CJ Wilson Racing today confirmed the driver line-up and partners for the first of its two 2016 Continental Tire Sportscar Challenge GS Class Porsche GT4 Caymans. As the first official test of the 2016 season got underway, the Austin based team announced that longtime CJWR driver Marc Miller will share driving duties in the #33 Cayman with Canadian Daniel Burkett. The 20 year old from Winnipeg, Manitoba is making the move to sportscar racing after spending three years in the Mazda Road to Indy open wheel ladder program.
The three-day ‘Roar before the 24’ test at Daytona International Speedway will be the first opportunity for both drivers to test the ONE Capital Management/Motor Oil Matters backed Porsche.
“Coming out of 2015, I wasn’t exactly sure where I would end up driving, if I’m completely honest. I knew I needed to land somewhere not only where I could succeed as a driver, but also succeed on the business side of racing,” explained Burkett. He went on to outline what brought him to the team. “After meeting with the CJ Wilson crew I knew I had found the right place. Working with Marc in 2016 is going to be awesome; he’s got a lot of experience. Seriously, the guy could be my dad! It’s great to have a teammate who I can learn so much from, but is also still a kid at heart. My confidence is very high coming into the 2016 regular season and I can’t wait to get started.”
For CJ Wilson Racing veteran Miller, this is the first opportunity in a number of seasons to compete for a Championship. “I spent the holiday break looking forward to a full season of racing in the Continental Tire Series. 2014 saw me recovering and playing catch up after a rather harsh accident early in the year. 2015 was more of a learning year as we experimented with moving up into the GS class for the first time as a team. Heading into 2016, I know we still have a lot to learn and sort out. I have a young teammate that is very eager to learn and we have new cars to develop. Strangely enough, I wouldn’t want it any other way and look forward to working with Danny and the new Cayman GT4 Clubsport. I know we are capable of the same success we had in ST and are all prepared for the challenge.”
For team owner, CJ Wilson, the new full-time GS program is full of possibilities. “Danny’s young and excited and we’re excited too. He’s got a great partner in One Capital Management which offers both us and Danny the opportunity to make new business connections. Any time you get the chance to open doors in the racing paddock it offers a lot of potential to develop relationships that can last multiple years.”
“We’re excited to be in GS full-time now and committing to that is important for the overall growth of the race team we want high-level drivers to come in and race our cars and we’re going to put a high-level racecar together for them,” explained the two-time MLB All-Star pitcher.
“The opportunity to partner with C.J. Wilson Racing is a good fit for ONE because C.J. embodies our philosophy so well. He’s worked hard to be successful, philanthropic and passionate about what he pursues. We’re excited about this partnership and what the future holds for both CJ Wilson Racing and ONE,” explained Brad Barrett, Managing Director & Partner at ONE Capital Management.
The #33 CJ Wilson Racing ONE Capital Management/Motor Oil Matters Porsche team will continue testing throughout the weekend at Daytona International Speedway in preparation for Round 1 of the 2016 Continental SportsCar Challenge at the famed Florida track on Friday, January 29th.
All the best for 2016 to Daniel and the CJWilsonRacing team. @CDNAutoracers