Two Cars, Four Drivers for Magnus Racing “SprintX” Debut This Weekend

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (April 25, 2017)- Continuing their new-for-2017 venture in the Pirelli World Challenge, Magnus Racing will enjoy yet another first this weekend, making their SprintX Championship debut as part of the full-season commitment. Unlike the first two rounds of “traditional” Pirelli World Challenge competition, in which each car is campaigned by one driver, this weekend’s Grand Prix of VIR at VIRginia International Raceway marks the first of the series SprintX rounds, which will feature two drivers per car. As previously announced, Pierre Kaffer will be joined in his Audi R8 LMS by Spencer Pumpelly, with John Potter joined by long-time teammate Marco Seefried. 

“The first SprintX round in some ways is a return to familiar territory for us,” stated Magnus Racing team owner and co-driver John Potter. “Obviously our heritage is with multiple drivers in endurance racing, where we’ve been fortunate to have had a lot of success. Heading in to VIR, we’ll be returning to a track we’ve had a lot more experience than our first two venues this season, and with a lineup that we’re all very excited about. Spencer will be a great teammate to Pierre, and at a track he’s had a lot of success at. Marco is of course someone I’ve driven with on several occasions, and fortunately we’ve had some of our greatest wins together.”

Introduced last year, The Pirelli World Challenge’s SprintX Championship is a unique take on the series’ traditional sprint format. Combining the excitement of sprint racing with the heritage of endurance racing, SprintX races will depart from traditional rounds because all races require two drivers to share duties throughout the race, yet all races only last 60 minutes. This means no driver will race for more than 40 minutes at a time, yet still forced to conquer the challenges of pit stops, driver changes, and the compromises inherent in shared driver duties.

Joining Pierre Kaffer in the No. 4 Audi Tire Center Audi R8 LMS, Spencer Pumpelly will make his team debut on a track he has had extensive experience at. A graduate of Virginia-based James Madison University, Spencer joins the team having never driven for Magnus Racing before, but with a high level of familiarity with multiple members of the team. Most notably, Pumpelly teamed with John Potter prior to the formation of Magnus Racing. 

“Racing at VIR is always something I look forward to,” stated Pumpelly. “The track is a really fun challenge, and should hopefully suit us well with the Audi R8 LMS. The first two weekends have shown the potential with the team for sure, and hopefully arriving at the first permanent road course, and one they’ve raced at several times before, should suit them well. The SprintX Championship has a really impressive roster of drivers this weekend, so Pierre and I will have to be heavily focused on getting everything out of the car that we can.”

Coming off of the team’s best result this season at Long Beach, John Potter and the No. 44 Audi Tire Center Audi R8 LMS will be joined by team veteran Marco Seefried. Having driven with the team in multiple endurance races since 2014, the combination of Potter and Seefried have amassed some of the team’s greatest highlights together, including wins at The Rolex 24 and Twelve Hours of Sebring, as well as four podiums.

For Marco Seefried, the opportunity to return to Magnus is an exciting one.

“It’s great to be back with my American family,” stated Seefried. “Magnus Racing is an exceptional team, and one I’m extremely grateful to have been with for so long. Some of the greatest moments in my career were with this team, and hopefully VIR will add to the memories. John had a great race at Long Beach, and combined with the team’s experience at VIR I’m really encouraged going in to the weekend.”

Official practice for the Grand Prix of VIR begins this Friday, April 21, with double-header race action taking place on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday’s Race One will take place at 3:20PM ET, with Sunday’s Race Two at 1:05PM ET. Live streaming can be found at www.world-challenge.com/streamvideo