(Petaluma, Calif. – May 4, 2017) The Racers Group tackles the second of two back-to-back races this weekend at Austin’s challenging Circuit of the Americas (COTA) 3.4 mile road course, featuring a mix of some of the very best straights and corners in motorsports, all combined into one exhilarating race track. TRG has had amazing success at COTA with poles, wins and podiums and is looking to continue the tradition.
Craig Lyons and Kris Wilson lead off in IMSA Continental Tire Sportscar Challenge GS action in the TRG #3 Aston Martin V8 GT4 Vantage. Lyons started racing out of a love of cars and vintage machines. He first found success racing his 1968 Porsche 911S in the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA). Lyons recently completed a full season with this Northern Californian race team in a Cayman GT4 Clubsport, which he raced in the Porsche Pirelli GT3 Cup Trophy Series. Circuit of the Americas is a track Lyons favors and he garnered first and second-place wins over a double-header weekend racing a 2016 Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport in his last effort at COTA.
His co-driver in the IMSA Continental Tire series, Kris Wilson, raced an entire season of IMSA Continental Tire Sportscar Challenge with TRG teammate Max Riddle. Wilson is coming off a very successful weekend at Virginia International Raceway (VIR), where he notched a hard-fought victory and second place finish over a weekend racing TRG’s #007 Aston Martin V12 Vantage in Pirelli World Challenge (PWC) SprintX alongside co-driver Drew Regitz. Kris has also competed in various top sportscar series including Rolex Series, World Challenge, World Sports Car and American Le Mans Series. As fans have come to expect, anytime Wilson gets behind the wheel of a race car, wins and podiums are well within his reach.
“It’s great having Craig and Kris team up for this year’s IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge series,” Buckler says.. “Craig and Kris are an awesome team. Craig has worked so hard on his driving this past year and it really showed at the end of the season and in this year’s races, where he is always a contender for podiums and won his last race here at COTA and Kris is a definite go-to driver for our team, coming off of a win just last week at VIR.”
TRG is one of the most successful teams in all of sportscar racing, and that track record of achievement certainly extends to Circuit of the Americas, a circuit that is both a fan and team favorite. The team had an epic GT win in 2013 with Porsche and also saw the GTD Pole position in 2014. Kris Wilson achieved pole at COTA in 2015 in his TRG Aston Martin Vantage, turning his front row start into a victory in GTS class. The team has achieved numerous wins and podium finishes across many series at the challenging circuit including top finishes in Pirelli World Challenge, Pirelli GT3 cup where Craig Lyons celebrated victory last year in his last race of the season, two second-place finishes in Lamborghini Super Trofeo and a top-ten finish in last year’s Lone Star Le Mans race at the circuit.
The weekend begins with a series of special events, designed to showcase TRG’s unique mix of memorable experiences and B2B opportunities. First up on Thursday, the spotlight is on Aston Martin as TRG hosts an elegant Wine Reception featuring Adobe Road Winery wines from 6:30 – 9 p.m. at Late European Dealership, 12989 Research Boulevard in Austin, where the TRG #007 Aston Martin, winner last weekend in PWC SprintX at VIR, will be on display.
Next up is an ultra-exclusive Adobe Road Winery Wine Dinner at The Austonian (200 Congress Avenue), Austin’s tallest multi-use luxury residential building, on Friday, May 5. This event featuring exquisite wine and food pairings, will kick off with a wine reception at 6:30 p.m. with dinner following at 7:30 p.m. The event will have over 70 VIP guests in attendance for a wonderful evening of wine and food, camaraderie and networking. The drivers will be introduced and the sponsors while the chance to meet each other and talk about ways to enhance each other’s business around motorsports.
“Many of our team partners and sponsors will be activating with us at this race, highlighting our ability to provide top shelf experiential marketing and B2B opportunities like business activation opportunities, full track access, trackside hospitality, Aston Martin dealer reception and Adobe Road Winery wine dinner and several other events,” says Kevin Buckler, TRG CEO. “We work hard to be the leader both on and off the track.”