In January, at the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona the team’s livery paid tribute to the 1983 Daytona 24 Hours-winning Porsche 935 driven by AJ Foyt, Bob Wollek, Preston Henn and Claude Ballot-Lena.
For the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, the #80 Porsche has a tyrannosaurus rex colorscheme. The inspiration came from team principal and driver PJ Hyett, in honor of his children, who have inspired him to use a helmet that sports a t-rex for his son and a unicorn for his daughter.
AO will be competing against 19 other entries in the GTD class in a 54-car field, and is one of five Porsches, which are seeking radically improved Balance of Performance after running around three seconds off the class pace in qualifying at Daytona.
Hyett will again be joined by full-season co-driver Sebastian Priaulx, with Gunnar Jeannette again the endurance.
Said Priaulx: “I’m really looking forward to working with AO Racing again for another race weekend. It’s my first Twelve Hours of Sebring, which is pretty special for me. It’s a race that my dad has won [Andy Priaulx won the GTE class in a BMW M3 back in 2011] , and one I’d like to win as well.
“It’s a great event. It’s one of the best ones out there. I’m looking forward to driving the Porsche and giving it all we’ve got. I’m looking forward to the weekend ahead and working with PJ and Gunnar and getting the job done.”
Jeannette added: I’m thrilled to be one of the guys that will drive the GT3-Rawr. Hopefully, Rexy goes as fast as it looks and we can come home with a good result after our disappointing Daytona. We really want to give the fans something to cheer for as Rexy makes its mark both on and off track."
