K-PAX confirms three-car PWC program

K-PAX Racing has confirmed that it will continue with the three-car program that earned it last year's PWC GT Team, Manufacturer and Drivers championships.

The team's McLaren 650S GT3s will be piloted by Alvaro Parente and Bryan Sellers in GT, and Mike Hedlund in GTA.

"With the addition of new teams, drivers and GT3 cars in the Pirelli World Challenge, 2017 is going to be tighter and more challenging than ever," said team owner Jim Haughey. "So, we are very pleased to have Alvaro, the returning driver's champion, team up with the very competent Bryan Sellers in GT and Mike Hedlund in GTA."

Parente arrived in the series having never seen 10 of the 11 tracks, but quickly overcame his lack of familiarity by earning five poles and six wins, and secured the championship over rivals Patrick Long and Johhny O'Connell at the season-finale at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The Portuguese driver said that he expects to be even stronger this time around.

"I'm very happy to be back with K-PAX Racing for this season," said Parente. "I get along very well with everyone on the team, and feel we all have the same goals and will push hard to win further races. Now that I have experience of the tracks and a strong working relationship with the team, it's time to attack and fight hard from the start of the season. There are some changes in the championship, and together with the team, I'm sure we will be working hard to have a great 2017! I'm really looking forward to start working with the guys soon and start fighting for those results."

Sellers, who arrives at K-PAX with a long sports car CV, will dovetail his PWC program with a full-time IMSA United SportsCar Championship campaign with Paul Miller Racing.

"It's a huge honor to be selected to be a part of K-PAX Racing," said Sellers. "They have shown over the years that they are extremely committed to performing at the highest level of motorsports. I am very excited to take on the challenges that lie ahead with a car and a series that are new to me. I am very much looking forward to being paired with Alvaro and learning and working with the latest series champion. There will certainly be a target on the team's back, and there will be big shoes to fill after last year's achievements, but that is what makes it exciting."

Hedland spent 2016 racing in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA, and also ran in the PWC's GT Cup class at Sonoma with Flying Lizard Motorsports.

"After competing against K-PAX Racing in 2014 and 2015 and watching what they were able to accomplish in the 2016 Pirelli World Challenge racing season, I'm excited to join them for 2017 in the McLaren 650S GT3," he said. 

"While the McLaren 650S GT3 is a new car for me and that brings its own challenges, the team has more than shown that they know what it takes to build a race-winning car. The Pirelli World Challenge series is fiercely competitive with experienced teams, drivers and cars, but I know we have everything that's needed to compete at the front of the field."

The 2017 Pirelli World Challenge will visit many of the same iconic tracks as before, such as Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, with the new addition of VIRginia International Raceway in April. Pirelli World Challenge also announced a new format for the GT and GTS race events, turning the formatting of five of the events into two-driver entries per car in a 60-minute race, called SprintX. Driver lineups for the SprintX races will be announced at a later date.