Alexandre Tagliani and Jean-Frédéric Laberge are delighted to announce their participation in the SRO Fanatec GT World Challenge America Powered by AWS championship, co-driving the #92 St-Hubert | BFL Canada | Groupe Mach | Arobas Personnel Porsche 992 GT3 R entered by Montréal Motorsport Group (MMG).
This marks a return to endurance racing for Alex Tagliani, who had previously participated in a number of IMSA prototype races. Since the 2000s, the Lachenaie-born driver has had the opportunity to drive a wide variety of cars, including sportscars. This time, he'll be competing in the SRO Fanatec GT World Challenge America series in the Pro-Am category with Jean-Frédéric Laberge.
This will not be Jean-Frédéric Laberge's first time behind the wheel of a GT3 or touring car, as the Quebec City native is a Porsche Cup regular, having competed in the series from 2012 to 2014, in addition to winning the championship in his opening season.
The duo will run as part of an all-Quebec team, with only the car itself being of German origin. Tagliani and Laberge have entrusted the task to the newly-formed Montréal Motorsport Group (MMG) team, which includes some familiar faces at the heart of the operation, such as Éric Côté, who will lead the project.
"I'd like to thank Jean-Frédéric for investing so many resources into putting this project together," said Alex Tagliani. "It should be a very good year. I'd also like to thank the sponsors who are supporting us on this adventure, without forgetting all the people behind the scenes who made it possible for Jean-Frédéric to get his hands on the car, which was the first challenge."
"This return to racing, and behind the wheel of a Porsche 992 GT3 R in GT World Challenge no less, is really exciting," added Jean-Frédéric Laberge. "Starting this adventure with Alex is even better."
Very few entirely-Quebecois teams have been able to make their mark on the international racing scene. It is not only the drivers and crew that originate from la Belle Province, but the partners who have joined the adventure are also from there as well. "It's fantastic to see St-Hubert, which I've been representing for a number of years, on the front of a Porsche," explained Tagliani. "Last year, the yellow and red NASCAR Canada car, draped in St-Hubert colours, that we unveiled at the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières was a great crowd pleaser for whom this brand is well ingrained within Quebec’s culture."
"BFL Canada is a leader in global insurance brokerage solutions. I'm fortunate that they've been supporting me as a spokesperson as of last year. I've been sporting the Groupe Mach logo for several years now, and it's an honour to be able to have them on the car, as we built the Tag E-Karting and Amusement centre in partnership with them, which is a one-of-a-kind venue in Canada."
He continued by saying; "I'm also delighted to be able to announce the arrival of Arobas Personnel, a giant in the field of personnel recruitment. Jonathan and Alain de Moscovaki's passion for cars and racing only fuels my desire to offer them a great experience."
Racing a Porsche 992 GT3 R is a dream come true for Tagliani and Laberge; "it's exciting, because we all have a career wish list, and with all the cars I've been fortunate enough to drive throughout career, I find this next chapter very exciting as we're all Porsche enthusiasts," expressed Tagliani.
The SRO Fanatec GT World Challenge America championship is a European Endurance series with several branches, including the American sub-series, which includes several classes. SRO Fanatec GT World Challenge features GT3 machinery in both Pro and Pro-Am classes simultaneously battling for victory. During an event, drivers will have two 90-minute races. In the Saturday event, Driver 1 must start the race. Typically, Driver 1 is the 'amateur' driver, while Driver 2 is the 'pro' entry. On Sunday, it's the other way round. This makes for an exciting show, and leaves plenty of room for different strategies to unfold.
The first event on the calendar for MMG takes place on May 4th and 5th at Sebring International Raceway in Florida. All events can be viewed live on the GT World YouTube channel.