The Best Is Yet To Come

Team Owner Bobby Oergel doesn’t mince his words when talking about PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports’ start to the 2017 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season.

“We’re definitely not happy with the results, no,” he said. “What we’re doing is looking forward to better days to come.”

Oergel’s sentiment is understandable, considering his team began the year with an average finish of seventh between three races. That’s not ideal for a team that racked up seven wins and 14 podiums over the preceding two seasons while participating in the WeatherTech Championship’s Prototype Challenge (PC) class.

“We’ve obviously stepped into a bigger ocean,” said Oergel, referring to PR1’s move up to the Prototype ranks from PC this year. “The hardest thing for us so far has been getting some of these checklist items out of the way that have faltered otherwise good runs.”

The team encountered an early issue in the Rolex 24 and suffered a late issue at Sebring, despite showing competitive speed at both events. The recent event on the streets of Long Beach, California saw PR1 earn its best finish of the year, fifth overall.

Onroak Automotive has worked closely with PR1 to develop its brand new LM P2 competitor, the Gibson V8-powered Ligier JS P217, and after the solid run at Long Beach and a winning start to the car’s overseas season, everyone’s eyes are focused forward.

PR1 completed a successful test day at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) in early April and is eager to return to the 3.4-mile, 20-turn circuit on May 4-6 for the fourth WeatherTech Championship race of 2017.

“It’s really about a fresh start,” said Oergel. “As far as the rest of the races and which we’re looking forward to, right now it’s COTA because it’s right in front of us.”

There’s good reason to be looking forward to COTA – if the team’s current pattern of finishes (Daytona – ninth, Sebring – seventh, Long Beach – fifth) continues, PR1 will prove to be a good third place choice for the debut of the IMSA Podium Predictor powered by IHG Rewards Club and could see victory at the following race at Belle Isle.

Wherever the No. 52 Ligier finishes, it will always be the result of a hardworking team led by one of the most hands-on team owners in the WeatherTech Championship paddock, one who’s always willing to jump in and get his hands dirty.

“That’s the piece I truly love – the physical, hands-on portion of it,” Oergel said. “Getting time to be working with my hands, working with the guys in our shop and knowing what’s happening there. From my end of it, there’s no way to know your program better than to be part of what’s going on with it. That’s what I like, that’s what we do, and that’s that.”