It was just two short weeks ago that we learned part of Patrick Dempsey’s racing plans with Porsche for the 2015 season. At the time of the original announcement there was no word on if we would see Dempsey racing in the U.S. as part of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. Today we received word that Patrick will partner with Wright Motorsports for the 2015 Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup (these are the four endurance races in the TUSCC). The team name for the effort, which will see Wright Motorsports provide a full in-house program, will be Dempsey/Wright Motorsports.
What Is The 2015 Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup?
Think of it as a series within a series. It’s a unique four-race competition encompassing the marquee endurance races on the IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. The Endurance Cup begins with the 53rd running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla., on Jan. 24-25 and includes the remaining three endurance races in the regular Tudor Series. The second event is the 63rd Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida March 21 at Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Fla. The third is the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen June 28 at Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, N.Y. The Endurance Cup ends with Petit Le Mans Powered By Mazda at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Ga., on Oct. 3, which is also the season finale for the TUDOR series.
The winners in each of the four classes (Prototype, Prototype Challenge, GT Le Mans and GT Daytona) are awarded points at specific intervals for drivers, teams and manufacturers.
- For the Rolex 24 At Daytona, points are awarded at six hours, 12 hours, 18 hours, and at the finish.
- At the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida, points are awarded at four hours, eight hours and at the finish.
- At the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen, points are awarded at three hours and at the finish.
- At Petit Le Mans, points are awarded at four hours, eight hours and at the finish.
What You Get If You Win The 2015 Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup
A purse of $300,000 is awarded to the champions of the Patrón Endurance Cup with $100,000 going to the Prototype (P) and GT Le Mans (GTLM) championship-winning teams and $50,000 going to the Prototype Challenge (PC) and GT Daytona (GTD) championship-winning teams. In addition, the Patrón Endurance Cup round winners, at each of the four racetracks, receive a limited edition bottle of Gran Patrón Platinum
Who’s Driving With Dempsey?
Co-driving the team’s Porsche 911 GT America in 2015 along with Dempsey, of Malibu, Calif., will be rising star Madison Snow of Lehi, Utah; veteran Jan Heylen, a native of Belgium who now resides in Tampa, Fla., and a fourth driver yet to be announced (Patrick Long anyone?).
Here’s what Patrick had to say about the announcement.
“Although I’ll be doing a great deal of racing in Europe next year, I’m excited to also be racing in my home country in these four premier events,” Dempsey said. “I’m also excited to further my relationship with Wright Motorsports. I enjoy working with Madison and Jan, as well as with John Wright and everyone at Wright Motorsports.”
All of the races will be televised on FOX Sports.
Other Porsche Blog Posts You Will Enjoy
Congratulations To Madison Snow, The Youngest Champion Of The Porsche IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge
Video Interview with Madison Snow
FLATSIXES.com’s Great Driver Series: Melanie Snow