No. 11 FCP Euro Mercedes-AMG GT4 to be raced by Michael Hurczyn and Nate Vincent
'FCP Euro has always had big aspirations as a business, on the track, and as part of the automotive community,' said Kyle Bento, Director of Marketing, FCP Euro. 'Our new program with IMSA is no exception. We are excited to see the FCP Euro colors on a Mercedes AMG-GT4. It's an incredibly capable platform for GT4, and we're excited to continue to grow our expertise and Mercedes-Benz product catalog.'
FCP Euro's racing team is almost exclusively staffed by employees from the company's Milford, Connecticut headquarters, who have roles within the company in addition to their work on the race programs. This includes the two race-winning drivers, Michael Hurczyn, FCP Euro's Brand Director and Nate Vincent, FCP Euro's Motorsport Director.
The FCP Euro motorsports program began in 2016 with a BMW that was raced in American Endurance Racing (AER) by Hurczyn and Vincent. FCP Euro then built a Mercedes C300 to compete in AER, which was the lone Mercedes-Benz model in the season championship. The team then stepped into professional racing with a pair of Volkswagen GTI TCRs competing in SRO Motorsports TC America championship, then known as Pirelli World Challenge. The effort culminated with capturing the 2019 SRO America TCR team and driver's championships, with Hurczyn taking the title and Vincent finishing second. FCP Euro's efforts also enabled Volkswagen to capture the manufacturer championship that season.
'After following IMSA for most of my life, it is a dream come true to be able to compete against some of the best race car drivers in the world,' said Hurczyn. 'As we have been working through the planning, it has become clear that everyone on the team will be expected to compete at a much higher level than we have ever done in the past. We have a remarkable team that has built an incredible business, with proven success on and off the track. We know 2021 will be a year for learning, but people who know FCP Euro should expect nothing less than a highly competitive and organized program that intends on running up front.'
FCP Euro will enjoy the continued support of several companies for their IMSA program. LIQUI MOLY enters its third year as title sponsor and will be prominently featured on the No. 11 FCP Euro Mercedes AMG-GT4, as will TRW Ultra, Corteco, Zimmermann, Nissens, and Sparco. In addition to being partners in the program, they are all companies whose products are featured and sold in the FCP Euro catalog. Also included in the program is Hoonigan, the popular automotive media company and network of YouTube channels.
FCP Euro's first race will be the Acura Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio, May 14-16, at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge races are streamed live on NBC Sports Gold with Trackpass, and tape-delayed on NBC Sports.
Photo credit: Mercedes-Benz
posted on conceptcarz.com
FCP Euro is moving its championship-winning motorsports program to the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge. FCP Euro will contest the championship in the No. 11 FCP Euro Mercedes AMG- GT4, which will be driven by Michael Hurczyn and Nate Vincent. The program's first race will be the series' third round of the season, May 14-16 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
'I've been hooked on sports car racing since I was a young kid attending the Vintage Historic Festival at Lime Rock Park with my family,' said Vincent. 'It's a big step for our FCP Euro team to jump into a series with so much potential, and to a class that is as closely contested as the GS class. I have found that often the defining factors in a race car's performance is determined by all the little things, and I think that the Mercedes AMG-GT4 is one of the best GT4 cars in the world. On a personal level, I've come a long way with FCP Euro – in the early 2000s, I was buying parts from their eBay store and now, we are building an IMSA program.'
posted on conceptcarz.com
