Rexy Rising
Just four races into its second season, AO Racing is no longer just a fan favorite--it's now a bona fide title contender.
Factoring out the brilliant marketing reach of its liveries, AO Racing didn't exactly have a memorable first season in IMSA. Its best finish was sixth at Virginia International Raceway. At Long Beach, a qualifying crash knocked it out of the main event before the green flag fell.
Absent the memorable paint schemes on its Porsche 911 GT3, including a nod to the famous Henn's Swap Shop Porsche 935 that won the 1983 24 Hours of Daytona and of course Rexy and Roxy, AO's debut season may have been forgotten by even the most ardent IMSA follower.
But the results don't necessarily reflect the team’s progress. The team ended the year strong, running in the top three late in the Motul Petit Le Mans season finale when it got shuffled back amid a heated battle for podium spots.
This season, Rexy, AO Racing's No. 77 Porsche 911 GT3 R painted to look like a playful t-rex dinosaur, hasn't given much ground. The team heads to Watkins Glen as the GTD Pro class points leader, having topped its class at both Laguna Seca and Detroit. Add in a second at the season opener in Daytona, and the privateer team has put its podium-less 2023 well into Rexy's rear-view mirror, regularly besting a field full of factory-backed operations in the process.
"We're a one-car team," said Sebastian Priaulx, who shares the full-season driving responsibilities with Laurin Heinrich. "All these manufacturer guys, big entries [like] Corvette, Lexus, these guys have been on top of their game for many years. We're a privateer team, pretty much. Very new. And I think to win these big races like this, it just shows how hard [AO] is working."
Priaulx, who made his IMSA debut in 2022, shared driving duties with AO Racing co-founders PJ Hyett and Gunnar Jeannette last season. This year, the 23-year-old Brit is teamed with Heinrich, a Porsche factory driver who knows a good opportunity when he sees one.
The 22-year-old German didn't start racing competitively until he was 14. But three years later, short on funds, he was forced to hang up his helmet.
After a year off, he was determined to climb his way back up the racing ladder. He did, eventually dominating Porsche Carrera Cup Germany in 2021. Just three years later, he’s started his IMSA career with two podiums and three wins in four races.
"When I had to stop racing in 2018, I realized that being able to race is a massive privilege and not a given thing," Heinrich said. "This is what drives me and makes me grab all opportunities with both hands."
Heinrich served as the closer for both wins. Two races ago, at Laguna Seca, fortunate timing of an early pit stop before a full-course yellow gained the No. 77 much-needed track position after a fifth place qualifying run. Heinrich took advantage, netting AO Racing its historic first-ever win.
Last time out, on the streets of Detroit, was a tougher test. Running third in class with 46 min. left in the 100-min. event, Heinrich bounced off the first-place Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette No. 4 when it was spun by the second-place Vasser Sullivan Lexus No. 14. All three cars were damaged, but the Porsche suffered the least, and soon grabbed the lead.
"A lot of damage on the front after that hit...but I just had to nurse at home," Heinrich said. "A lot more understeer, basically without a front splitter. Crazy vibrations down the [0.7 mile/1.1 km main] straight. I couldn't see anymore. The car is just going up and down. I had to adapt my driving quite a bit."
Detroit showed how AO Racing, which expanded its operation with an LMP2 car--Spike the dragon--has climbed to the top of its class not by being fastest, but by taking advantage of opportunities.
Priaulx said it will likely need more of the same to keep its streak going at Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen. The track's 3.4-mile, 11-turn layout is not ideal for the Porsche 911 GT3, which favors tight corners over long, high-speed sections.
"It's just one of those tracks which doesn't suit our car the best," he said. "We're a little bit down, I would say, on power. But we're going to go out there and push as much as we can.
"It's been a good season so far, and you don't always need to have the fastest car to win," Priaulx added. "It's just staying calm and cool and collected."
References
Heinrich driving experience—https://motorsports.porsche.com/international/en/category/junior-programme/driver-laurin-heinrich
Heinrich on Detroit finish—https://www.facebook.com/PorscheMotorsportNorthAmerica/videos/after-rexys-second-win-of-the-season-laurin-heinrich-reports-in-for-ao-racing-af/1115557622850867/
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