Park Place Finalizing Porsche GTD Effort for 2014

Photo: John Dagys

After a promising season in the Rolex Sports Car Series, Park Place Motorsports is set to continue into the Tudor United SportsCar Championship next year in the GT Daytona class.

Sportscar365 has learned the Texas-based squad is finalizing a planned two-car program with Porsche’s new 911 GT America, which would see team principal Patrick Lindsey share the wheel with a to-be-determined co-driver in one of the new GTD contenders.

Lindsey and co-driver Patrick Long teamed for three podium finishes in the competitive Rolex Series GT class this year, but it’s expected the Porsche factory driver will be part of the newly announced works GT Le Mans program next year.

“For the 73 car, it will be the same crew, for the most part,” Lindsey told Sportscar365. “I’ll probably be losing my co-driver to the [Porsche factory program]. I’m super excited for Pat because that’s where he belongs. I’m probably going to be looking for a co-driver. We’ll see how that shakes out. That’s a big question mark right now. A lot of good guys are getting snatched up for deals next year.

“We’re trying to sort it out, but first and foremost, we’ve got to get the funds, we got to get the cars and figure out the rules package and get prepared. There’s a November test. We may or may not have a car to go test then. Then we’d have to schedule private test days.”

With the GTD class moving to a Pro-Am driver ranking system, Lindsey, a Wall Street trader by day, is hopeful the class will gain even more strength for 2014 under the new structure.

Grid sizes, however, could be an issue, particularly in the opening rounds at Daytona and Sebring. But Lindsey said he’s been given assurances from IMSA that established full-season entrants will take priority.

“The good news is that they’re going to honor the teams that have been in the series,” he said. “That’s a good thing because those existing teams are in the catbird’s seat. One, we’re going to be able to get cars for next year and we’ll probably have two entries for Daytona, in what could only be a 15-car GT Daytona field.

“That’s one thing that’s a little encouraging. It puts the entries at a little higher esteem. You better be one of the programs that’s been around and established in the series, otherwise you won’t even have the option to run… It’s going to be a really, really deep field in terms of the level of talent.”

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