No. 16 Wright Porsche Returns to Defend Rolex 24 GTD Victory

Photo: Jake Galstad/IMSA

Wright Motorsports has retained a relatively unchanged driver lineup for its Rolex 24 at Daytona GTD class defense, with Ryan Hardwick, Jan Heylen and Zach Robichon all returning to the new No. 16 Porsche 911 GT3 R.

Confirmed on Wednesday, the trio will contest the full IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup, with Porsche-affiliated driver Dennis Olsen completing the lineup for the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season-opener.

The Ohio-based team has yet to announce the car’s driver lineup for the WeatherTech Sprint Cup races.

Hardwick, Heylen, Robichon and Richard Lietz broke through to claim victory in this year’s Florida endurance classic and will look to repeat it with the new Type-992 Porsche.

“This team has become like family to me, and I truly enjoy competing alongside them,” said Bronze-rated Hardwick, who won the Jim Trueman Award in 2022.

“We also have our winning driver lineup back together again, with both Jan Heylen and Zach Robichon joining me in the No. 16 car for the IMSA Endurance Championship.

“I’m really looking forward to returning to Daytona next month, with the goal of defending our Rolex 24 victory from last season.”

Heylen added: “We have a good track record as a driver pairing and we have the best team to support us.

“The goal is obviously to try and win the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup, and I know we’ll have all the tools to be in contention for the title.

“Consistency is key and Ryan and Wright Motorsports made sure we have exactly that.

“On top of all this, we’ll be starting the 2023 season with a brand-new Porsche. There’s a lot to be excited about and I can’t wait to get started.”

The No. 16 Porsche will join the previously announced No. 77 VOLT-sponsored GTD entry in Wright’s stable next year, which will be driven by Trent Hindman and Alan Brynjolfsson for the entire season.

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