OVR's Hometown Heroes: Wright Motorsports' Thrilling Performance at the Rolex 24 and the Road Ahead in IMSA
by Ted Hunter
February is coming to an end, and March promises the start of the Formula 1 season in Australia, Indy Car in St. Petersburg, Florida, and Nascar has already had 3 races. But of great OVR interest is the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship series, with its first race completed in the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona on January 25 – 26. The overall winner was the #7 Penske Porsche 963, with the second Penske Porsche finishing third, a big win for Roger Penske and Porsche.
Way down the overall race results list, in 26th, was the Wright Motorsports’ single entry, the #120 Porsche GT3 R. The significance for OVR is that Wright Motorsports is a very local business and is competing in a world-class series – the IMSA GTD class – with a very successful season opener.
To begin with, the #120 Porsche earned the 2025 class pole position. Then, the team’s flawless race management kept them in the lead group for the entire race, and finished second in class (they had a very good chance to win the group). The GTD class winner was only 1.5 seconds ahead of the Wright #120 Porsche after 24 hours of racing!
The real measure of this team took place in the final hour. With 40 minutes to go and the Wright team in the class lead, a caution flag came out as the #120 headed into the pits almost out of fuel, earning an IMSA penalty as the caution flag closed the pits, dropping the class leading Wright #120 to 9th place in class and the last car on the lead lap. In the next 40 minutes, Wright driver Ayhancan Guven piloted the #120 toward the front and finished an amazing 1.5 seconds behind the class-winning Corvette. A disappointment at the time, but the team’s excellent race management and a winning overall effort bodes well for the team for the rest of the season, with the 12 Hours of Sebring coming up on March 15.
Wright Motorsports has been mechanically maintaining Porsche cars and OVR drivers for over 20 years and has race-prepared Porsches for some of the biggest named racing teams, and has contributed to major race victories in multiple racing series. Now, John Wright has his own major racing team and has become a leading GTD class contender. Wright Motorsports is located in Batavia, Ohio, OVR country. Let us OVR-Porsche enthusiasts follow and root for our hometown racing team – The #120 Wright Motorsport Porsche, John Wright, and the drivers Adam Adelson, Elliot Skeer, Ayhancan Guven, and Tom Sargent.
