8Star Motorsport are determined to break their TUDOR United SportsCar Championship winning duck at this week’s Brickyard Grand Prix, with drivers Sean Rayhall and Luis Diaz aiming for victory in PC.
Rayhall, who shared the #25 ORECA FLM 09 with Tom Kimber-Smith and Eric Lux at the Sahlen’s 6 Hours of The Glen a month ago, will be re-joined by Diaz for the race, which is headlining the ‘Super Weekend at The Brickyard’ event with the NASCAR Nation Wide Series’ Brickyard 400.
“I remember first visiting Indy when I was four years old to watch the Formula 1 US Grand Prix and I’m truly looking forward to racing at ‘The Brickyard’, as it’s a different kind of special,” said Rayhall, who finished 43rd at the Glen. “I have done a lot of simulator work and training and I’ll quickly figure out how to get around the circuit. I’m also looking forward to the atmosphere that will come with racing alongside my friends in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and I’d love nothing more than to break 8Star’s Prototype Challenge race wins duck there.
“The fact is, we’ve been unfortunate to miss out on victories this year. I was devastated to be denied the win at The Glen, but the guys did one hell of a job to get us back into the race, and achieving a win won’t just be redemption for me, but for the entire 8Star team. This is only our first year and we’re already competing at the front. 8Star Motorsports has done a superb job in every aspect, consistently providing us with a race-winning car and perfecting the engineering, and we’re learning things as drivers too, so it’s not anybody fault that we’ve fallen up short of victory.”
Diaz, who is also visiting the Brickyard for the first time, added: “I’m very excited about going to ‘The Brickyard’ for the first time this weekend. Indianapolis is a historic track and it’s going to be a special moment in my career when I drive over the start/finish line for the first time. So far we’ve had a great season, achieving two podiums in two races, but we haven’t had that first win yet. I’m very optimistic that this weekend we can get it, as Sean and I make a great team and I always know 8Star Motorsports will give us a great racecar.”
The TUDOR Championship’s Brickyard GP takes place on Friday, and is live on IMSA.com in Europe.