PETALUMA, Calif
The Racers Group, one of North America’s winningest sportscar racing teams, has a big weekend coming up as the team returns to the scenic coastline and rolling hills of the Monterey Peninsula with an ultra-strong two Team line-up as the famed Laguna Seca circuit plays host to the 2nd Intercontinental GT Challenge California 8 Hours race October 26-28, 2018. TRG has a proud history here — it’s where the team first began to race professionally and has since garnered many wins across multiple series at the track, starting off in the early days of PCA, to early IMSA and Grand Am, Daytona Prototypes, the factory GTO program and to modern day GT and GS. TRG was victorious in back-to-back GT races in 2011 and 2012 for the six-hour season finales.
The Laguna Seca 2.2 mile circuit is one of the classic tracks in sportscar (and open wheel) racing, and a definite fan-favorite. It’s been a Monterey area landmark since the late 1950s when it was built on the Fort Ord military installation, flowing with the area’s natural landscape, accentuated by The Corkscrew, the famous twisty seven-story drop at turn 8. And the California 8 Hours race is the longest professional race ever contested at this iconic track.
TRG is “in it to win it” in this last race weekend of the season with two talented driving teams gridding up for the 8-hour race, which welcomes racing teams and drivers from around the world to California’s Central Coast.
The Intercontinental GT Challenge California 8 Hours race weekend gets underway in style Friday night (October 26) with an exclusive VIP dinner hosted by TRG at the Sardine Factory entertaining series executives, team principals, drivers, sponsors and more with the opportunity to connect over Adobe Road Winery wine and perfectly paired cuisine.
TRG is an expert at creating B2B, relationship cultivation and corporate entertainment opportunities as key components of race weekends, and this weekend’s activities at Laguna Seca are no exception as executives, partners and other invited guests will enjoy the team’s special brand of hospitality in the paddock and beyond.
“This will be our premier event for the year and we are going All-In” stated team owner Kevin Buckler. “We have two strong cars and I love it when I’m racing with my friends! This is going to be really cool and really exciting for everybody. Derek and Sean have been amazing together all year and surprised even many of the pro teams out there with their pace. “ Who are those guys?”… I’ve heard more than once. They are fantastic drivers and terrific teammates to each other and to TRG. Spencer is a natural addition, coming in as our third driver and a strong closer. He ran with TRG over the course of six years and we did some truly amazing things together and we are hoping for a repeat here.”
“Having our Pirelli Trophy Cup driver, Chris Bellomo, step up to this venue, is just a natural progression of what he has been working towards all year. He and his professional driver coach, Robert Orcutt have just done an amazing job of step-by-step progression to the point where Chris is consistently one of the fastest guys in his class every time he hits the track. This is also a home track for Chris and Robert so could not be a better debut. A big shout out to Robert for the military precision and professionalism of how he has advanced Chris’s program and for Chris, we have all been so impressed. Adding their friend and professional driver Tom Dyer to the mix will make this a fantastic combo and we are looking forward to getting the boys on the track.”
“We definitely want to show all of the teams, and especially those international teams, that California and the West Coast are definitely the places to be for racing. You just can’t duplicate what we have to offer anywhere else — the beauty of the area, the world-class atmosphere, and the facilities are second-to-none. Gill Campbell and her team here at Laguna Seca have done a fantastic job of stewarding this world-class racing facility and all that it does for the local community…and are now preparing to take it into the next generation.”
What an amazing racing platform has been created here with Greg Gill and his team from Pirelli World Challenge and now with the addition of Stéphane Ratel and his world-class SRO racing organization. We have discussed this at great length and all agree that GT racing is the way to go and I am so appreciative and supportive of the fantastic racing platform they have given us here in North America, and now globally, with this partnership.
Steven Robb and our friends from LaSalle solutions have been just fantastic partners both on and off the track and I love seeing a plan work. Steve understands the value of this amazing paddock we all put together and always finds a way to make the business development process both profitable and fun. He and his team have become wonderful teammates as well as dear friends and we are proud to have them on board.
Many of our other team partners and sponsors will be activating with us at this race as well, highlighting our ability to provide top-shelf marketing and B2B opportunities like business activation full track access, trackside hospitality, and corporate entertainment,” Buckler goes on to say. “Our results prove we are leaders both on and off the track, and I’m very proud of that.”