Paul Miller Racing Press Release
Paul Miller Racing to Partner with Audi in Inaugural IMSA TUDOR SportsCar Championship GTD Campaign
Bryce Miller to Drive No. 48 Paul Miller Racing Audi R8 LMS; Full-Season
Co-Driver Announced in Coming Weeks
PARSIPPANY, N.J. (November 13, 2013) - Beginning the
next chapter of his racing team's history at the onset of a new era in North
American sports car racing, team owner and principal Paul Miller announced
today that Paul Miller Racing will campaign an Audi R8 LMS in the GT Daytona
(GTD) division of the debuting IMSA TUDOR SportsCar Championship in 2014.
Bryce Miller, Paul Miller's son and a former GT race winner in both ALMS
and GRAND-AM competition, will return as a team driver, partnering for the season
with a co-driver to-be-named in the coming weeks. Returning partners for the
new Paul Miller Racing Audi effort include TOTAL Lubricants and Motegi Racing,
with other familiar team sponsors expected to confirm their continued support
in the near future.
"Everyone at Paul Miller Racing is looking forward to racing with
Audi in the new IMSA TUDOR SportsCar Championship," Paul Miller said.
"We also want to extend our thanks to Audi of America, we have had a long
and great relationship with them, and they will be our partner in this effort.
That was certainly a key element in our decision."
Bryce Miller has spent the majority of his GT racing career in Porsches
but looks forward to getting behind the wheel of the proven and race-winning
Audi R8 LMS.
"While I've thoroughly enjoyed my seven-year
run with Porsche, I couldn't be more excited to start a new chapter with
Audi," Bryce Miller said. "Audis have been my daily driver for many
years, and I've long been a fan of their brand and their cars. They've had many
successes at the highest levels of the sport, earning a prestigious place in
motorsports history, and this makes driving the Audi R8 LMS an honor for any
racing driver."
The 2014 IMSA season marks the first time Paul Miller Racing has raced
with Audi, but the team's parent organization, the Paul Miller Auto Group, has
operated Paul Miller Audi since 1976, one of the largest Audi dealerships in
the nation.
"The Audi R8 LMS has built a worldwide reputation as an outstanding
and winning GT car, and we are honored to be among the brand's competition
representatives this year," Paul Miller said. "I have enjoyed racing
Porsches for several decades, but now a great deal of excitement with this new
partnership has been felt at both Paul Miller Racing and at our Paul Miller
Audi dealership. I am confident this will be a winning relationship in every
respect."
Paul Miller Racing will take the first test laps in its new R8 LMS this
weekend at Sebring International Raceway, November 16 - 17, and next week at
Daytona International Speedway, November 19 - 20.
Noteworthy
- While the on-track Audi
relationship is new for Bryce Miller, the unique engine-behind-the-driver
design of the R8 LMS will sort of take him back to his racing roots. "The
last time I drove a mid-engine was when I was still driving Formula cars, but
that's still quite different from a sports car," Bryce Miller said.
"The GTD division is an all-new category, so I think it is still too early
to tell where the advantage is for the mid-engine R8. Normally, a mid-engine
car would be very good on tire wear, but this car will run with a much smaller
rear diffuser in addition to the standard Crawford wing mandated by IMSA
homologation. But the R8 does have a lot of success and many wins in other
championships worldwide so there is every reason to expect the car to perform
well and competitively."
About Paul Miller Racing: Paul Miller Racing is among the
top GT teams competing in North American sports car road racing. In 2014, the
team will contest the full GT Daytona (GTD) season in the new IMSA TUDOR
SportsCar Championship in a new partnership with Audi Sport customer racing.
Bryce Miller will drive the No. 48 Paul Miller Racing Audi R8 LMS with a
to-be-named co-driver. The racing team is affiliated with the Paul Miller Auto
Group, which has operated Paul Miller Audi since 1976, races in support of Full
Circle Home, and competes with the support of TOTAL Lubricants, Search
Marketing Group and Motegi Racing.
Follow Paul Miller Racing on Twitter @paulmilleracing @bryceracer and
become a Facebook fan at Facebook.com/paulmillerracing and
Facebook.com/brycemiller.net. Learn more about the team at
www.paulmillerracing.com.
About Audi of America and the Audi R8 LMS: Audi began a
new chapter in 2009 with the introduction of the Audi Sport customer racing
program. For the first time it was possible for motorsport customers to acquire
a race car designed for customer racing events. Since its inception, the
success of the R8 LMS has been significant throughout the GT3 racing format
worldwide, including victory in the GT class in the 2013 edition of the Rolex
24 at Daytona. The Audi R8 LMS shares more than 50% of its parts with the Audi
R8 street car including the naturally aspirated V10 5.2 Liter engine, the Audi
Space Frame and a variety of other components
Audi of America, Inc. and its U.S. dealers offer a full line of
German-engineered luxury vehicles. AUDI AG is among the most successful luxury
automotive brands globally. Audi was a top-performing luxury brand in Europe
during 2012, and broke all-time company sales records in the U.S. Through 2016,
AUDI AG will invest about $17 billion on new products and technologies.
Visit www.audiusa.com or www.audiusanews.com for
more information regarding Audi vehicle and business issues.
Photo credit: Paul Miller Racing [2013 Bob Chapman, Autosport Image]
