Ken Dobson Completes PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports’ Sebring Lineup
PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports has confirmed their driver lineup for the 60th Anniversary Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring fueled by Fresh from Florida. Ken Dobson, of Sonoma, CA will join season-long driver Butch Leitzinger and Rudy Junco in the #52 Aviation Gin/ Quest Software Oreca FLM09. All three drivers drove to victory for PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports in 2011 with Junco and Leitzinger taking the team to their first win at Road America and Dobson helping to secure the team’s dramatic Petit Le Mans victory last fall.
“The competition in LMPC has increased considerably this year, there’s no doubt about that,” Dobson said. “I’m not that concerned though. Looking up and down the field, I believe that we have the strongest driver lineup in the paddock, we’ve all won with PR1/Mathiasen last year, so I’m feeling very confident that we’ll be able to compete for wins again this year.”
Despite the team’s multiple victories last year, there’s still one race that Dobson and PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports would like to do over again.
“Sebring was coming to us last year, we were a lock for the podium and we were in an excellent position to win as well,” Dobson explained. “Then right after the halfway mark, we lost the engine and my heart sank in my chest. It was devastating to the whole team, really. That is why I’m so thrilled to be returning this year. We get another shot at it and my motivation is at an all time high to help this team and our supporters get the Sebring victory that we got so close to last year.”
PR1/Mathiasen Team Principal, Bobby Oergel, is confident of his team’s chances at Sebring this year.
“Our Petit Le Mans victory with Ken at the end of last year gave us a lot of momentum through the off-season, so we’re all very excited to have him back on board with us,” Oergel said. “A lot of times, a team can get into a lull through the winter months, but we have all been itching to get back racing. We’ve been working through one of the most aggressive testing programs we’ve ever utilized throughout the off-season, really pushing ourselves and the equipment to the limit to ensure that there are no mistakes at Sebring this year. All of our drivers have won with us, the team is comprised of seasoned veterans, and despite the increased competition in LMPC, PR1/Mathiasen has what I feel to be the optimal mix of experience, talent, desire, and outright speed in this class. Add that all up, and I know that we’ll be a force once again this year.”
The 2012 American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón season begins with the 60th Anniversary Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring fueled by Fresh from Florida on Saturday, March 17, 2012 at 10:30am ET.