Although we’ve been in sports car racing longer than them, they have major assets that are going to be helping us and are helping us with people and technology and so on. “We just felt that we needed to have a partnership with someone who could bring a lot to the table. “I was walking up and down the pit and thinking: ‘What the heck am I going to do here? We need to step up to the next level.’ And I called Michael and said, ‘I think I’m ready to do this partnership,’” Taylor said.

Taylor had some initial conversations with Andretti but fast-tracked the talks when he saw the other teams during testing of the new cars. It was the Andretti resources that Taylor eyed as IMSA transitioned to hybrid for this year. You are if you try to use the same people in every program, but we’re getting the right people.”Īn Andretti representative estimated the motor sports program currently has 157 employees, with Wayne Taylor adding 30 more with the merger. “I just feel we are strengthening ourselves, not spreading ourselves too thin. His 2021 failed attempt to purchase an existing F1 team led Andretti to petition governing body FIA to expand the grid to allow him to enter two cars. The partnership with Wayne Taylor was announced in December, and although both teams said negotiations were quick and the deal seamlessly completed, it was a bit of a surprise considering how focused Andretti has been on landing an F1 team.

“It’s no secret that the one thing missing from our racing portfolio was IMSA sports car racing,” Andretti said ahead of the twice-round-the-clock endurance race that begins Saturday at Daytona International Speedway. A partnership with IMSA stalwart team Wayne Taylor Racing puts Andretti on the grid in the top GTP class for the most prestigious sports car race in North America and an eventual shot to enter the 24 Hours of Le Mans. (AP) - So long as he can’t get Andretti Global onto the Formula One grid - seemingly a long shot at this stage - Michael Andretti has turned his attention to other areas for his expanding motor sports program.įirst up is the Andretti Autosport debut in this weekend’s Rolex 24 at Daytona.

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