PARSIPPANY, N.J. (December 10, 2018) – A new season for IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship begins in January and Paul Miller Racing, the reigning GTD class champions, will return to the series in 2019 to defend their title. Sports nutrition company 1st Phorm International has joined the team as the primary sponsor for the upcoming season, which will see the team return to competition in the new Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO. TOTAL Lubricants will support the team for a third season as they defend their 2018 title. Champion Bryan Sellers will return for his fourth year with the team, to be joined by 2018 Lamborghini Super Trofeo North American and World Champion Ryan Hardwick. Corey Lewis, also a 2018 Lamborghini Super Trofeo North American Champion, will reprise his role at the team as an endurance driver in the Michelin Endurance Cup.
“Ryan brings a lot of talent, success, and determination to our team and will be a big asset to Paul Miller Racing,” said team owner Paul Miller. “In the coming season, we expect he will be a big help to us in defending our title! Having driver champion Bryan Sellers back as our team leader is also very exciting for our whole team.”
Paul Miller Racing enjoyed great success in 2018, earning eight podiums in 11 races to clinch the GTD Team, Driver, and Manufacturer Championships. New sponsor 1st Phorm is no stranger to motorsports, having signed as a title sponsor of Gold Rush Rally for five seasons, as well as a partner with Dream Racing Motorsport in the 2018 Lamborghini Super Trofeo Series. That partnership was also formed with Mountain Motorsports, one of the largest retailers of motorcycle and powersports vehicles in the nation. Together with 1st Phorm, Mountain Motorsports will come on board with Hardwick as a new sponsor for Paul Miller Racing in 2019.
In his previous three years with Paul Miller Racing, Bryan Sellers was a champion in the making. In his 33 races with the team, Sellers has amassed an impressive 13 podiums and 20 top-five finishes, making him one of the most consistent drivers in today’s sports car racing field.
“I’m very honored to be returning to Paul Miller Racing for my fourth season,” said Sellers. “This will be a new program for us and I am extremely excited about pairing with Ryan Hardwick for the season. I was able to watch him race in Super Trofeo last season, and his growth and commitment through the year was impressive. He will be a great fit within our team.”
Following co-driver Madison Snow’s departure from sports car racing to focus on the family business, the team wasted no time in appointing Lamborghini Super Trofeo and Pirelli World Challenge racer Ryan Hardwick to step in the No. 48 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO alongside Sellers. Only two years into his motorsports career, the 1st Phorm athlete has already made quite the splash. In his rookie season in the 2017 Super Trofeo series, Hardwick earned five Lamborghini Cup class wins and ten podiums, finishing runner up in both the North American Championship and the Lamborghini World Finals. In 2018, Hardwork moved up to the AM division of the series, earning six class wins and eleven podiums. He clinched the North American Championship, as well as the World Final Championship. Hardwick also raced in the Pirelli World Challenge in 2018, scoring the GT Cup Championship title.
“I could not be more excited about moving up to the IMSA Weathertech Championship and joining Paul Miller Racing in 2019,” said Hardwick. “When I started my journey into racing sports cars, my goal was to one day compete in IMSA. I am honored to have the opportunity to realize that goal by joining such an accomplished team with Paul Miller Racing. I’m also extremely grateful for the opportunity to drive with, and learn from Bryan Sellers. None of this would be possible without confidence that Mr. Miller and Lamborghini Squadra Corse have put in me, and I’m dedicated to helping defend their class championship from last season.”
Corey Lewis first joined Paul Miller Racing at the 2018 Twelve Hours of Sebring, where the team scored the GTD win and took hold of the class points lead. The team held the lead to the final race of the season, where Sellers, Snow, and Lewis finished third at Petit Le Mans, making Paul Miller Racing the 2018 GTD Champions. Snow and Lewis also became the 2018 champions in the Super Trofeo North American Championship.
“I am honored to be back with Paul Miller Racing for all endurance rounds for the 2019 IMSA Championship,” said Lewis. “I want to extend a big thank you to Mr. Miller for the opportunity! The team is still cruising on a high from their driver, team and manufacturer championships, and I look forward to helping to carrying that momentum to help achieve the same success. It’s great to be working with the duo of reigning GTD Champ Bryan Sellers and Lamborghini Super Trofeo Am U.S. and World Champion Ryan Hardwick to help them get the overall drivers title! I just can’t wait to get to work with all the crew and engineering staff at Paul Miller Racing.”
