BROWNSBURG, Ind. — Longtime sports car racing team owner Wayne Taylor was both bubbling with pride and dealing with the emotion of his son Ricky leaving his team to drive for Team Penske next season.
Ricky Taylor and his brother, Jordan, drove their dad’s No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship this season, but today Ricky Taylor announced he will team with veteran Indy car driver Helio Castroneves to drive one of Team Penske’s two Acura entries next season.
Wayne Taylor has always been very proud of his racing sons and no more so than the announcement that Ricky will drive for Team Penske next year..
“No matter which way I look at it, professional and personally, it is a father’s dream to have his son called upon by Roger Penske,” Wayne Taylor said. “So I’m incredibly proud of Ricky and excited for him, and I think, honestly, the entire team has been supportive of this move, as well as everyone at General Motors and Cadillac.
“But I’ve still got Jordan, and he knows how to win championships,” Wayne Taylor added. “I think the replacement we’re working with at the moment is of that caliber. We need to sort everything out before we make any official announcements.”
Jordan Taylor has teamed with his brother for the past four years.
“The last four years have been great with Ricky,” Jordan Taylor said. We won lots of races together, including all the big ones — the Rolex 24, Sebring, Petit Le Mans — and now the championship. So we couldn’t have asked for any more than that as far as accomplishments together, really.
“For Ricky, having the chance to go to Penske is a huge opportunity for him. As a brother, I couldn’t be more proud of him. As a teammate, it makes me sad. But it’s just an unbelievable opportunity to drive for Roger Penske. We’ll just have to look forward to racing against him, now. Moving forward, anyone who knows this series and our team, they know we have a tremendous opportunity for a world-class driver to step in and help us continue to try and win championships and big races.”
Ricky Taylor said there are very few jobs that could have pried him away from the family team.
“Nobody could have taken me away from driving with my brother and everything that my dad had built there besides an opportunity like this with Team Penske coming back to sports car racing, and Acura after their great season in GT this year with the NSX,” Ricky Taylor said. “There are so many big factors that it doesn’t look like it’s just a flash in the pan sort of deal.”
Source : speedsport.com
Comments
