PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports will have something old and something new for 2022, in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
The Championship winning LMP2 team from both the season-long LMP2 Championship, and the Michelin Endurance Cup, which consists of the endurance rounds only, are trying to reclaim the 2022 IMEC title with the exact same team.
Ben Keating, Scott Huffaker and Mikkel Jensen will do the four endurance rounds, which are Daytona, Sebring, Watkins Glen and Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. The trio will be joined at Daytona only by Nicolas Lapierre – just like the French driver was in 2021.
Photo Courtesy of IMSA / Jake Galstad
While Keating and Jensen raced the full 2021 season together, it’s going to be limited to the four endurance races in 2022. The team will put two other drivers in the car for the sprint rounds – but they are not yet ready to reveal those names.
Ben Keating will also be racing with the Mustang Sampling Cadillac #5 in DPi at the 24 hours race in Daytona. The Texan has started a tradition of running in more than one car at the season opener, and is usually having pretty good success, no matter what car he runs in.
The announcement is also an indirect confirmation of Peugeot Sport not being ready for the FIA World Endurance Championship season opener, which will run at the same weekend in Sebring. If the car had been ready, they surely had demanded Mikkel Jensen to have 100% focus on the new task – but they have allowed him to do IMSA on that weekend.
Other than car #52, there will be another car from the team. Car #11 is a full season car, but with the line-up yet to be revealed.
The 2022 season starts with the Rolex 24 at Daytona, on the final weekend of January.
Update
The team has announced the drivers in car #11 as well. Steven Thomas will move from WIN Autosport to PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports #22 in 2022. Thomas will be joined by Jonathan Bomarito for the full season. Bomarito has been long time Mazda Motorsports driver, but they closed their programme following the 2021 season finale, so he needed a new job.
Josh Pierson will have his sportscar debut at the Rolex 24 at Daytona. The currently only 15 year old American will do the four Michelin Endurance Cup races, on top of the FIA World Endurance Championship programme for United Autosports. Pierson has already tested for UA, but the ROAR test will be first meetup for the three new teammates at Daytona, one week prior to the 24 hours race.
Bomarito will be joined by one of his old teammates at Daytona. Harry Tincknell will be the fourth driver. Tincknell and Bomarito has raced together at Mazda Motorsports for many years.
