PETALUMA, Calif. (Mar. 24, 2014) – TRG-AMR North America, one of the most successful private teams in North American sports car racing, is in the final stages of preparation for first race of the 2014 Pirelli World Challenge.
Drew Regitz, Jorge De La Torre and Nick Esayian are confirmed to drive the TRG-AMR Aston Martin Vantage GT4 cars in the GTS class of the Pirelli World Challenge at St. Petersburg. These three drivers will be a part of very deep GTS class of competitors for this opening 2014 event. The temporary street course at St. Petersburg is known for its high speed corners and sheer excitement. This means that the three TRG-AMR drivers will work to build up speed early and keep the cars scratch free while navigating the treacherous concrete walled course in practice and qualifying.
“We are all very excited to be here for the opening round of the awesome Pirelli World Challenge series. It was only last year that we stuck our toe in the water with PWC and here we are with 3 full time entries and some fantastic drivers and teammates as well. Our entire squad has been working so hard to be prepared for this first race and the drivers have been testing hard. It will be an honor to represent the Aston Martin brand here with the series for 2014. We are ready.”
Regitz, from Denver, returns to TRG-AMR after finishing eighth at Mid-Ohio in 2013 with the team in the Pirelli World Challenge GTS class in an Aston Martin Vantage GT4, the highlight of a limited schedule of seven events. Regitz tested extensively with the team during the offseason and looks to run up front beginning at St. Pete.
De La Torre, an aspiring young professional driver from McAllen, Texas, will race for TRG-AMR after experience in karting and Formula 3. This will be De La Torre’s first street race and therefore he will be careful early on as he builds speed in the tight confines of the fast St. Pete track.
Esayian, from San Diego, joins TRG-AMR after finishing eighth in the GTS Drivers Championship in 2013 PWC with nine top-10 finishes in an Acura TSX. It was his fourth consecutive Top 10 season finish in the class, as he placed second in 2010 and fifth in 2011 and 2012. He helped contribute to four Manufacturers Championships with Real Time Racing and has one victory, 23 top-five and 65 top-10 finishes in 115 career Pirelli World Challenge starts and is a veteran of SCCA national and pro competition. Esayian has raced all of the St. Pete PWC events and will attack from the minute first practice starts to maximize the advantage he gains from his experience on this track.
The opening weekend broadcast is available to watch live at http://www.world-challengetv.com. Race one will air on the website on Saturday, March 29 at 3:00 PM ET. Race two will broadcast on Sunday, March 30 at 11:00 AM ET. In addition, NBC Sports Network will broadcast the race on April 6 at 5:30 PM ET and April 12 at 1 AM ET.