Cassels, Masson Set for Return to Performance Tech

Photo: Mike Levitt/IMSA

Cameron Cassels and Kyle Masson are set to return to Performance Tech Motorsports for the 2020 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season, with the LMP2 squad “95 percent” of the way in confirming its full program, according to team principal Brent O’Neill.

The Florida-based team, which won the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup title this year, will field its Oreca 07 Gibson in the full six-race season, while O’Neill said they are finalizing plans for the season-opening Rolex 24 at Daytona, which has become a non-points paying round.

“We’re not far away from having it all locked in,” he told Sportscar365. “On paper it all looks great. You just have to implement it now.”

O’Neill said Cassels and Masson will form the base of its planned Daytona entry alongside a yet-to-be-announced driver, with talks still ongoing to secure a fourth driver for the twice-around-the-clock endurance classic.

“It’s a big bucket list race for guys,” O’Neill said of Daytona. “I think we’ll be able to pull it off.”

IMSA’s move to a Bronze-rated driver mandate for the full season is the “only reason” the team has been able to commit to the season-long championship, according to O’Neill.

Performance Tech, along with PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports, had been the only two season-long entrant in LMP2 this year although it looks set to change with the addition of DragonSpeed and expected partial-season efforts from Era Motorsport and Rick Ware Racing.

Le Mans Plans Being Finalized

O’Neill said the team’s plans for the 24 Hours of Le Mans are progressing, which will see Performance Tech link up with an existing European operation for its debut in the French endurance classic.

An entry has been secured courtesy of Cassels winning the Jim Trueman Award as the best-placed gentleman driver in the IMSA LMP2 ranks this year.

Cassels will be joined by Masson and a third, yet-to-be-determined driver in the entry.

“We’re working with three of four teams right now to decide what’s the best avenue to go down,” O’Neill said. “ORECA has been instrumental in helping us coordinate everything. 

“We have a couple of really good contacts and have already rented some houses over there.

“The ball is rolling. We just have to decide what team makes sense for us to get together with.”

O’Neill said they will utilize a leased Oreca chassis for the race, given the logistical challenges of shipping its IMSA-based car to France.

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