SAINT CHARLES, ILL. (March 13, 2023) – As Samuel L. Jackson’s character Ray Arnold said in 1993’s Jurassic Park, hold on to your butts. After racing under a special one-off livery at Daytona International Speedway, honoring the 1983 Rolex 24 At Daytona race winners, AO Racing has retired their Swap Shop livery in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for their full season livery. The No. 80 Porsche 911 GT3 R has transformed into the GT3 Rawr, ferociously dominating the competition as a Rexy Tyrannosaurus Rex.
The inspiration came from Team Principal and Driver PJ Hyett, in honor of his children. Hyett proudly sports a T-Rex for his son and a unicorn for his daughter on his helmet, taking his family with him as he races.
With a grill full of sharp teeth, Rexy the GT3 Rawr looks fierce, hungry to take down the competition of the 54-car field that will compete at next week’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. Despite her short arms, her strong legs will carry the strength to race up front, fighting for a result improved from January’s Rolex 24 At Daytona.
In preparation for March 18th’s endurance event in Sebring, Florida, the team has conducted additional testing, hoping for an improvement on the sanctioning body’s Balance of Performance (BoP) settings. The BoP has been the topic of conversation following the first race of the season, with fans and competitors eagerly awaiting to see what the regulations for evening out the playing field will be in the GTD class. Hyett will once again be joined by his full-season co-driver Sebastian Priaulx, with Gunnar Jeannette again fulfilling his driving duties as the endurance round addition.
The 71st Twelve Hours of Sebring will include all five classes of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. AO Racing is poised to be one of 54 cars competing in the event, with 20 entries racing in the GTD class. The race will begin on Saturday, March 18 at 10:10 AM ET, airing live from start to finish on Peacock, and with the last six hours beginning at 4:30 PM on the USA Network.
Partnering with Project-1 in the World Endurance Championship, the team will also compete in the 1000 miles of Sebring on Friday, March 17, beginning at 11:55 AM ET.
DRIVER QUOTES
Sebastian Priaulx
I’m really looking forward to working with AO Racing again for another race weekend. It’s my first Twelve Hours of Sebring, which is pretty special for me. It’s a race that my dad has won, and one I’d like to win as well. It’s a great event. It’s one of the best ones out there. I’m looking forward to driving the Porsche and giving it all we’ve got. I’m looking forward to the weekend ahead and working with PJ and Gunnar and getting the job done.
Gunnar Jeannette
I’m thrilled to be one of the guys that will drive the GT3-Rawr. Hopefully, Rexy goes as fast as it looks and we can come home with a good result after our disappointing Daytona. We really want to give the fans something to cheer for as Rexy makes it’s mark both on & off track.
