Christina Nielsen will have the opportunity to defend her GT Daytona title in 2018 after signing for Wright Motorsports, where she will share the drive with Patrick Long in a Porsche 911 GT3 R.
Nielsen was dropped by Scuderia Corsa despite having won the GTD crown in the past two seasons but will race for Wright Motorsports, who are returning to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in 2018, and although she knows she will have a lot of work to do in order to be as successful in a Porsche as she was in a Ferrari, she is excited at the new challenge ahead.
“I am really looking forward to being back in the IMSA WeatherTech Championship and I’m absolutely thrilled that we’ve come up with such a strong combination with Wright Motorsports and Porsche,” said Nielsen.
“I’ve had a great run for the last three years, but it won’t be easy to do what I’ve already done. For me the biggest thing is to go into 2018 without relying on any previous results. We’ll start from scratch beginning with Daytona and go from there.
“I’m also really looking forward to being back with Porsche. I’ve known [team principal] John Wright since 2014 when I raced against him in the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge. We’ve always tried to put something together, but there was never the right opportunity.
“Luckily an opportunity came up for 2018 and we were there to both grab it. I know I’ll be working with some very experienced and competent people who know what it takes and I can’t wait for the season to start.”
Long, a long time Porsche factory driver, continues with Wright Motorsports for a third season and moves into the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship on the back of a championship victory in the Pirelli World Challenge, and he is thrilled to continue his alliance with the team into 2018.
“I am thrilled to continue my journey with Wright Motorsports for the 2018 season,” said Long. “We will have our work cut out for us starting the season with two of the biggest international endurance races in sports car racing, the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring, but I am confident in the group’s ability.
“Christina has been on an amazing run with her two titles over the last two years and I want to blend that momentum with our 2017 title and aim for victories right out of the box. I’m very excited to get things started at Daytona.”
