SAN JOSE, Calif. – CarBahn with Peregrine Racing are back in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge this year with the No. 93 Audi R8 GT4 EVO.
The season hosts a new, rotating driver lineup for the No. 93, featuring Mark Siegel and his son Nolan Siegel, Sameer Gandhi, Tom Dyer and Tyler McQuarrie.
To kick-start the year, Nolan Siegel, McQuarrie and Dyer will share the reins of the No. 93 for the official pre-season test, The Roar Before the 24, Jan. 22-24, and the season opener, The Endurance Challenge, Jan. 29-30. While all three drivers are familiar with one another and have been a part of CarBahn Motorsports with Peregrine Racing since its inception, Daytona Int’l Speedway will be the trio’s debut as co-drivers.
The weekend will also serve as 16-year-old Siegel’s debut season in IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge. His resume features two seasons in USF2000 and F4 USA, two of the toughest open-wheel series in the country. The Roar event weekend will provide Siegel with welcome seat time as he transitions to closed cockpit sports cars.
“I have been with the team quite a bit over the past few years, so making the transition to the Audi R8 GT4 has not been as difficult as it would be if I had not worked with the team before,” Siegel said. “We have done some testing in preparation and I have been doing a lot of work on the simulator to learn Daytona. Everyone at CarBahn with Peregrine Racing has done as much as possible to make me feel comfortable both on and off track and I am confident that we will be able to produce a good result, even with it being my first race in the car, series, and at Daytona. When the big weekend comes, my goal is to get as close to my co-drivers as possible and come away with a strong result for the team.”
The 2019 Grand Sport champion, McQuarrie, will be alongside Siegel for the entirety of the event, bringing three seasons of championship-winning Audi R8 GT4 EVO expertise to Nolan Siegel’s aid. McQuarrie is ecstatic to welcome the next generation of racing drivers.
“For the past three seasons, I’ve headed to Daytona ready to race the No. 39 Audi R8 GT4 with Jeff Westphal and go for a championship,” McQuarrie said. “But like everything in this world, things will be different for this Daytona. I’m super excited to race the No. 93 Audi R8 GT4 with Tom Dyer and Nolan Siegel. Tom and I have been friends for 20 years and have raced on many teams together and our driving styles are very similar.
“Nolan is a great up and coming talent in the open-wheel ranks so I’m very excited to show him the ways in IMSA and give him all the knowledge I can on what it takes to win in this series. My goal for this race, as always, is to win. The No. 93 is identical to the No. 39 and the team personal is all the same, so we know we have the winning package. We just need to go execute with no mistakes and we will have a shot at the top step of the podium.”
Dyer rounds out the pack with the most experience in the No. 93. For the past three seasons, he’s been helping develop both the cars and drivers, maximizing track time and results. With Dyer at the helm not only will Siegel have an irreplaceable coach, but he’ll also have a seasoned pro.
“I’m excited and ready to be back in the No. 93 CarBahn with Peregrine Racing Audi R8 GT4 EVO for the 2021 Roar test and season opening race a week later,” Dyer said. “We ended last year with excellent momentum and the No. 93 group really came together performing at the high level we aspired to achieve. I know everyone is excited to pick up where we left off in the quest towards constantly improving our program and the results.”
“The Roar into race week is really a dress rehearsal before the curtain is raised on the 2021 IMSA season. With the revised driver line-up for Daytona we’ll be focused on getting back in the groove, practicing fast in/out laps, smooth transitions with our driver changes and being smart in and around traffic since it’s a four hour race. With Nolan joining the team for this event I believe he’s going to turn a lot of heads with his talent, ability and maturity that are well beyond his 16 years. He’ll have a blast driving Daytona for the first time and I’m sure it won’t be the last for this young up and coming driver with a very bright future. Additionally, driving with Tyler is going to be great and I’m thrilled to be teamed up in the same car. We haven’t had the pleasure of driving together as teammates in the IMPC series, but we have in other events and he’s one of the absolute best out there on and off the track. I feel we have an amazing line-up heading to Daytona and with the support of the CarBahn Motorsports team and Peregrine ownership we look forward to starting 2021 off on the right foot at the front of the field.”