New Indycar Series champion Ryan Hunter–Reay has been named as the third and final man in the Wayne Taylor Racing line-up for the Rolex 24 at Daytona.
Hunter-Reay, who has confirmed his place in a seventh consecutive Rolex 24 with his place with the 2005 Daytona winners, joins Max Angelelli and Jordan Taylor at the Daytona Prototype team.
“I am very happy to be joining Wayne Taylor Racing for the 2013 Daytona 24-hour,” said Hunter-Reay. “I look forward to once again driving for Wayne and working with the team that catapulted my career resurgence in 2006. After winning the 2012 IndyCar championship with Team Chevy, I’m delighted to be an integral part of Chevrolet’s biggest U.S. endurance event of the year.”
“This will be my seventh Rolex 24 and I have come close to victory in the past with a podium. But joining this team and driving a Corvette DP alongside Max and Jordan should provide the best opportunity, yet, at competing for the overall win and getting on the top step.”
“I’ve always been a fan of Ryan’s,” said team owner Wayne Taylor. “We drove together with Max at Salt Lake City in 2006. I’ve known Ryan for years and have always thought he was a tremendously underrated driver. He proved to the world what he’s truly made of by winning the IndyCar championship last season. It’s very important for our mutual partner General Motors to have him with a top team in the Daytona 24-hour. It all came together really well and I’m very excited about having him co-drive with Max and Jordan. I think it’s going to be really good.”
Hunter-Reay has driven for several Rolex Series teams during his career in the season, taking his sole Rolex Series win for Matthews Motorsport in 2007.
His best Rolex 24 result came for Level 5 Motorsports in 2010, a team he also drove for at Daytona in 2011. Last season he joined Starworks Motorsport, finishing in tenth place.
The Wayne Taylor Racing team – with Angelelli and Ricky Taylor sharing driving duties won three times during the 2012, however only finished sixth in the class points standings at year’s end.
As well as announcing Hunter-Reay in the driving seat Wayne Taylor Racing also named customer engagement specialists Velocity Worldwide as primary sponsor of the #10 Daytona Prototype for the 2013 Rolex Series season.
The new partnership gives the #10 a striking new look (Photo Credit: Brian Cleary/Getty Images for True Speed Communication)
“I’ve been involved with racing for a number of years now and I’ve yet to see anyone show as much commitment to his racing partners as Wayne,” said Velocity World Americas CEO Paul Blakely. “To watch Wayne operate, the word passion comes immediately to mind. He’s passionate because he sees first-hand the positive impact he has on his partners’ businesses and I think we connected very quickly because of that. What energizes Velocity Worldwide is seeing the positive impact our work has on our clients’ businesses. I’ve heard Wayne say he can’t guarantee a win, but he’ll guarantee that he will race for the win.”
Wayne Taylor Racing will run in the ‘Roar Before the 24’ three day test starting tomorrow (January 4) before beginning final preparations for the Rolex 24 at Daytona (January 26-27).
