Last season marked the team’s first year racing within IMSA in IPC and the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America series.
Returning drivers, former Prototype Lites champion Kenton Koch along with Robby Foley, were highly successful, with Koch coming in second place in series competition, narrowly missing being crowned the LMP3 class champion.
Newcomer Foley posted two podiums in his five races with the team, also in the LMP3 chassis.
Koch missed two rounds of competition at Sebring International Raceway but made the most of his shortened season, posting seven wins, 10 podiums, and six poles in the 11 rounds he raced. Koch made a run for the championship during the final weekend, in a close battle with Colin Thompson, ultimately ending the season just behind in points, 217-209.
“I’m very excited to be back with P1 Motorsports this year,” Koch said. “With IPC’s new format, I’ll have the chance to co-drive with my close friend, Joel Janco. We go back a few years and it’s an honor to be racing with him. Testing has been going well and we are looking promising for some good results next year.”
Koch and Janco will be sharing the No. 25 Ligier, sponsored by Sonic Tools, Deathtolionfish.com, Donate Life and Justice Brothers.
P1 Motorsports, under the leadership of team owner J.C. Perez, also came away from the 2017 season winning the LMP3 Team Championship and finishing third in the LMP3 Masters Class.
In addition to Koch and Foley, joining P1’s stable in 2018 are several new and returning faces, including Matt Dicken, Corey Lewis, Janco and Jim Garrett. Dicken finished in fourth in the championship last year, with eight top-five finishes. He will be sharing a car with sportscar veteran Lewis, who will also serve as his driver coach.
“Words cannot describe how excited I am about the 2018 season with IMSA, P1 Motorsports and my co-driver Corey Lewis,” Dicken said. “After a successful first year of sprint races, the LMP3 prototype we are campaigning will now be entered into endurance races. I’ve always enjoyed the endurance aspect of racing because strategy and teamwork plays a major role.”
“Behind J.C. Perez’s leadership is Alberto Peña’s management, which has created a team of experts and specialists who are needed to properly setup and maintain these highly sophisticated Prototypes,” Dicken continued. “For next season, I’m thrilled to be co-driving again with Corey Lewis. Over the years, he has helped me immensely with my driving and he has proven himself time and time again to be very fast whether it be in GT cars, open-wheel cars or Prototypes.”
“The new endurance platform for the IMSA Prototype Challenge gives a good feel what it would be like racing in the IMSA WeatherTech Championship series,” Lewis said. “This will be a great way to groom teams and drivers. Throughout the 2017 season, I noticed that the professionalism and passion behind the P1 Motorsports team could not go unnoticed. Every race weekend, the cars looked brand-new, great presence in the paddock and go without saying, performance on track was extremely dominant.”
Source : speedsport.com
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