DAYTONA BEACH, FL (Friday, January 21, 2021) – Team TGM will kick off its unique assault at Daytona International Speedway today with the team contesting both the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the opening round of the Michelin Pilot Challenge with the same four set of drivers.
Ted Giovanis, Hugh Plumb, Owen Trinkler, and Matt Plumb will be the busiest men in motorsports as TGM debuts in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in the biggest race of the year.
Not only will they jump between the Porsche 911 GT3R in the WeatherTech series and the Chevrolet Camaro GT4.R in the Michelin Pilot Challenge on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday on the Daytona road course, they will also contest the 100-minute qualifying race for the Rolex 24 at Daytona.
The championship-winning Team TGM returns to full-time Michelin Pilot Challenge competition this year with Giovanis and Trinkler aboard the No.64 Camaro and the Plumb brothers – Hugh and Matt – driving the No.46 entry.
For the Rolex 24 at Daytona, all four drivers will combine aboard the No. 64 Porsche 911 GT3R – Team TGM enlisting the help of Wright Motorsports for its IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship debut.
All three Team TGM cars will showcase the team’s #HealthInnovation hashtag – promoting the Jayne Koskinas Ted Giovanis Foundation for Health and Policy efforts. The Foundation funds innovative, emerging medical research and supports studies that rethink health care quality and uses for real-world evidence.
Ted Giovanis
“This is obviously a huge two weeks for Team TGM, but we are very much looking forward to the challenge ahead.
“We’re thrilled to be back on track to chase the championship in the Michelin Pilot Challenge with the Camaros but equally excited to take this team into the Rolex 24 for the first time.
“My team-mates have tackled this race before, but the Rolex will be a new challenge for me – one that I am very much looking forward to.
“We have a great car with the Porsche and a great team with Wright Motorsports helping out. It is an enormous challenge to do both races next week but I can’t wait to get started on track today.”
Hugh Plumb
“It is great to finally arrive at the track and be ready to kick off this great challenge, but I’m very excited to tackle this with the great group of people that we have at Team TGM.
“For me, it is a big job – I have the team management role, but then I have to switch mindsets and put on my helmet and drive the cars as well.
“What makes that task a lot easier is the outstanding group of people we have on the team. The drivers are the ones who get their share of the limelight, but successful teams are built with the people back at the shop and working on the cars during what will be a big test of endurance for two weeks here at Daytona.”
Owen Trinkler
“I’m looking forward to getting back to Daytona and being part of the team with Ted that helps him fulfill his dream of doing the Rolex 24.
“Having the test weekend back to back with the race is a bit of a double-edged sword. The good thing is the track conditions between the two should be very similar. Previously when the test was on the first weekend in January, we’d get back at the end of the month, and the track would be very different.
“The challenge will be if you come away from this weekend with any damage, it will be a big scramble to prepare for race week. We have to push as hard as we can to develop the Camaro and the Porsche at the Roar Before the 24, but be mindful of bringing the cars back to the pit lane in one piece.”
Matt Plumb
“The Porsche and the Camaro are certainly two totally different cars that we’ll be jumping back and forth between this week. The Porsche is a unique car to drive and incredibly intuitive. When you get in, everything makes sense, and it does all the things that you need it to do.
“But to drive it fast is a bit of a different discipline. We were fortunate to get some testing miles about a month ago, and I can’t wait to race it.
“The Rolex 24 is one of those events where you finish the race and think to yourself – ‘I really don’t want to do this again.’ You are tired, you’ve had no sleep, and are totally worn out.
“But after a while, you forget all the bad stuff and just remember all the good things about racing such a great event like this.
“If you wanted to do things that were easy – then you’d never want to get started in this sport.”
Schedule
FRIDAY, January 22
10:00am – 11:15am: Michelin Pilot Challenge – Chevrolet Camaro GT4.R
11:30am – 12:30pm: IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – Porsche 911 GT3R
2:30pm – 4:00pm: Michelin Pilot Challenge – Chevrolet Camaro GT4.R
4:15pm – 5:15pm: IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – Porsche 911 GT3R
SATURDAY, January 23
9:15am – 10:15am: Michelin Pilot Challenge – Chevrolet Camaro GT4.R
10:30am – 11:30am: IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – Porsche 911 GT3R
3:00pm – 3:15pm: Qualifying: IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – Porsche 911 GT3R
4:20pm – 5:20pm: Michelin Pilot Challenge – Chevrolet Camaro GT4.R
7:00pm – 9:00pm: IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – Porsche 911 GT3R
SUNDAY, January 24
10:00am – 10:20am: Warm Up: IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – Porsche 911 GT3R
10:35am – 11:50am: Michelin Pilot Challenge – Chevrolet Camaro GT4.R
1:20pm – 2:05pm: Rolex 24 Hour Qualifying, Pre-Race / Formation Laps
2:05pm – 3:45pm: Rolex 24 Hour Qualifying Race, Motul Pole Award 100 for the WeatherTech Championship
How to watch
Cable schedule: NBCSN 4:30 pm ET (tape delay)
Flag to flag coverage: TrackPass and NBC Sports App
Cord cutters: TrackPass – with IMSA subscription – $19.99/year
International viewers: www.imsa.com/internationalcoverage / imsa.com/tvlive
Welcome to Daytona
Ted Giovanis the author
FOCUS FORWARD: Life lessons from racing
Life comes at you fast when you’re traveling 180 miles per hour. For Ted Giovanis, it’s also where you can learn the most valuable lessons. Since becoming a race car driver three decades ago at age forty-six—a ride that is still in overdrive—Giovanis has discovered how the tools of racing and the teamwork within it are applicable to life and business. In forty-eight motivating and, at times, exhilarating chapters, he shares his experience and knowledge.
