When the 2018 season is over, it will be a goodbye to a very iconic sponsor, who has not only been on race cars for the last nine seasons, but also been supporters for several race series.
Tequila Patron has opted not to extend their sponsorship of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, where they have been title sponsor for the North American Endurance Cup, with Daytona 24 Hours, Sebring 12 Hours, Watkins Glen 6 Hours and Petit Le Mans 10 Hours.
They will also end their collaboration with Extreme Speed Motorsports, who has been running in the green and black colours since 2010. Co-owner of ESM, Ed Brown, the now former owner of the tequila brand, sold the company to the Bacardi concern earlier this year. Speculations already started back then about the continued involvement in the sport. And now it’s confirmed that they don’t wish to continue.
Photo: JJ Media
The plan for ESM is to continue in IMSA, where they currently run two Nissan DPi prototypes. The team was formed back in 2010 by Scott Speed and Ed Brown, where they first participated in the GT category with two Ferrari F430 GTC (GT3) cars, and has since then upgraded to the 458 GTE model, before they changed to LMP2 in 2013 with two HPD ARX 03-B.
After two seasons in the ALMS/IMSA, the team went for a FIA World Endurance Championship programme in 2015 and 2016, before they returned to IMSA in 2017 with the Nissan car, based on a Ligier LMP2, with a Nismo GT3 engine in the back, and with slightly modified bodywork.
ESM will race the next time at Road America on 5 August, since only GTLM and GTD cars will be racing at Lime Rock Park this weekend.
