Angelelli Departs Wayne Taylor Racing

Photo: Rick Dole/IMSA

Max Angelelli is no longer a partner in Wayne Taylor Racing, with the championship-winning driver set to focus on life away from the race track with his family in Italy.

Angelelli sold his 49 percent share of the Indianapolis-based team to Wayne Taylor in August, ending one of the most successful partnerships in modern-day sports car racing.

Through Angelelli’s duties as a driver — prior to his retirement in 2017 — as well as in driver, team and manufacturer management roles, the 53-year-old had played an influential part in WTR’s success both in top-level IMSA competition as well as its expansion into single-make racing with Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America.

Taylor’s racing relationship with Angelelli began as co-drivers with Doyle-Risi Racing in 1999 prior to the Italian and Taylor teaming up in the factory Cadillac Northstar LMP program the following year.

The two then formed Wayne Taylor Racing in 2007, which led to multiple Grand-Am and IMSA championships as well as three overall victories in the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

All told, Angelelli and Taylor co-drove in nearly 100 races together, both prior to and after the team’s launch.

“When we started the venture I was the one putting everything commercially together and a lot of his equity in the team was being the driver,” Taylor told Sportscar365.

“Then he slowly started getting out of being the driver. It’s evolved over the years.”

Taylor explained Angelelli’s recent scare with colon cancer, diagnosed in September 2019, led to him deciding to retire from motorsports altogether in order to spend more time with his family.

“He came to Road America and concluded [the sale] in August,” he said. “Because of his cancer that he had, he felt he spent so many years away from his family and was worried what the outcome was going to be and didn’t want to take any chances.

“He just didn’t want to keep flying over here. So he’s no longer part of Wayne Taylor Racing.”

Taylor said he still remains close to Angelelli, who intends to visit the team in November’s season-ending Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.

“It’s very sad,” Taylor said. “It’s like a family member. Not only him but with Manuela and the kids. I’ve had a big relationship with their kids.

“I can’t disagree with what he said because we’ve always talked about the fact that he’s spent so much time away from his family.

“Our friendship still stays the same. Obviously we won’t see each other as much as we’ve done in the past.

“Now I’ve got the full load on my shoulders.”

WTR currently leads the WeatherTech Championship DPi standings heading into the final three races of the season prior to its recently-announced switch to Acura DPi machinery for 2021.

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