CORE Autosport are prepared to defend their PC championship titles in a new championship as the team prepare to take on the Rolex 24 at Daytona.
The team, which competed in the American Le Mans Series since 2011, will join up with other PC teams that have made the jump to the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.
CORE will field a quartet of Colin Braun, Jon Bennett, Mark Wilkins and James Gue for the opening round of the championship under the Florida sunshine at Daytona.
Bennett said: “Competing in the Rolex 24 is something I’ve thought about for a long time. In some ways I’m looking forward to doing the Rolex 24 for the first time… the second time. We were able to do it with a DP team last year and it was fantastic. It was a new race, a new team and new car for me, so it was a little hard to get in the saddle. Now I’m in a car that I’m comfortable with, a co-driver that I’m comfortable with and a team that I’m certainly comfortable with.
“Last year taught me a lesson about taking chances, but pacing yourself for 24 hours and being there at the end. While it’s important to go fast, it’s also important to keep going.
“It’s going to be exciting to see our new Series have its debut race, but in many ways it’s just our next event. It’s a little longer than what we’ve done in the past, but in terms of execution, so much is the same. Our team is one unit, excited to be back to work and back to racing after our winter break.”
Between the four drivers, they have 24 starts at Daytona in a variety of machinery including GT and Daytona Prototypes. Bennett’s regular CORE team mate Braun stated: “The dedication and preparation of the CORE Autosport team has us in a good place to be in the hunt for a win. This is the first time the PC class will race at Daytona, so all of the teams are in the same boat in terms of experience. The PC class has always been really competitive and now add to that a new track and an influx of talented drivers and I think you’ll see this race come down to the wire, even after 24 hours of racing. There’s a lot of new rules and procedures for everyone to get used to, especially in the pits, and those penalties will add up fast, so being mistake-free, for sure, will play a big role in this race. We have a strong lineup with Jon, Mark, James and myself, so I’m really looking forward to the green flag on Saturday.”
