Paul Miller Racing Press Release
Paul Miller Racing to Partner with Audi in Inaugural IMSA TUDOR SportsCar Championship GTD Campaign
Bryce Miller to Drive No. 48 Paul Miller Racing Audi R8 LMS; Full-Season Co-Driver Announced in Coming Weeks
PARSIPPANY, N.J. (November 13, 2013) - Beginning the next chapter of his racing team's history at the onset of a new era in North American sports car racing, team owner and principal Paul Miller announced today that Paul Miller Racing will campaign an Audi R8 LMS in the GT Daytona (GTD) division of the debuting IMSA TUDOR SportsCar Championship in 2014.
Bryce Miller, Paul Miller's son and a former GT race winner in both ALMS and GRAND-AM competition, will return as a team driver, partnering for the season with a co-driver to-be-named in the coming weeks. Returning partners for the new Paul Miller Racing Audi effort include TOTAL Lubricants and Motegi Racing, with other familiar team sponsors expected to confirm their continued support in the near future.
"Everyone at Paul Miller Racing is looking forward to racing with Audi in the new IMSA TUDOR SportsCar Championship," Paul Miller said. "We also want to extend our thanks to Audi of America, we have had a long and great relationship with them, and they will be our partner in this effort. That was certainly a key element in our decision."
Bryce Miller has spent the majority of his GT racing career in Porsches but looks forward to getting behind the wheel of the proven and race-winning Audi R8 LMS.
"While I've thoroughly enjoyed my seven-year run with Porsche, I couldn't be more excited to start a new chapter with Audi," Bryce Miller said. "Audis have been my daily driver for many years, and I've long been a fan of their brand and their cars. They've had many successes at the highest levels of the sport, earning a prestigious place in motorsports history, and this makes driving the Audi R8 LMS an honor for any racing driver."
The 2014 IMSA season marks the first time Paul Miller Racing has raced with Audi, but the team's parent organization, the Paul Miller Auto Group, has operated Paul Miller Audi since 1976, one of the largest Audi dealerships in the nation.
"The Audi R8 LMS has built a worldwide reputation as an outstanding and winning GT car, and we are honored to be among the brand's competition representatives this year," Paul Miller said. "I have enjoyed racing Porsches for several decades, but now a great deal of excitement with this new partnership has been felt at both Paul Miller Racing and at our Paul Miller Audi dealership. I am confident this will be a winning relationship in every respect."
Paul Miller Racing will take the first test laps in its new R8 LMS this weekend at Sebring International Raceway, November 16 - 17, and next week at Daytona International Speedway, November 19 - 20.
Noteworthy
- While the on-track Audi relationship is new for Bryce Miller, the unique engine-behind-the-driver design of the R8 LMS will sort of take him back to his racing roots. "The last time I drove a mid-engine was when I was still driving Formula cars, but that's still quite different from a sports car," Bryce Miller said. "The GTD division is an all-new category, so I think it is still too early to tell where the advantage is for the mid-engine R8. Normally, a mid-engine car would be very good on tire wear, but this car will run with a much smaller rear diffuser in addition to the standard Crawford wing mandated by IMSA homologation. But the R8 does have a lot of success and many wins in other championships worldwide so there is every reason to expect the car to perform well and competitively."
About Paul Miller Racing: Paul Miller Racing is among the top GT teams competing in North American sports car road racing. In 2014, the team will contest the full GT Daytona (GTD) season in the new IMSA TUDOR SportsCar Championship in a new partnership with Audi Sport customer racing. Bryce Miller will drive the No. 48 Paul Miller Racing Audi R8 LMS with a to-be-named co-driver. The racing team is affiliated with the Paul Miller Auto Group, which has operated Paul Miller Audi since 1976, races in support of Full Circle Home, and competes with the support of TOTAL Lubricants, Search Marketing Group and Motegi Racing.
Follow Paul Miller Racing on Twitter @paulmilleracing @bryceracer and become a Facebook fan at Facebook.com/paulmillerracing and Facebook.com/brycemiller.net. Learn more about the team at www.paulmillerracing.com.
About Audi of America and the Audi R8 LMS: Audi began a new chapter in 2009 with the introduction of the Audi Sport customer racing program. For the first time it was possible for motorsport customers to acquire a race car designed for customer racing events. Since its inception, the success of the R8 LMS has been significant throughout the GT3 racing format worldwide, including victory in the GT class in the 2013 edition of the Rolex 24 at Daytona. The Audi R8 LMS shares more than 50% of its parts with the Audi R8 street car including the naturally aspirated V10 5.2 Liter engine, the Audi Space Frame and a variety of other components
Audi of America, Inc. and its U.S. dealers offer a full line of German-engineered luxury vehicles. AUDI AG is among the most successful luxury automotive brands globally. Audi was a top-performing luxury brand in Europe during 2012, and broke all-time company sales records in the U.S. Through 2016, AUDI AG will invest about $17 billion on new products and technologies.
Visit www.audiusa.com or www.audiusanews.com for more information regarding Audi vehicle and business issues.
Photo credit: Paul Miller Racing [2013 Bob Chapman, Autosport Image]
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