In anticipation for the upcoming season with Michelin as the new GTD class tire manufacturer, this week the team will complete a one day tire test at Daytona International Speedway. The team will return to Daytona again in just a few weeks time for the Roar Before the 24, the first official series-wide test of the 2019 season. The 2019 champions will appear at the January 4 to January 6 test with the new livery for the No. 48 Lamborghini Huracán GT3. The first race of the season will take place January 26, the Rolex 24 at Daytona. For more event and series information, visit www.imsa.com.
Paul Miller Racing
Backed by a wealth of experience and talent and a long history of success, Paul Miller Racing began competing in professional sports car racing in 2010, running in Grand Am and the American Le Mans Series. Paul Miller has extensive experience as both a driver and team owner. He led the Porsche factory effort in Trans-Am Series racing in the 1980s. He was also a leading IMSA endurance racer, driving with sports-car stars Bob Akin, Brian Redman and Hans Stuck. He competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans three times and in the Rolex 24 At Daytona nine times, topping the GTO class in 1988. Paul Miller Racing’s international crew have worked at all levels of sports-car racing, bringing a world of expertise to the team’s operations. In 2018, with Lamborghini Squadra Corse the team became the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD class team, driver, and manufacturer champions.
Paul Miller Racing is based in Buford, Georgia with satellite support coming from Parsippany, NJ. The team’s technical operations are year round and official team testing is primarily conducted nearby at their home circuit Road Atlanta. The team also retails driver coaching services, aftermarket street tuning and upgrades, ride-along and race weekend experiences, and official team gear.
1st Phorm International
1st Phorm is a sports nutrition company based in St. Louis, MO. In 2009, CEO Andy Frisella and his business partner Chris Klein started the brand. Since then, it has become the fastest growing supplement company in the world. 1st Phorm has set the standards in the industry for quality and helping people reach their goals. This new racing partnership is not their first time in the exotic car scene either. 1st Phorm has been the title sponsor for the Gold Rush Rally for five years running. With over a million followers across social media, 1st Phorm has amassed a huge cult-like following that known as, “The Legion of Boom.” They stand for a movement in the fitness world. To turn it back to what it was meant to be. Helping others improve their lives, to be a good human… and to drop the excuses and do the work. 1st Phorm is a winning brand and they don’t expect anything less when it comes to their new racing team. For additional info: www.1stphorm.com
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Mountain Motorsports
Mountain Motorsports is a group of motorcycle and powersports dealerships with multiple locations in the southeastern United States. The company was founded by lifelong friends Ryan Hardwick and Justin Price when they opened their first location as a single-line Honda dealership in Sevierville, Tennessee in 1999. The company has since grown into one of the largest retailers of motorcycle and powersports vehicles in the nation, spanning eight dealership locations representing eleven of the industry’s most well-known brands. For additional info: www.mtn-motorsports.com
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Total Lubricants
Total Lubricants operates in the USA through its 100% owned affiliate Total Specialties USA, Inc. based in Houston. Total is the fourth largest oil and gas company in the world, and TSUSA is commercially active in all of the contiguous states through its four main businesses: Lubricants, Special Fluids, Fuel Additives and Aviation Fuels (the latter two contributing strongly to Total’s international network for Global Business partners). The quality of its products and commitment to customer service has supported strong growth in the last five years. Their TOTAL QUARTZ motor oils offer cutting edge technology to protect engines from wear and corrosion, all while providing high quality engine performance as well as fuel economy. TOTAL QUARTZ engine oils carry nearly all official OEM approvals, including high-performance car manufacturers. Learn more at www.TotalSpecialties.com or purchase TOTAL QUARTZ products directly at www.Amazon.com
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2019 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD Schedule
January 24-27
Rolex 24 at Daytona
Daytona Beach, Florida
March 13-16
Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring
Sebring, Florida
May 3-5
Acura Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio
Lexington, Ohio
May 31-June 1
Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix Presented by Lear
Detroit, Michigan
June 27-30
Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen
Watkins Glen, New York
July 5 – 7
Sports Car Grand Prix
Bowmanville, Ontario
July 19 – 20
Northeast Grand Prix
Lakeville, Connecticut
August 2-4
Road America
Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin
August 23-25
Michelin GT Challenge at VIR
September 13-15
WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
Monterey, California
October 8-12
Motul Petit Le Mans
Braselton, Georgia
