Calvert Dynamics Announces 2016 Pirelli World Challenge Program with Porsche

Davis and Calvert

Calvert Dynamics today announced its two-car GT and GT Cup 2016 Pirelli World Challenge (PWC) program, in association with Phoenix Performance. Andrew Davis joins the team in a 2016 Porsche 991 GT3R in the GT Class, and Preston Calvert begins his sophomore GT Cup season in a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup entry.

The 2015 PWC season featured Phoenix American Motorsports and Calvert Dynamics powering to the 2015 GTS Team Championship and contributing to Ford’s Manufacturer Championship, with three drivers, and wins by teammates Andrew Aquilante and Kurt Rezzetano. Together, Aquilante and Rezzetano achieved 12 podiums, and 29 top ten finishes out of 34 starts, all while acting as both drivers and crew chief/technicians for their own cars. Preston Calvert drove in both GTS and GT Cup Classes, earning rookie of the year honors in GTS and finishing fifth in the GT Cup standings.

For the 2016 PWC season, the team takes on a new look, concentrating on GT and GT Cup competition, and welcomes multiple Championship-winning driver Andrew Davis to the squad. Davis served as Calvert’s driver adviser in the 2015 season. In addition to a GT Cup entry, Calvert Dynamics takes delivery of a new 2016 Porsche 991 GT3R in January, 2016, with which Davis will compete for a full season in the GT class. Andrew Aquilante and Kurt Rezzetano take on roles on the management side of this newly expanded 2016 Porsche program, as Team Manager/Technical Director and GT3-R Crew Chief, respectively, and contributing thorough knowledge of the series and competitors to the new GT effort.

Davis comes off a 2015 campaign that saw him co-drive the Championship-winning car in the GS Class of the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Championship. Among many racing accomplishments, the Athens, Georgia resident has an extensive history with Porsche, winning the 2011 Rolex GT Championship for the German manufacturer. The team also looks forward to the participation of Race Engineer Joe La Joie in 2016, who worked with Andrew Davis on the Brumos Porsche 911 in their Rolex GT Championship season of 2011. Joe La Joie brings a wealth of GT engineering knowledge and experience to our effort.

Calvert Porsche at Long Beach

Calvert looks to improve on his solid 2015 PWC performance, and hopes to find the podium in GT Cup in 2016. He scored a pair of season-best fourth places finishes in 2015 driving the Porsche 991 GT3 Cup car, with strong performances on street circuits.

The team begins track testing in February, ahead of the Pirelli World Challenge season-opening weekend at the Circuit of the Americas, March 3-6. Entries will be fielded out of Phoenix’s shop in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania and overseen by Joe Aquilante.

Along with Calvert Dynamics and Phoenix Performance, sponsors of the 2016 program include Brett King Design and Boys Republic.

Quotes:

Preston Calvert:
“In the course of competing in the GT Cup class with a 991 GT3 Cup car in 2015, the team had a chance to gain experience with this well-developed racing car platform, and was impressed with its performance and well-known reliability, and with the support provided by Porsche Motorsport North America. The new Porsche 991 GT3-R is a very exciting update of the successful FIA GT3 car that has been performing well in the GT class of PWC in its previous generation form.

“The Phoenix Performance team has been so successful over the years because of the drive and deep experience of its demanding leader, Joe Aquilante, as translated into on-track performance in recent years by his son, Andrew Aquilante; and one of the best-managed teams of engineers and crew. We are very fortunate that Andrew Aquilante and Kurt Rezzetano will use this hopefully brief hiatus from driving in GTS competition to act as Team Manager/Technical Director and GT3-R Crew Chief, respectively for 2016. Their technical knowledge and skill, and thorough knowledge of the series and competitors will be a great asset to our new GT effort."

Andrew Davis:

“I am extremely honored to be a part of this exciting new program with Calvert Dynamics and Phoenix Performance, and I would like to start by thanking Preston Calvert and Joe Aquilante for this amazing opportunity! My relationship as a driver coach for Preston last season gave me the opportunity to see the product that the Pirelli World Challenge series puts out on the race track, and I must say that it’s quite impressive. The FIA GT3 homologated cars are absolute beasts! When you add top level teams and drivers into the mix, the result is an appealing series for everyone involved. It’s going to be a sharp learning curve, but I am confident because we’ve assembled an all-star crew to get the job done. My expectations are to come out of the box strong and make our presence known right away. This team has a long pedigree of success, and they’ve accomplished so much by working tightly as a team unit. That will remain the focus of this effort. We will meet our goals with the help of each and every team member."

Joe Aquilante, President, Phoenix Performance:

“We look forward to competing in the GT class with the Porsche GT3R in 2016. We had a good first year campaigning the GT Cup car for Preston in 2015 and look forward to adding a GT3R to the mix. We hope to continue the momentum from 2015 into 2016"