Pratt Miller ‘Growing Footprint’ With LMP2 Entry

Pratt Miller’s Vice President of Motorsports Brandon Widmer says the organization aims to ‘grow its footprint’ in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with its expansion to LMP2 for next year.

Confirmed at IMSA’s ‘State of the Sport’ address at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on Thursday, the Detroit-based motorsports and engineering company will field a single Oreca 07 Gibson as part of a 12-car LMP2 field alongside the pair of GTD Pro class Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs run under the Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports banner.

“We’re certainly excited to grow our business and grow our footprint here in IMSA which is such a great championship,” Widmer told Sportscar365.

“We’ll continue on with the two-car Corvette GTD Pro team, which is super important to us, and that legacy and the success we’ve had there.

“But it gives us an opportunity to diversify the business and have yet another team to compete for a championship next year in LMP2.

“It’s something we’ve been looking at for over a year, and we think the competition’s great there, and we’re looking forward to competing at some of the best in the world.”

When asked if an LMP2 program could point toward potential future interest in top-class prototype racing, Widmer said that Pratt Miller is “keeping an eye” on the GTP class but that no further plans other than its LMP2 expansion exist at this stage.

“We’re looking to diversify and to grow, and GTP is a great championship and we certainly keep an eye on that category,” said Widmer.

“No immediate plans there, but LMP2 certainly shares some similarities with prototype racing in general and certainly would put us in a strong position to pursue GTP in the future.

“We’re definitely interested in what may be available for us in that category.”

Though perhaps most recognizable as the long-time GT racing partner of Corvette Racing, Pratt Miller began its foray into sports car racing by constructing the Chevrolet Intrepid RM-1 GTP prototype in the early 90s, before transitioning to racing production-based machinery with Corvette just before the turn of the century.

“What’s not well-known is we actually started out in prototype racing,” said Widmer

“back in 1989 when Pratt Miller was founded, prototype racing is what we’re doing, and we had some great success there.

“Then we got into GT racing in the late 90s with the Corvette racing program, and have been with that program since day one, and quite a few other programs since then in GT racing, but we love it all.

“We love prototype racing and GT racing. We think they’re both very important to sports car [racing].”

Widmer said they expect to announce drivers in mid-November, along with further details on the program.