited to begin my second year in the IMSA GT3 Challenge with Wright Motorsports. Last year was all about learning. This year it's time to put all the learning together! My target is to be in the top five!"

John Goetz: "My goal is to improve as a driver. I've raced a lot but I haven't pushed myself for a while. While I ultimately want to win a Masters championship, I'm hoping to get on the podium for the 2015 season, and win a race or two along the way.

"Sebring is an awesome experience with very specific track surface challenges to be mastered. I've been racing at Sebring for 10 years and I still don't have it down. I've had multiple wins there in PCA Club Racing, but my prior IMSA GT3 Challenge races there didn't turn out great. While I had P2 [Gold class] in qualifying, I spun in one race and I got punted off the track by another driver in the next race.  Fortunately I still salvaged a podium finish in the second race.

"I'm really looking forward to racing at Sebring; along with Watkins Glen and Road America, it's one of my favorite tracks."

Elliott Skeer: "I want to have both a safe and competitive season. We all shoot for the championship, but to win that you have to finish all the races that you can. I want to be up front, challenging for podiums and wins. I want to learn as much as possible as quickly as possible."

About Wright Motorsports: 

Wright Motorsports is the premier Porsche race engineering facility in Ohio and a multi-series, international racing team known for superb car preparation, expert race strategy and driver development. Located in Batavia, Ohio near Cincinnati, it is owned and directed by John Wright, a certified Porsche factory-trained technician. As a crew chief John Wright has played a key role in winning eight driver and seven team championships in World Challenge, IMSA (ALMS) and the Grand-Am Rolex Series. Wright Motorsports won the team championship in Porsche GT3 Cup USA in 2012 and 2013. In 2014 it had four podium finishes in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. For more information see WrightMotorsports.com and follow it on Facebook and Twitter.