One of sports car racing’s worst-kept secrets is now official, with news that Townsend Bell and Bill Sweedler will switch from Scuderia Corsa to O’Gara Motorsport for the 2016 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
It sees the defending GT Daytona class champions switch from the venerable Ferrari 458 Italia to the new Lamborghini Huracán GT3, which has raced in Europe this year but will make its North American debut in IMSA next season.
Bell, who is also an NBCSN analyst for the Verizon IndyCar Series and Red Bull Global Rallycross, has dovetailed those commitments with his full-time racing deal.
Tom O’Gara’s team steps up after running in the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo North America series the last three years.
“Bill and I had a great season last year; winning the GTD class was amazing,” Bell said in a team release. “I’m really looking forward to joining Tom (O’Gara) and the O’Gara Motorsport team for their first season in the WeatherTech Sportscar Championship.
“I’m excited about this opportunity and think Bill and I are going to have yet another great season. O’Gara Motorsport made quite the impression in their first year as a team. I’m confident that their attention to detail and first-class operation will allow us to be as successful with this new endeavor.”
Added Sweedler, “I think the core ingredients for a championship winning team include passion, experience, and the drive to never give up. Tom’s passion for racing, coupled with his seasoned successful business acumen have formed the foundation that this team is built on.
“From the inception of the team, Tom has brought together the best race management, engineers, and crew. I am excited for Townsend and myself to be the drivers for the 2016 WeatherTech Championship. I can’t wait to get behind the wheel of the new Lamborghini GT3.”