Tequila Patrón has announced that it is to leave the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, both as a team sponsor and a series sponsor, at the end of the 2018 season.
Together with Tequila Patrón, ESM burst onto the sports car racing scene in 2010 in the American Le Mans Series, and in the eight years that followed, has earned coveted wins at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the Twelve Hours of Sebring, and Petit Le Mans. The two brands have competed on an international level in GT cars and Prototypes, entertaining fans across the world in the American Le Mans Series, the Indianapolis 500, FIA World Endurance Championship, and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
In the last eight years, Extreme Speed Motorsports and Tequila Patrón have celebrated forty podiums and 71 top-five finishes. Together, they brought Honda its first overall win at the Rolex 24 at Daytona in 2016, and in the span of seven months, they gave Nissan NISMO three wins for their developmental DPi program in 2017 and 2018.
Team boss Scott Sharp said in a statement, “On behalf of the entire Extreme Speed Motorsports organisation, it has been an honour to represent such an amazing brand for the past 13 years! I have the deepest gratitude for all of Ed Brown’s support.
“Together we have tackled various challenges, won races at each step, and built ESM into such an incredible team. Simultaneously, it has been thrilling to watch Ed and his team build the Patrón brand in a meteoric fashion and along the way become an icon in the motorsports world!
“We will miss not carrying the now infamous green and black livery, but the same passion for excellence will remain!”
Speaking to Motorsport.com, IMSA president Scott Atherton said: “All associated with IMSA – competitors, promoter partners, series officials and fans – will miss the iconic Tequila Patrón brand next year. On behalf of IMSA, we thank CEO Ed Brown and Tequila Patrón for all they have done over the many years to help us grow IMSA and the sport as a whole.
“We’re more proud than words can express to have counted Tequila Patrón among our family of premium brand partners. Tequila Patrón’s involvement on-and-off the track has been a benchmark example by every measure.”
Extreme Speed Motorsports (ESM) will continue in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and are actively pursuing sponsors to join their program and replace Tequila Patrón for the 2019 season and beyond.
