This morning, Tequila Patrón announced its departure from the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, both as a team sponsor and a series sponsor, following the conclusion of the 2018 season. We at Extreme Speed Motorsports would like to thank Patrón Spirits CEO Ed Brown and the iconic brand for their support of our team and their investment in sports car racing over the years.
Together with Tequila Patrón, ESM burst onto the sports car racing scene in 2010 in the American Le Mans Series, and in the eight years to follow, has earned coveted wins at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the Twelve Hours of Sebring, and Petit Le Mans. Together, our two brands competed on an international level in GT cars and Prototypes, entertaining fans across the world in the American Le Mans Series, the Indianapolis 500, FIA World Endurance Championship, and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
In the last eight years, Extreme Speed Motorsports and Tequila Patrón have celebrated forty podiums and 71 top five finishes. Together, we brought Honda its first overall win at the Rolex 24 at Daytona in 2016, and in the span of seven months, we gave Nissan NISMO three wins for their developmental DPi program in 2017 and 2018. While we are sad to see the Tequila Patrón family depart from sports car racing, we are honored to have been a part of such a legacy.
From ESM Team Owner Scott Sharp
“On behalf of the entire Extreme Speed Motorsports organization, it has been an honor to represent such an amazing brand for the past 13 years! I have the deepest gratitude for all of Ed Brown’s support. Together we have tackled various challenges, won races at each step, and built ESM into such an incredible team. Simultaneously, it has been thrilling to watch Ed and his team build the Patrón brand in a meteoric fashion and along the way become an icon in the motorsports world! We will miss not carrying the now infamous green and black livery, but the same passion for excellence will remain!”
Extreme Speed Motorsports will continue in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, and we are actively pursuing sponsors to join our program in Tequila Patron’s stead for the 2019 season and beyond. Join us in thanking Tequila Patrón for their contributions to the sport and our team, and cheer us on as we give them a final few races they won’t forget.
Sincerely,
Extreme Speed Motorsports
Earlier today, Patrón Spirits announced its decision to step back completely from its investment in motorsports at the end of the 2018 season.
The following is a statement from IMSA President Scott Atherton in response to that announcement:
“IMSA and Patrón Spirits have enjoyed a fantastic partnership for more than a decade. Tequila Patrón rose through the IMSA ranks, from a high-profile team sponsor with Patrón Highcroft Racing beginning in 2008, through its entitlement sponsorship of the Patrón GT3 Challenge starting in 2009, and its presenting sponsorship of the American Le Mans Series beginning in 2010.
“Tequila Patrón continued in a prominent position as the American Le Mans Series merged with GRAND-AM to create the new IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and has been our entitlement partner for the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup since 2014 in addition to its longstanding support of the Tequila Patrón ESM race team and its pair of Nissan DPi race cars.
“All associated with IMSA – competitors, promoter partners, series officials and fans – will miss the iconic Tequila Patrón brand next year. On behalf of IMSA, we thank CEO Ed Brown and Tequila Patrón for all they have done over the many years to help us grow IMSA and the sport as a whole. We’re more proud than words can express to have counted Tequila Patrón among our family of premium brand partners.
“Tequila Patrón’s involvement on-and-off the track has been a benchmark example by every measure. We will look forward to finishing up our 2018 season in the strongest and most successful way possible and will look forward to the opportunity to work together again in the future.”
Source. IMSA
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