DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The battle for the 2020 IMSA WeatherTech Sprint Cup has gained another strong entry with confirmation today that Wright Motorsports will field the No. 91 Henry Repeating Arms Porsche GT3 R for co-drivers Anthony Imperato and Jeroen Bleekemolen.
The duo will compete in the full eight-race season for GT Daytona (GTD) class competitors only that opens with the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 18. The Ohio-based Wright team also is fielding the No. 16 Porsche for co-drivers Ryan Hardwick and Patrick Long in the full IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season.
Long, Hardwick and Imperato joined forces with Klaus Bachler in the No. 16 Porsche for the Rolex 24 At Daytona, finishing fourth in the GTD class in the twice-around-the-clock event. Imperato will continue to race in the No. 16 Porsche alongside Long and Hardwick for the full, four-race IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup season, which continues on March 21 with the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Advance Auto Parts.
“We’re excited to be getting our second Porsche on track to begin the WeatherTech Sprint Cup championship,” said team owner John Wright. “Anthony has done a great job in the endurance side of our program and after Sebring, he’ll now get to run the sprint events in his own car. Jeroen will be a fantastic addition to the program as our pro driver and we expect to be strong contenders for the title.”
Bleekemolen has won the past three consecutive Michelin Endurance Cup GTD titles and is a two-time IMSA GTC champion (2010 and 2013). He spent the past several seasons sharing the No. 33 Mercedes-AMG GT3 in the GTD class with Ben Keating – who is competing in the full FIA World Endurance Championship season and Michelin Endurance Cup in 2020.
The Dutchman opened the 2020 WeatherTech Championship season with a fifth-place GTD class result in the Rolex 24 At Daytona in the No. 54 Black Swan Racing Porsche with co-drivers Tim Pappas, Trenton Estep and Sven Muller.
“It’s great to be able to join Wright Motorsports and Anthony for the IMSA GTD Sprint Cup,” Bleekemolen said. “I have raced against Wright a lot, so I know just how good the team is. Anthony has been showing great speed and development. It will be nice to work together.
“I really like the sprint race calendar with some classic tracks and events. The competition will be very hard, but we should be able to fight at the front of the field. I’m really excited to get started at Long Beach.”
Imperato, meanwhile, is embarking on his first full GTD season in 2020. The New Yorker, who has extensive experience in Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama and SRO competition, made a pair of GTD starts last year at Lime Rock and Road America.
“I’m looking forward to the IMSA Sprint Cup season with Wright Motorsports in the Henry Repeating Arms Porsche,” Imperato said. “It’s an awesome opportunity to be driving with Jeroen. He will be a great addition to the team, and I think we will have some success this year. I can’t wait to get started in Long Beach.”