Priaulx excited to get ‘fantastic opportunity’

After two strong seasons in GT4 endurance racing, a fresh challenge for 2021 sees the 20-year-old Guernsey driver competing in a new generation of car.

It is the first time the Porsche Carrera Cup has been run in North America and offers a unique opportunity for Priaulx to showcase his talent, driving for the most successful team in the series.

Multimatic Motorsports and Kelly-Moss Racing have enjoyed a strong relationship for over two decades and so they were the logical choice for the campaign.

When the new series gets under way at Sebring next month, Priaulx will take the wheel of the new Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race car along with a host of other young talent looking to demonstrate their ability.

The son of three-time World Touring Car Champion Andy is currently in the US, preparing to take part in a two-day test at Sebring where the Kelly-Moss crew will run him in a previous generation Porsche Cup car so as to give him a taste of the rear-engine configuration, a new experience for the young Guernseyman.

For Priaulx, who will race in the Rookie class, the series provides an opportunity to show off his skills.

‘This is a fantastic opportunity for me and I cannot wait to get started,’ he said.

‘I’ve raced with a teammate for the last few years and this is like going back to single-seaters where the buck stops with me.

‘In the past I have gone well in one-make series so I’m really looking forward to starting work with Jeff Stone, Andy Kilcoyne and the guys at Kelly-Moss.

‘One rookie will be selected to represent the region in the Porsche Junior Shootout in Germany at the end of the year and that is my target.

‘Thank you to Multimatic for having faith in me. I’m feeling fit, I’m raring to go and I will give it everything I’ve got.’

The Porsche Carrera Cup North America is a 16-round, eight-event series and every round is a 45-minute sprint race so it is important for drivers to qualify well and race fast and mistake-free to obtain the top results.

‘This is an indication of Multimatic’s increasing commitment to motorsports,’ said Raj Nair, Multimatic president and COO.

‘We have chosen Seb to be a central part of our young driver development programme and after two successful seasons in our GT4 Mustangs, on both sides of the Atlantic, we felt it time for him to try something a little different.’

The first race of the 2021 Porsche Carrera Cup North America series will take place at Sebring International Raceway in March.

• More in Thursday's Guernsey Press.