Park Place Set for NAEC Campaign

Park Place Motorsports is preparing for a Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup campaign this year with the possibility of adding more IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship races, according to team principal/driver Patrick Lindsey.

Lindsey will be joined by Tim Pappas, Joerg Bergmeister, and Norbert Siedler for this month’s Rolex 24 at Daytona, with Pappas confirmed for at least the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring and Motul Petit Le Mans and Lindsey set for the full Patron Endurance Cup slate.

Driving primarily with Bergmeister, Lindsey claimed third in the GT Daytona standings last year in the team’s Porsche 911 GT3 R including a win at Lime Rock to go along with three additional podiums.

The Californian said the team is looking to run additional races but indicated that he is hoping to scale back his own driving duties as the team continues to grow.

“The plan right now is we’re set for the North American Endurance Cup,” Lindsey told Sportscar365. “We’re talking to some people about some other races.

“The plan is not that I will do any more outside of the North American Endurance Cup, maybe a one-off here or there, but we’re kind of entertaining some clients and utilizing the car and the team throughout the year.

“I’m excited for that. I’m just happy that we have a lot going on still for the crew. They’ve been with us for a long time so keeping them busy was really important this year.

“That’s why we’re seeking any kind of opportunity to have the car run.”

Lindsey said the grind of the IMSA calendar, coupled with the time constraints of running his own business, prompted his decision to reduce his driving commitments this year.

“To be honest, even the eleven race schedule, plus testing, this year is going to be a little busy,” he said.

“And I have a company that takes a lot of my time that’s in its infancy still, so it’s hands on. I’m there every second I can be to foster the growth of that. Racing detracts from success over there.

“Last year it was a big ask for me to do the 12 race season. My wife and I talked about it and just said: we’ can’t do that again. That was part of the reason for the cut back schedule.”

Lindsey Eyeing European Opportunities

Lindsey, who attended the 24 Hours of Le Mans last year for the first time as a guest of Porsche, indicated that he was actively pursuing a program outside of North America, with a landing spot in the FIA World Endurance Championship or European Le Mans Series.

“We’re looking at endurance racing overseas,” he said. “We’re talking with a Porsche team in Germany and things right now aren’t really clear because we’re looking at several options in terms of series.

“Some series are harder to get into than others so it depends on the series, it depends on entries.

“As soon as we have any news one way or another we’ll announce, but the idea was to leave myself open for opportunities across the pond.

“I think we have our sights set on something like ELMS or WEC, so that’s the goal.”