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AFS/PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports To Take On WeatherTech Championship with Saavedra, Yacaman



Tuesday, December 19, 2017


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Long-time open-wheel racing competitors AFS Racing have joined forces with IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship veterans PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports, and the combined effort – known as AFS/PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports – makes its WeatherTech Championship debut in January’s Rolex 24 At Daytona.
The team will field the No. 52 Ligier LM P2 machine in the Prototype class for a pair of Colombian co-drivers, Gustavo Yacaman and Sebastian Saavedra, for the full 2018 WeatherTech Championship season.
“As a former owner and driver in open-wheel racing, I’m excited to be joining a great team by partnering with owner Bobby Oergel’s PR1 team to field a Ligier JS P217 in the 2018 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship,” Team Principal Gary Peterson announced. “Along with Bobby, I hope to continue on building the team along with (Ligier constructor) Onroak (Automotive) for technical support.
“With both our involvement, we have been able to put together a very good selection of drivers to run the races starting within weeks. We selected the drivers in order to aggressively compete, run the entire schedule and contend for a championship.”
Long-time sports car racer Yacaman – who has competed in the WeatherTech Championship, FIA World Endurance Championship and European Le Mans Series – is returning to full-time WeatherTech Championship competition in 2018. Yacaman owns one series victory, which came at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in 2014.
“I am delighted to be a part of this new adventure, and even better to have Sebastian as my teammate,” Yacaman said. “It’s the first time two Colombian drivers work together for one common goal. We will be an example for many generations to come. Seb comes from IndyCar, where you need to drive at the very limit and push very hard every lap, so I am looking forward to learning something from him on that side.”
Saavedra has been an IndyCar competitor for the past several years, competing for teams such as Chip Ganassi Racing, Andretti Autosport, Bryan Herta Autosport and KV Racing. He’s made 65 career IndyCar starts, with a pole position at the 2014 IndyCar Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He also has three career sports car starts, including the Rolex 24 At Daytona and Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in 2014 and the 2012 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series race at Indianapolis.
“I’m very excited with this new chapter in my career and very honored and humbled to be a part of building this new organization together with Gary Peterson and Bobby Oergel,” Saavedra said. “It’s something that has been in the works for two years now, and making it a reality is definitely one of the highlights of my career.
“I’m looking forward to the whole concept of Team Colombia and building a very strong alliance and performance team in what will be a very competitive season in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.”
The new venture for PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports is the next chapter for the successful team, which won the Prototype Challenge (PC) class Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup in both 2015 and 2016. The team owns one Rolex 24 At Daytona victory, as well as three victories each at Sebring and the Motul Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta.
“Every one of the team members were so happy to learn about this opportunity that we’ve been able to assemble,” said Oergel. “AFS and Gary Peterson’s passion for motorsports fits right in with how strong we believe the team can be.
“It’s obviously a bit tough at the moment with how late this has come together, but the big picture is what this partnership is all about. I am looking forward to a long and prosperous future for all of us together.”