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Taylor Made

Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette DP at Road America in 2016. [Photo by Jack Webster]

Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette DP at Road America in 2016. [Photo by Jack Webster]

by Jack Webster & Eddie LePine

Successful race drivers Ricky and Jordan Taylor are proof positive that the fruit does not fall far from the tree. Their father, Wayne Taylor, had quite the racing career himself as a driver.

Wayne Taylor was the IMSA WSC Champion for five straight years – 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1998. He also won the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1996 and Petit Le Mans in 1998. He added a second 24 Hours of Daytona victory in 2005 in the GrandAm series and added the 2005 GrandAm Championship to his resume as well. He was also a class winner at Le Mans, winning in the Ferrari 333sp in 1998.

Since retiring from active driving, Wayne has put his efforts into Wayne Taylor Racing, his very successful sports car racing team that employs his sons Ricky and Jordan Taylor. Perhaps initially people may have thought that forming a racing team and employing your sons as drivers would not be a truly serious effort. Boy, were they wrong.

Arguably, Wayne Taylor Racing with Ricky and Jordan as lead team drivers has become the finest American racing team in sports car racing today.

Ricky, the older brother at 27 years old, returned this year for his seventh career season and his fourth driving with his brother Jordan. In 2016 he racked up three victories in the IMSA series, following up his two victories each in 2014 and 2015. He also co-drove to seven wins and ten pole positions from 2010 through 2012 and in 2013 he drove the Spirit of Daytona Corvette DP. Ricky also co-drove with his brother Jordan in the two-car factory Corvette C6.R ZR1 team at Le Mans in 2016.

Younger brother Jordan, 25, has racked up quite the racing record as well. This season is his fourth co-driving with Ricky, this year in the all-new Cadillac DPi-V.R. In 2016 he and his brother scored victories at Long Beach, Belle Isle and Austin. In 2013 he and co-driver Max Angelelli won the last Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series Championship. In 2014 and 2015 he won two races in each season in the IMSA series. After finishing second in class at Le Mans for Corvette in 2014, he followed that up with a class victory in 2015.

And what are the Taylor brothers up to in 2017? Well, there have been five races so far in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and they have won every single one of them – Daytona, Sebring, Long Beach, Austin and Belle Isle. Without doubt, and proven every time they have taken to the track this year, Wayne Taylor Racing, their Cadillac DPi-V.R. with Ricky and Jordan behind the wheel has been the combination to beat. And no one has been able to beat them.

In a break in the IMSA schedule, both Taylor brothers will be making the trip to France to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans before returning to the IMSA wars at Watkins Glen. At Le Mans Ricky will be driving the Keating Riley MK30 Gibson in the LMP2 class, while Jordan will once again be with the Corvette factory team in the LM GTE Pro class.

The next opportunity for the Taylors to extend their IMSA winning streak comes in a couple of weeks at the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen, where once again the competition will attempt to end the winning ways of the Taylor clan.

Based on what we have seen so far this year, beating the Taylors is going to be a pretty tall order. Wayne Taylor Racing is running on all cylinders right now, with the right car, the right drivers, and the best crew and team in the business. They have truly earned all of their success.

Wayne Taylor has every reason to be a proud father this Father’s Day.

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