Ricly Taylor told assembled media at the 24 Hours of Daytona that WTRAndretti no longer feels like a family team, since the addition of an extra car to the GTP class, plus a GTD entry in the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship.
“Being a family team with the one car in the past, running just the one Acura — Jordan [Taylor, Ricky’s brother] over there in Corvette-land — it felt really tight-knit and we’d always check in on each other,” said the driver of the #10 WTRAndretti Acura ARX-06.
“And when the team expanded to two cars, it just blew up in terms of personnel, and then the third car in the Lamborghini GT3 joining as well. So all of a sudden there’s all these new people and it doesn’t feel like a family team.”
In 2023, WTRAndretti — formerly Wayne Taylor Racing — announced a partnership with Andretti Autosport, tying the two together in what both described as a ‘long-term partnership’.
This has seen the team expand from a single car in the top prototype class, now GTP and formerly DPi, to a two-car effort in GTP, with the addition of the #40 Acura ARX-06.
This has seen Jordan Taylor, formerly a Corvette factory driver, return to the team after a few years with Corvette. He previously raced with Wayne Taylor Racing, winning the 2017 24 Hours of Daytona in a Cadillac DPi-V.R. with the team.
“The addition of Jordan definitely helps,” said the older Taylor brother.
“It creates a bond between the two cars and sort of a good incentive to cheer for both, that you’re happy for both, extra incentive to cheer for both, I guess.”
“And everybody knows Jordan by now, he keeps the whole team pretty light-hearted and fun, so that’s been really nice as well, having his sense of humour.”
Jordan Taylor: ‘I didn’t enjoy GT3 racing as much’
The younger Taylor brother, meanwhile, was looking for a way out of GT3, and his father’s team was the natural landing point.
“When I left originally to go to Corvette, I kind of saw myself finishing my career with Corvette in that class.
“So on when GTLM was phased out and I went to GT3 racing… I didn’t enjoy the racing as much in that class. So I was definitely looking for a way out and back into something I enjoyed more and yeah thankfully the team was able to get a second car and there was a seat available.”
With the demise of GTLM for 2022, Corvette and Taylor switched to racing in the IMSA GTD Pro class, with a modified C8.R. However, as Taylor said, he didn’t enjoy the racing as much as he did in the class, and so has switched to GTP after two years in GTD Pro.
