Wayne Taylor: “Father’s Dream” for Ricky to be Called Up By Penske

Photo: Rick Dole/IMSA

Wayne Taylor says it’s a “father’s dream” to have had Ricky Taylor called up by Roger Penske to drive for the legendary organization, and Acura, in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship next year.

The newly crowned Prototype champion was confirmed Wednesday by Penske Team Acura to join Helio Castroneves in one of the team’s Acura ARX-05 DPi cars next year, marking a move away from his family-run Wayne Taylor Racing operation after four years.

For Wayne Taylor, the opportunity for Ricky to make the move to Penske was something he, his team, as well as GM, were fully supportive of.

It’s understood GM agreed to terminate its contract with Ricky one year early for the opportunity.

“No matter which way I look at it, professional and personally, it is a father’s dream to have his son called upon by Roger Penske,” Wayne Taylor said.

“So I’m incredibly proud of Ricky and excited for him, and I think, honestly, the entire team has been supportive of this move, as well as everyone at General Motors and Cadillac.

“But I’ve still got Jordan, and he knows how to win championships.”

Jordan, who became a two-time IMSA champion last weekend alongside his brother, said he “couldn’t have asked for more” as far as achievements are considered with the two as a pairing.

“The last four years have been great with Ricky. We won lots of races together, including all the big ones, the Rolex 24, Sebring, Petit Le Mans, and now the championship,” Jordan Taylor said.

“So we couldn’t have asked for any more than that as far as accomplishments together, really.

“For Ricky, having the chance to go to Penske is a huge opportunity for him.

“As a brother, I couldn’t be more proud of him. As a teammate, it makes me sad. But it’s just an unbelievable opportunity to drive for Roger Penske.

“We’ll just have to look forward to racing against him, now.”

WTR Closing in on Replacement Driver

Wayne Taylor said they are currently working on securing Ricky’s replacement, but up until now, has been a challenge due to not being able to publicly announce the team’s vacancy for its No. 10 Cadillac DPi-V.R.

A number of top-level drivers, including Brendon Hartley and Olivier Pla were understood to had been in discussions with the Indianapolis-based team in recent weeks, but neither are believed to have materialized.

Instead, Sportscar365 understands that Renger van der Zande is among the leading candidates to replace the 28-year-old at the wheel of the Konica Minolta-sponsored machine.

“I think the replacement we’re working with at the moment is of [Ricky’s] caliber,” Wayne Taylor said.

“We need to sort everything out before we make any official announcements.”

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John